It is easy to feel a little melancholy on a rainy fall day in Chicago. Summer is indisputably over and, while our autumn is lovely, we know too well what is right around the corner. But today is truly a sad day in my city. Despite the potential political fallout of losing the Olympics let’s all remember that America and one of its greatest cities was repudiated. And that should not make any of us happy.
Chicagoans admit that we are ethically challenged when it comes to our politics. It is important to point out that in our business and other dealings we try to espouse Midwestern values and deal fairly with others. We are not proud of the reputation that the Cook County Democratic machine has won for us. And many are still trying to do something about it. But by and large, our distaste for local political habits in no way diminishes our love for our city, our state and our communities.
To my fellow conservatives who are deconstructing the implications of Chicago’s embarrassment at the hands of the International Olympic Committee and the indisputable damage it has done to the president’s reputation and image, I simply ask that you remember that there are millions of people in the Chicago area who are ordinary working people who take great pride in their community. All of us, conservative, liberal and independent, bid supporters and even bid detractors, are hurting a little today. We got embarrassed on the world stage as well.
Most people will never see their community host something as huge as the Olympic Games. For all the warts growing on the IOC and the games as they become more politicized and commercial, it is a spectacle I would have liked my children to have experienced in their home town. I would have loved for millions of visitors from around the world to have the chance to see first-hand what makes us love this city.
It is very valid and, indeed, important, to analyze what the IOC decision says about our nation and the president’s role in Chicago’s pitch. It appears to epitomize the simple-mindedness of Obama’s entire foreign policy. The administration seems to think that a combination of personal charm and endless talk can break down any barriers to cooperation and win everyone over to our side.
Never mind all the work that thousands of very smart and devoted people did to promote Chicago’s bid, Barack Obama will come riding in at the eleventh hour and crystallize everything in a way that no recalcitrant IOC member could fail to appreciate. His sheer magnetism will win the day.
Did no one in the West Wing raise his or her hand and point out that this is what they tried with health care? While Pelosi and Reid were fumbling about, with muddled messages and tired liberal tropes the prospects for far-reaching left wing changes diminished. The president had to take the reins and explain to these members of Congress and American people who just weren’t getting it, that they needed this reform whether they understood it or not. And the public reacted the same way anyone does when they are scolded by a patronizing know-it-all.
But I digress. The point I just want to make is that there are still a whole lot of good and decent fellow Americans here in Chicago who are bummed out this afternoon and will be for a while. Just as we must regularly remind Barack Obama that it is not about him, we on the other side of the spectrum must remember that as well. In this instance, in the rush to critique the president’s actions and their results, many people give short shrift to the millions who are disappointed by today’s IOC decision.
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