Author Topic: No Olympics for Chicago!  (Read 11184 times)

El Tejon

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No Olympics for Chicago!
« on: October 02, 2009, 11:50:27 AM »
WLS 890 AM just announced that Chicago will NOT host the 2016 Olympics.

How's that Hope and Change working out for you, Mayor Daley?
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roo_ster

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2009, 11:52:39 AM »
WLS 890 AM just announced that Chicago will NOT host the 2016 Olympics.

How's that Hope and Change working out for you, Mayor Daley?

As displayed prominently in bold, red font:
THE EGO HAS LANDED
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roo_ster

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El Tejon

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2009, 11:56:10 AM »
How the Chicago papers are taking this crushing defeat:

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/10/chicagos-stunning-olympic-defeat-the-test-is-whether-the-citys-ideas-for-2016-will-live-on-.html#

Chicago's stunning Olympic defeat: The test is whether the city's ideas for 2016 will live on
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Ouch.

We’re not even the Second City.

To Cub fans, the feeling should be familiar: Soaring expectations, followed by the cold slap of defeat.

But the stunning collapse of Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games on Friday--despite  personal lobbying by President Obama, the city was knocked out in the first round of voting by the International Olympic Committee--needs to put into proper perspective: This is a major disappointmeent, not a crushing calamity.

Chicago is a resilient city. It has been through worse. And it will rise again.

The real question is whether Chicago will raise its sights, based on what it learned about itself during its Olympic quest.

There is the actual cauldron in which the Olympic flame burns. And then there is the virtual cauldron in which ideas for staging the games glow.


Since Chicago started its unlikely journey down the Olympic path four years ago, it has made fresh—and potentially signficant—discoveries about its past and future.

It knows that its long-downtrodden south lakefront can be uplifted by the redevelopment of the former Michael Reese Hospital campus into a high-rise residential complex. And it knows, thanks to the tireless efforts of a young preservationist named Grahm Balkany, that the Reese campus has buildings co-designed by the great 20th Century modernist architect, Walter Gropius, that are worth saving—even if city officials are hellbent on tearing them down.

--Chicago has acquired a newfound appreciation for Washington Park, the South Side swath of open space that was to have hosted the main Olympic stadium and the aquatics center. Washington Park is one of the great creations of the 19th Century landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, with a vast, sublime meadow and picturesque lagoons. Why can’t Chicago’s civic leaders and corporations lavish as much attention and resources on this park as they did on Millennium Park?

--Chicago also knows about a new concept for 21st Century cities--a blue-green city, which was to have been the environmental theme for these games on the shore of Lake Michigan. The blue was about conserving water. The green was about saving energy and recycling resources. Intriguing ideas were floated, like converting seats from the Olympic stadium, which was to have been a temporary facility, into seats for wheelchairs.

It is a shame that Chicago did not get a chance to put its Olympic ideas into practice. It would be a greater shame, now that the city has lost its bid, if these ideas withered on the vine instead of flowering, as they should.

On Wednesday, anticipating that Chicago might get the nod from the International Olympic Committee, I took the Chicago Transit Authority’s Green Line from the Loop down to the 51st Street station, a few blocks from the stadium site in Washington Park.

The greeting I got there was not pretty: cracked sidewalks, broken glass, vacant lots strewn with trash, a couple of thriving businesses, like a crowded barbershop, but just as many boarded-up storefronts.

If the Olympics had come to Chicago, there would have been a full court press to spruce up the area, just as Mayor Richard M. Daley pushed to give the Near West Side new parks, streets and housing, not to mention yard upon yard of imitation wrought-iron fencing, before the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

Now, that station represents in microcosm the challenge confronting post-Olympics Chicago.

It’s all about whether Chicago can transform its grand defeat on the international stage into a back-to-basics victory on the home front, taking the best ideas from its Olympic quest and carrying them forward to make a better city and better lives.

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Gewehr98

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2009, 12:10:36 PM »
Good.

Seriously.

Daley has been quoted as saying that hosting the Olympics would allow him to displace his low-income housing demographics north to Madison and Milwaukee.  =|



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SADShooter

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2009, 12:16:57 PM »
Yeah. Urban renewal and economic revitalization under a fancy flag. Scroom.
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AJ Dual

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2009, 12:16:59 PM »
Very good.

More Obamafail, and it would have been an excuse for even more WI socialist "infrastructure" projects, which are full of graft and cronyisim for a few select contractors.

Plus just the presence of the Olympics just 75 miles to the south in Chicago would have made SE Wisconsin hell on earth.
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buzz_knox

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2009, 12:26:28 PM »
Plus just the presence of the Olympics just 75 miles to the south in Chicago would have made SE Wisconsin hell on earth.

If that's the case, shouldn't the mere presence of Chicago already make SE Wisconsin purgatory or limbo on earth?

AJ Dual

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2009, 12:28:14 PM »
Oh, and BTW, the reaction of the CNN anchor as the announcment was made is priceless: http://www.freedomslighthouse.com/2009/10/cnn-achor-disbelieving-at-announcement.html

 :lol:

Honestly though, I think it's in the bag for Rio. There's never been a South American Olympics IIRC, and IMO, the IOC loves giving 2nd/3rd world places the Olympics if there's even a chance that nation can handle it, as that nation's "coming out" or debutante party.

If that's the case, shouldn't the mere presence of Chicago already make SE Wisconsin purgatory or limbo on earth?

You catch on quick.

The main upside to our proximity to Chicago, as I see it, is that switching the Milwaukee Brewers to the NL in 1998 meant our expensive new retractable dome stadium isn't a complete flop, due to the attendance boost the Cubs game gives it.  Other than showing my kids bigger skyscrapers, and the occasional Broadway show that would take forever to make it to Milwaukee... I'm hard pressed to think of any other advantages.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2009, 12:33:08 PM by AJ Dual »
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Harold Tuttle

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2009, 12:30:25 PM »
"The true mad scientist does not make public appearances! He does not wear the "Hello, my name is.." badge!
He strikes from below like a viper or on high like a penny dropped from the tallest building around!
He only has one purpose--Do bad things to good people! Mit science! What good is science if no one gets hurt?!"

charby

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2009, 12:33:32 PM »
Iowa- 88% more livable that the rest of the US

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charby

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2009, 12:34:17 PM »
Good.

Seriously.

Daley has been quoted as saying that hosting the Olympics would allow him to displace his low-income housing demographics north to Madison and Milwaukee.  =|





Iowa is getting full.
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Harold Tuttle

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2009, 12:42:12 PM »
"The true mad scientist does not make public appearances! He does not wear the "Hello, my name is.." badge!
He strikes from below like a viper or on high like a penny dropped from the tallest building around!
He only has one purpose--Do bad things to good people! Mit science! What good is science if no one gets hurt?!"

coppertales

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #12 on: October 02, 2009, 12:56:55 PM »
Of all the cities in the world, Chicago should know that money talks.  I guess Chicago did not get any bail out money from Obama to buy palm grease for the Olympic hunt.  Daley certainly should have known better but Chicago strong arm tactics probably wouldn' have worked in Sweden.....chris3

Viking

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #13 on: October 02, 2009, 01:03:32 PM »
Of all the cities in the world, Chicago should know that money talks.  I guess Chicago did not get any bail out money from Obama to buy palm grease for the Olympic hunt.  Daley certainly should have known better but Chicago strong arm tactics probably wouldn' have worked in Sweden.....chris3
Ehem. Denmark.
Seeing that clip from CNN was priceless! :laugh:
He sounded as if his world just fell down around :laugh:.
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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #14 on: October 02, 2009, 01:10:09 PM »
Of all the cities in the world, Chicago should know that money talks.  I guess Chicago did not get any bail out money from Obama to buy palm grease for the Olympic hunt.  Daley certainly should have known better but Chicago strong arm tactics probably wouldn' have worked in Sweden.....chris3

Obama needs more Clinton lessons.  Clinton would have at least sent along with Michelle some Nevada hookers, to encourage the judges for a Chicago ruling.  I mean, who want to look at Oprah, except to see which side of the yo yo she's on now.
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Harold Tuttle

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #15 on: October 02, 2009, 01:13:45 PM »
Michelle Obama Meets IOC President, Pushes Chicago for 2016 Olympics
First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Campaign in Copenhagen for Hometown
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obamas-push-win-2016-olympic-bid/story?id=8720746
By YUNJI de NIES, KAREN TRAVERS and SUNLEN MILLER
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 1, 2009—

It's less than 24 hours before the Obamas make their final presentation to the International Olympic Committee to push Chicago for the 2016 Olympics, and White House officials say the first lady is still adjusting and working on her remarks.

Michelle Obama has been holding a flurry of one-on-one closed door, 15 minute meetings with IOC members. This morning she met with IOC President Jacque Rogge, probably one of the most sought-after leaders in the sports world this week. White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett said the Chicago-native is "speaking from the heart" to seal the deal.

"So many of them [the IOC members] said they're not just selecting a city. They are selecting people because this is really about relationships. Well, the first lady is an extraordinary ambassador for the United States and I think that she is connecting with everybody that she's had the privilege and honor to meet," Jarrett told ABC News in Copenhagen. "It's about building trust and building a relationship and also it's about recognizing that you can't take a vote for granted."

On the 2008 campaign trail, Mrs. Obama earned the nickname "the closer" because she could deliver key last minute votes for her husband. Jarrett says Mrs. Obama needs to tap into those strengths again. "We were teasing her this morning and we said, 'Well, it's time for the closer to come out again,'" Jarrett said with a laugh.

The first lady is leading the U.S. delegation to bring the 2016 Olympic games to Chicago, a delegation that includes some star athletes and some very high powered help.

"I'm sort of an ambassador, am I not?" A laughing Oprah Winfrey said. "I've appointed myself ambassador for Chicago."

Mrs. Obama has likened the trip to the presidential campaign. From the moment her feet touched the ground here in Denmark, the first lady has been in campaign mode, lending her clout to Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games.

"We are fired up and ready to go," she said at a welcome reception for Chicago boosters, employing a familiar phrase President Obama has used on the campaign trail.

"It really is a campaign, not even of sorts, it really is," mega TV mogul Winfrey told ABC News. "But I don't think that people are as mean and ugly."

Mrs. Obama expressed her gratitude to Winfrey for being part of the endeavor on behalf of Chicago. But that mission is not without controversy.

Chicago's bid is drawing protests at home, with some saying the games will bankrupt the city's economy, rather than helping it grow. Tom Tresser, who runs "No Games Chicago," is among those.

"It's the wrong project for the wrong city at the wrong time," he said. "We think the bills are going to go through the roof and the taxpayers will be soaked."

Experts say the economic impact is positive when the games are held, but the large investments that have to go into infrastructure can add up.

"If we're trying to sell the games on the economic boost it provides the economy, I think that it is a straw," said Robert Baade, a professor of economics at Lake Forest College in Chicago and president of the International Association of Sports Economists. "But if we sell the games on what it might do for a city psychologically, that is a much more compelling argument."

In Washington, critics are panning Obama's decision to fly to Copenhagen Friday for a brief trip to persuade the judges that Chicago should be the next site.

"Now the president is going to go to Copenhagen when we've got serious issues here at home that need to be debated," House Minority Leader John Boehner told reporters Wednesday. "I think it's a great idea to promote Chicago, but he's the president of the United States, not the mayor of Chicago."

But White House officials say the trip isn't taking away from the president's responsibilities.

"In fact, I think it's consistent with his philosophy of diplomacy, of reaching out, of inviting over 200 countries to come to our shores, in the heart of country, the Midwest, in Chicago," Jarrett said. "That's completely consistent with President Obama's agenda, making America inclusive and open and so the short time he'll be here, we believe is time well spent."

The president will be on the ground for merely three hours, long enough to headline the final presentation and make the final pitch to undecided IOC members, like Ung Chang, who has been an IOC member for the last 13 years.

When asked what can convince him of his vote, Chang replied, "Last presentation, that's important."

Obamas Going for the Gold

The first lady likened IOC voters to the Iowa caucus goers who gave her husband his first campaign win in 2008.

"Barack and I have looked at this -- this is like a campaign. Just like Iowa," she said. "The international community may not understand that, but Iowa is like a caucus, and you can't take any vote for granted. Nobody makes the decision until they're sitting there."

Michelle Obama is in Copenhagen for three days and in addition to sports stars and Winfrey, she is joined by a team of Chicago officials, including Mayor Richard Daley.

"This is a very tough campaign. These are very competitive cities," Daley said. "Tokyo, Rio, Madrid -- they're fantastic cities."

The delegations of Chicago's rivals are pulling out all the stops to boost their own chances. Brazil's president, Lula da Silva, brought international soccer star Pele to woo the Olympic committee voters. The royal families from Japan and Spain will make their bids in person as well.

Most of the campaigning in Copenhagen is happening behind the scenes. Michelle Obama is meeting one-on-one with the more-than-100 members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The first lady, President Obama and Vice President Biden all have been working the phones pushing Chicago's bid.

The IOC panel is accustomed to being smooched by European royalty, and they are now being wooed by royalty from the U.S. sports world, including basketball's "Dream Team " star David Robinson and gold medal gymnast Nadia Comaneci.

Many of the IOC members are global power players themselves, and the prospect of meeting President Obama on Friday leaves some of them unfazed.

Chang told ABC News he's accustomed to seeing presidents and heads of state at these events, and so he's "not much excited" at the prospect of meeting President Obama.

Asked who might win, Chang shook his head and laughed.

"I don't know, God knows!" he said.

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures
"The true mad scientist does not make public appearances! He does not wear the "Hello, my name is.." badge!
He strikes from below like a viper or on high like a penny dropped from the tallest building around!
He only has one purpose--Do bad things to good people! Mit science! What good is science if no one gets hurt?!"

charby

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #16 on: October 02, 2009, 01:24:28 PM »
Ehem. Denmark.
Seeing that clip from CNN was priceless! :laugh:
He sounded as if his world just fell down around :laugh:.

here it is...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuE60mq0r1Q

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makattak

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #17 on: October 02, 2009, 01:26:17 PM »
Quote
"It really is a campaign, not even of sorts, it really is," mega TV mogul Winfrey told ABC News. "But I don't think that people are as mean and ugly."

See that was the problem. They didn't dig up enough dirt on Rio's sordid past...

What? Chicago!? We're as pure as the wind driven snow!
I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

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Viking

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2009, 01:31:44 PM »
See that was the problem. They didn't dig up enough dirt on Rio's sordid past...

What? Chicago!? We're as pure as the wind driven snow!
Driven from where? Mordor?
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AJ Dual

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2009, 01:32:08 PM »
Of all the cities in the world, Chicago should know that money talks.  I guess Chicago did not get any bail out money from Obama to buy palm grease for the Olympic hunt.  Daley certainly should have known better but Chicago strong arm tactics probably wouldn' have worked in Sweden.....chris3

IMO, aside from any other considerations, I suspect that the IOC knows Chicago's penchant for corruption and graft, and having their own scandals, felt that if they chose Chicago, they'd have been under an enormous amount of scrutiny, and having the IOC's affairs looked into in a manner they'd be uncomfortable with.

Between that, and the "historic" chance to select the first South American Olympics, Rio had it in the bag.
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Gewehr98

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #20 on: October 02, 2009, 01:32:10 PM »
Quote
If that's the case, shouldn't the mere presence of Chicago already make SE Wisconsin purgatory or limbo on earth?

There's an old joke around these parts that the biggest suburb of Chicago is, in fact, Wisconsin...  ;)
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El Tejon

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #21 on: October 02, 2009, 01:32:56 PM »
Mayor Daley comments on the denial of the Olympics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p54bj8kEgho&feature=related
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wmenorr67

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #22 on: October 02, 2009, 02:37:55 PM »
Well at least we, the National Guard, won't have to be dispatched to Chicago that summer now. =D

Would rather do another tour in Iraq or go to Afghanistan than have to pull that duty.
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Sawdust

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #23 on: October 02, 2009, 02:40:12 PM »
It's because of racism that Chicago was voted down.




















I'm waiting for that headline... :rolleyes:

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Re: No Olympics for Chicago!
« Reply #24 on: October 02, 2009, 02:43:36 PM »
Don't worry, the implication of racism will be along shortly.