I have been tweeting about this recently, but let me put things into a better perspective via a blog post.
I am defending Obama on his going to Copenhagen in order to secure the Olympic bid for Chicago in 2016. Yes, I’ve said it. I think it is the right thing to do, and I think people who are bashing him for going are focusing on the wrong target, making those of us who do oppose nearly everything the man does look bad.
The Olympics is a thing of national pride. Getting the Olympics held in your country may actually be a money loser, as it was for China in 2008. However, you also heard how much NBC praised China on how everything was handled, looked, etc. Think about it, as it raised China’s reputation amongst the masses around the world, and actually probably helped their reputation in the United States as well. I know they are a totalitarian regime, etc. but I’m talking the general public sentiment towards China of those who don’t know the truth behind the scenes was raised. Even a conservative sportscaster I know, who went there to cover the games, came back with nothing but praise.
Now, skip to 2016. Do we want to have those same sorts of praises heaped again on the United States by the countries of the world? Those praises are going to get seen by the populace, even if the foreign press tries to couch it. Even biased press against us cannot help but show Americans rooting for the little guy like we tend to do. The United Kingdom is going to get a boost in 2012 in this area with the London games, possibly pushing them back to the forefront of European politics.
A lot of people who are griping about this point to the interview on 60 Minutes about Afghanistan, and the fact Obama is doing nothing while Americans are dying. He rode in on the coattails of ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has ended up with 3 months to go until the highest death toll yet in these wars. But, three days in Copenhagen is nothing compared to the hours and hours going on talk shows, going to SEIU and ACORN-loaded town halls, inane press conferences, and other trips. Those three days in Copenhagen, I believe, will help the United States in the long run.
Keep the focus on the right issues. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
It is our duty, our obligation, to make damn well sure Obama is not the residing President when the Olympics comes to Chicago in 2016.
That is how we make our statement about Obama. Make sure he’s there only as a goodwill ambassador to the games in his home town.
