[Akalabeth Angel]

The US has had the olympics 8 times already, and at least two times in recent memory. Let Brazil have a go . . .

[Black Wolf]

Back on topic, congrats to the people of Rio De Janeiro, have fun spending tens of millions of dollars so you can make half of it back from the gringos.

Tens of millions? Olympics haven't cost tens of millions in decades. Modern olympics are multi billion dollar programs.

[karajorma]

@Kara, the last olympics the United States had was the Winter Olympics in '02. (Salt Lake City)

I was referring to the Summer Games. But that only makes my point more valid.

[Bobboau]

and how the **** was it that Salt Lake City of all places in the US managed to get the games, I mean Salt Lake City? really?


...oh, yeah, bribery, that's how.

[Nuclear1]

I don't think people quite understand why "The Obama Bid" for Chicago to host the Olympics failed.

He's from Chicago, or at least he learned the ropes politically in that city.  The Politicians of Chicago INVENTED corruption.  It's hard to walk through the streets of Chicago and no get some of that crap on your shoes.  What we have in Obama is a unique combination of over-hyped, under prepared Politician who is trying to run the USA by "the Chicago Way".  I'm not terribly surprised that his shmoozing was unsuccessful.

Also, let's be clear about this, I don't want Obama to fail(ok, maybe a little).  I want his policies, which even conservative projections show as running completely off the rails in 10 or 15 years, to fail.  You wouldn't believe the number of doctors and nurses who have said that they're going to stop practicing medicine if the Obama plan goes through.

Back on topic, congrats to the people of Rio De Janeiro, have fun spending tens of millions of dollars so you can make half of it back from the gringos.

Ok, stop it.  You're posting about stuff you have absolutely no idea about, and you're making the intelligent, reasonable conservatives in the thread look bad.  Again.

You're making inflammatory generalizations that have very little support; not all politicians to come out of Chicago are corrupt, no matter what the raving mad conservative media tells you about them damn blue state big city types, and the fact that you choose to paint one of the most multicultural and beautiful cities in the Midwest as simply a slimebog of political corruption proves you've never been there.  And you're simply talking out of your ass.

And that "shmoozing" your President did was representing the best economic and international interests of the nation in order to bring a symbol of world peace, friendly competition, and unity into a country that currently has a reputation of nearly the opposite.  I'm sure if it had been Atlanta, or some city in a major red state, then you wouldn't have a damned thing to say about it--but since it was Chicago, and he happened to be from that city, it was all about his selfish interests and his Chicago-style "schmoozing".  Give me a break.

And then that "gringos" thing...so you're basically saying "Humph, we didn't want the Olympics anyway!  Enjoy the economic burden Rio!"

democrats were doing the same thing for the last 8 years. I can't tell you how many times I heard someone say something along the lines of 'I hope we get our asses kicked in Iraq'.

If by "I hope we get our asses kicked in Iraq" you mean "we shouldn't be here because we were lied into a war that's costing good American lives and diverting resources from the war we should be fighting", then you're absolutely right.

Otherwise, you're just quoting some strange fringe element.  No elected Democrat was cheering for America to lose in Iraq and get more brave, patriotic Americans killed in that ****hole.  Sorry we don't stoop to the same level as the fringe elements that seem to be leading the GOP.

[blackhole]

See, I like it when news stories like this are posted. It gives us rock-hard evidence that conservatives are not only dumb, they're douchebags who will stop at nothing to destroy the last remaining shreds of common sense left in the American public.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Also, let's be clear about this, I don't want Obama to fail(ok, maybe a little).  I want his policies, which even conservative projections show as running completely off the rails in 10 or 15 years, to fail.  You wouldn't believe the number of doctors and nurses who have said that they're going to stop practicing medicine if the Obama plan goes through.

If doctor's + nurses quit some new graduates will just take their place. Big deal. Call it early retirement.

[General Battuta]

Also, let's be clear about this, I don't want Obama to fail(ok, maybe a little).  I want his policies, which even conservative projections show as running completely off the rails in 10 or 15 years, to fail.  You wouldn't believe the number of doctors and nurses who have said that they're going to stop practicing medicine if the Obama plan goes through.

If doctor's + nurses quit some new graduates will just take their place. Big deal. Call it early retirement.

I just want to point out, for Liberator's sake, that polls of health care professionals actually show that a majority of doctors favor a public option.

[Mongoose]

See, I like it when news stories like this are posted. It gives us rock-hard evidence that conservatives are not only dumb, they're douchebags who will stop at nothing to destroy the last remaining shreds of common sense left in the American public.

ITT more reasonable people get lumped in with (vocal) fringe elements.

[NGTM-1R]

The problem is, the fringe elements are setting the policy. They're leading the party. They are the party now. You can't be both reasonable and Republican anymore, something I saw coming when Bush got reelected. That's not how the Republican party works anymore.

[blackhole]

See, I like it when news stories like this are posted. It gives us rock-hard evidence that conservatives are not only dumb, they're douchebags who will stop at nothing to destroy the last remaining shreds of common sense left in the American public.

ITT more reasonable people get lumped in with (vocal) fringe elements.

So why are they in charge? How are we supposed to judge a party if its leaders are, apparently, no longer good representations of the party? What the hell do you want me to do when your leaders are preaching the defeat of Obama's attempt to get the olympics hosted in the U.S. and somehow no one is pointing out how completely unpatriotic and hypocritic this is? Do you want me to somehow, for no good justifiable reason, believe that you are somehow smarter then the leaders that are preaching your values are? Upon what basis should this be made? Wouldn't it be a whole crapload more accurate to assume that you're all just stupid dumbasses until you prove yourselves otherwise?

If you're more reasonable people, then for f*cks sake, DONT LABEL YOURSELF AS A REPUBLICAN. Why not just call yourself a liberal republican, or maybe a republican who supports tax increases. My point here is that if your beliefs no longer line up with what your labelling yourself as, why the hell are you complaining about our misconceptions of you in the first place?!

[General Battuta]

Man, blackhole, you exhibit all the calm and tolerance of a Westboro Baptist Church acolyte.

Why label yourself as a liberal if you're going to go off on kneejerk benders?

[TESLA]

Fair play to Rio!!!


About time someone got to have it on that continent.

Will make for an interesting time. Gives them good few years to sort out the slums and crime  

[NGTM-1R]

He's (blackhole) being actively offensive, but I don't think he's being actively wrong. His point, that we're not talking about fringe elements but powerful forces, trendsetters and people in leadership posistions, taking these stances that Mongoose does not want to be painted as having, is correct. How else are we to visualize the conservative movement as being when their leadership and their spokespeople are well and truly off their rockers?

Loyalty is usually an admirable trait, but the RINO accusations flowing thick and fast these days demonstrate what loyalty to the movement ultimately earns a moderate in this atmosphere. Blackhole is, ultimately, correct. Labeling yourself after a collection of people lead by madmen and sinners gets you painted as a madman and a sinner. What did you expect?

I have long maintained that the GOP and conservativism abandoned me, not the other way around. There is no shame in that posistion. If more people adopted it, something might actually get accomplished.

[General Battuta]

I agree, he probably is correct, but presenting it with a couple ad hominems, some DRAMA ITALICS, and the passion of an undergraduate in a philosophy class is kind of silly. 

[StarSlayer]

It's hard to walk through the streets of Chicago and no get some of that crap on your shoes.

Seriously could you construct a sentence that makes you look like more of a ignorant twit?  Have you ever even been to Chicago?  Have you even bothered to do some research before coming up with that gem?  Or are you just parroting what others have told you? 
Seems like you make a business out of posting unqualified statements all over these topics.  You consistently post asinine comments that do nothing to further your position and generally make everyone else cringe.  If you actually want people take take you seriously do yourself a favor and try accruing some non biased information on a topic.  It's a lot easier to win a debate, or at least not appear to be an uneducated neobarb, if you bother to understand your opponent's position and can actually base your statements on sources rather then just spewing forth a bunch of opinionated tripe not based on experience or research.  Do you run the risk of needing to reevaluate your views if you bother to learn about the subject yourself? Maybe.   With great knowledge comes great vexation, but its better to see the sun with your own eyes then to base your life on the shadows cast by others.

[MR_T3D]

I have actually been to chicago for a week, and its not that bad in parts, that magnificent mile but other parts...yeah, but that's inherit in all urban centers, i bet its still a lot better than the slums in Rio...
...but the states geet the olymics plenty often, i'd rather see it in europe or something, but that's straying off topic.
IDK who you are, but if you relish when your country fails at anything just becasue a guy who looks different from was actually elected president...(cough, 2000, florida, cough...) then that's basicially treasonous...
...and i'm pretty sure that's a capital offence

Also, let's be clear about this, I don't want Obama to fail(ok, maybe a little).  I want his policies, which even conservative projections show as running completely off the rails in 10 or 15 years, to fail.  You wouldn't believe the number of doctors and nurses who have said that they're going to stop practicing medicine if the Obama plan goes through.

If doctor's + nurses quit some new graduates will just take their place. Big deal. Call it early retirement.

I just want to point out, for Liberator's sake, that polls of health care professionals actually show that a majority of doctors favor a public option.

just the greedy SOB's who prescribe you **** you don't need would likely quit, so that to me seems like a good thing.

[Nuke]

i think id have more fun in rio than chicago

[MR_T3D]

i think id have more fun in rio than chicago

true that, provided you stick to the more tourist/high income areas.

[Mongoose]

If you're more reasonable people, then for f*cks sake, DONT LABEL YOURSELF AS A REPUBLICAN. Why not just call yourself a liberal republican, or maybe a republican who supports tax increases. My point here is that if your beliefs no longer line up with what your labelling yourself as, why the hell are you complaining about our misconceptions of you in the first place?!

Um, excuse me, but you're the one who's apparently equating "conservative" with "Republican."  The post I quoted didn't mention the term "Republican" once, and if it had, I wouldn't have responded to it in the same matter.  So how's about we actually read what was said and quit the bull**** knee-jerk responses.

(And yes, there is a distinction there.  One that seems to be growing larger almost every year.)