[Nuclear1]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03olympics.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=2016&st=cse

COPENHAGEN — When Rio de Janeiro was elected host city for the 2016 Olympic Games on Friday, the room where its bid team gathered turned into a boisterous party with members in uniform navy or moss green blazers hugging, dancing, crying and waving Brazilian flags. The bid leader, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, yelled, “We did it! We did it!”

Rio and Chicago had gone into the day considered the favorites, ahead of Tokyo and Madrid. But by the time Rio was chosen by the International Olympic Committee to become the first South American city to host the Olympics, the Chicago delegation and its star-studded supporters were nowhere in sight.

They had already left the building.

Despite the support of President Obama, who flew in specifically to address the I.O.C. voters, Chicago finished last, out of the running in the first round of voting, with a paltry 18 of a total 94 votes. Tokyo received 22, with Rio getting 26 and Madrid 28. In each round, until one city gains a majority, the low vote-getter is eliminated. After Chicago was tossed aside, nearly all of its votes went straight to Rio in the second round. In the third, after Tokyo was eliminated, Rio won handily, 66-32.

And then, on the WhyDoesTheGOPHateAmerica? front...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/02/conservatives-revel-in-ob_n_307794.html

Upon being informed of the news, a gathering of conservatives at the Americans For Prosperity -- one of the main organizing groups behind the tea party protests -- erupted in applause. They cheered once more after they were told that Chicago had been eliminated during the first round of voting.

Congratulations Rio! Upset that Chicago didn't get it, but not surprised either.

[Thaeris]

I think it's good for Illinois in general. They've already got enough debt they've racked up over the years... the Olympics would not help that at all.

[Mars]

I'm quite glad Colorado has a no debt constitution. Otherwise we'd be like California.

The Olympics would have bolstered our national image, but really we should be concentrating on digging our way out right now.

[Blue Lion]

I fear for the rubes who head to Rio and get scammed and/or robbed.

[Solatar]

I think the US has enough to worry about without planning and building facilities for an Olympic games.

[Flipside]

From what I know of Chicago, I agree that it would probably be too heavy of a monetary burden for the city, but then, I think much the same for London as well.

I think cheering the failure to host the Olympics is a bit immature, however, just sort of proves to me that these people have completely missed the point behind them, and cheering purely because 'Obama failed' is really silly, we're talking playground silly.

[Solatar]

I think cheering the failure to host the Olympics is a bit immature, however, just sort of proves to me that these people have completely missed the point behind them, and cheering purely because 'Obama failed' is really silly, we're talking playground silly.

I think we can all agree on this.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a conservative (not a Republican) and I voted for McCain.  Hell, I'm not even sorry I voted for him.  But there's not a bone in me that wants Obama to fail; I'll even admit that I think Obama's done a pretty good job so far.  I'll go further than that and say I even "officially" approve of the job he's doing.

Pisses me off to no end when Republicans act like this. . .gives us educated conservatives a bad name.

[MR_T3D]

I think cheering the failure to host the Olympics is a bit immature, however, just sort of proves to me that these people have completely missed the point behind them, and cheering purely because 'Obama failed' is really silly, we're talking playground silly.

I think we can all agree on this.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a conservative (not a Republican) and I voted for McCain.  Hell, I'm not even sorry I voted for him.  But there's not a bone in me that wants Obama to fail; I'll even admit that I think Obama's done a pretty good job so far.  I'll go further than that and say I even "officially" approve of the job he's doing.

Pisses me off to no end when Republicans act like this. . .gives us educated conservatives a bad name.

I bet, the problem is that there are so many louder, less educated person on the right wing whim grab attention from persons like yourself, and franlky, those people get ratings much better than you. I assume, no offence or anything.
think about the sterotypes of the left and right wing; left has college proffesors, and the right gets rednecks.  of course there are probably a few liberal rednecks, and some conservative peope whim are college proffesors.

[Flipside]

Well, the problem is in part that people listen to those who shout the loudest, so being loud and obnoxious gets you noticed, that's how half the talking heads on both sides of the divide work.

I just think it's a pity that a few are ruining it for the many, there are sections of American society out there which, rather than seeing their opposites as political and idealogical enemies, are preferring to see them as physical enemies who are 'taking over our country', which, at least to me, reads as 'we've completely lost track of the plot with regards to Democracy'.

[Spicious]

I would have thought educated conservatives would have voted for the educated conservative: Obama.

[carbine7]

Completely called Rio from the beginning. No surprise here.

[BloodEagle]

I would have thought educated conservatives would have voted for the educated conservative: Obama.

Oh snap! 

[NGTM-1R]

One of the things that really strikes me about this in particular and the Obstructionist Party in general is that we, the country, can't afford for Obama to fail. It's not an acceptable option for him to spend four years or eight years being a dud, it'll wreck everything.

Yet they throw every possible obstacle in his way, they scream and holler and hold parties for the worst of all possible outcomes.

Okay guys, playtime's over. It's time to stop huffing butane and be statesmen now.

[Mongoose]

I think cheering the failure to host the Olympics is a bit immature, however, just sort of proves to me that these people have completely missed the point behind them, and cheering purely because 'Obama failed' is really silly, we're talking playground silly.

I think we can all agree on this.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a conservative (not a Republican) and I voted for McCain.  Hell, I'm not even sorry I voted for him.  But there's not a bone in me that wants Obama to fail; I'll even admit that I think Obama's done a pretty good job so far.  I'll go further than that and say I even "officially" approve of the job he's doing.

Pisses me off to no end when Republicans act like this. . .gives us educated conservatives a bad name.

A-****ing-men to this entire statement.

[karajorma]

I think cheering the failure to host the Olympics is a bit immature, however, just sort of proves to me that these people have completely missed the point behind them, and cheering purely because 'Obama failed' is really silly, we're talking playground silly.

Yep. Cheer that your country didn't win a bid to host the Olympics. That's really ****ing patriotic.

It's pretty obvious why America didn't get it. They've hosted 4 already with the last one only being 13 years ago and they'd like someone else to have a turn.

[Ford Prefect]

When are the next Winter Olympics? Those are the ones that tend to involve more people falling down.

[Bobboau]

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'.

[Locutus of Borg]

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

@Ford, the '10 games are in Vancouver

[Liberator]

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.

[Locutus of Borg]

The Obama plan?

From what I've seen, most doctors PREFER a Public Option or Single-payer system.

Unless you're talking about the Baucus bill, which was just WRITTEN BY the INDUSTRY