So we didn't get the 2016 Olympics

Though I was hoping we wouldn't get the Olympics, I was a little stung by Chicago getting 4th place in the IOC voting. This is my adopted city, after all. I know how great it is. This is not a 4th place city!

I was not disappointed though, that Rio de Janiero got the bid--I was hoping they would get it--South America deserves its turn, and the Olympics could be even more exciting in such a beautiful and exotic locale. It will also bring more attention to Brazil, full or rain forests and natural beauty and rare resources, as well as provide an incentive to improve its impoverished urban areas.

Chicago deserved to be in the top four,but getting yet another Olympics in the USA after Salt Lake City and Atlanta seems excessive. I have a feeling I know why we got the dreaded 4th place. Bloc voting. Madrid or Tokyo seemed like the bottom rungers, but then some old guy from Spain who used to be head of the IOC made a plea, and politically, the European voters had to help him save face. Tokyo seemed likely as well for the embarrassing #4 spot, since we just had the Olympics in relatively nearby Beijing. The Asian IOC members gave it good numbers so it was not shamed. For the IOC members from the Americas, it was split. Rio de Janiero got the majority of the votes, and there weren't enough left to save face for Chicago. Not a lot of bleed from any other side towards Chicago, because they take care of their own, and the USA hasn't been exactly cuddly to deal with in the past 8 years. It is silly and political, but basically, I bet that was basically how it went.


You may wonder why I was ambivalent about our bid. On a personal level, I love the romance of being the host city. However, I could see it being a huge inconvenience in construction delays, higher taxes and humongous commute times. For the city, I didn't trust the Daley machine to be able to control itself and not go crazy in corruption and graft. We tax payers were not off the hook for outrageous cost overruns or other issues. The burden of change would be to the south side of Chicago, and the communities there are already stressed with rampant gang violence and poverty related crime. Having the Olympics in Chicago was going to be a major strain for the area fiscally and on our quality of life, with no real guarantee of jobs.

I admire the Obamas for making the effort to go out and make the pitch for an American city--their American city. It was a pro-American thing to do, and the gloating on the part of the GOP pretending that this was a defeat for Obama once again makes them look puerile and insipid. The Olympic bid was not his to lose--it was Chicago's to lose. This just wasn't our time.