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A PR Nightmare for the Obamas
NationalReview.com ^ | Friday, October 2, 2009 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 10/02/2009 3:45:41 PM PDT by canuck_conservative

One can understand an American president’s lobbying for an American city to obtain the Olympics, but the blitz by the Obamas proved a PR nightmare. Let us count the ways:

1) Obama’s brand is trans-nationalism and an “America is not exceptional” multiculturalism. According to his worldview, it makes sense that a South American country — especially a powerful, ascendant country such as Brazil — should at last have its turn at hosting the Olympics. It did not seem consistent that a politician who had reached out to the Castros, Chávez, Morales, and Ortega, in parochial fashion, would lobby for his own hometown over a “yes, we can” Latin American initiative, especially one involving an exciting city such as Rio.

2) The Obama lobbying speeches were counterproductive. The world has its own inspirational narratives and is not impressed that much by the Obamas’ Chicago sagas. It was accidental but unfortunate that the global viewers had seen some horrific YouTube clips of street fighting in the Windy City, and then were told by Michelle that her father had taught her how to land a right hook, and that it was a sacrifice for her to fly to Denmark to make the case for Chicago.

3) The Chicago bit was overdone. Obama should remember that there is a perfect storm brewing: The more we hear about Valerie Jarrett, Rahm Emanuel, Bill Ayers, and all his old Chicago friends, along with rumors about Tony Rezko–style backroom deals to cash in on Chicago real estate involving the Olympics, and continuing stories about Chicago’s street violence and corruption — the more it hurts the president to be identified as a “Chicago politician” who tries in heavy-handed fashion to implement change through the “Chicago way.” To a younger Obama, Chicago was the romantic can-do town of Reverend Wright, Michael Jordan, Oprah, and the Daley machine; to the world at large, it is something quite different, and far more unappealing.

4) Obama’s messianic appeal is wearing thin, both at home and abroad. I think that once Sarkozy essentially said to the world, “The emperor has no clothes,” the Obama facade crumbled. And here we are.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: chicago; choke; czars; education; epicfail; fail; government; healthcare; islam; israel; kenya2020; latestnews; military; obama; obamacare; obamafail; olympicfail; olympics; olympicsfail; palin; politics; sasquatchrighthook; stupidmuslim; thugs; vdh; veterans; zerofail
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To: alloysteel

“Lord, how I miss George W. Bush. And that was not something I admit to easily.”
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Tell me about it! From the campaign of ninety two until the Bush inaugauration I never missed a chance to say something bad about Bill Clinton and he hardly seems worth mentioning now. Clinton looks like Mt. Rushmore material next to Hopey the clown.


121 posted on 10/02/2009 6:05:52 PM PDT by RipSawyer (Trying to reason with a leftist is like trying to catch sunshine in a fish net at midnight.)
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To: noiseman

I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it’s before the mid-term elections...a mental meltdown is not far off.


122 posted on 10/02/2009 6:06:26 PM PDT by shield (A wise man's heart is at his RIGHT hand;but a fool's heart at his LEFT. Ecc 10:2)
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To: canuck_conservative
If Obama and his WH team put the same time and effort into solving Chicago's inner-city problems - and the Derrien Albert murder is a perfect symbol - as they did in pursuit of this circus, then they could actually start to earn the public's respect again.

I have to take issue with that.

IMO, fedgov social policies of the last 45 years deserve most of the blame for the disastrous state of the inner-cities. The last thing they need is more of the same.

123 posted on 10/02/2009 6:08:17 PM PDT by Ken H
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To: HiTech RedNeck

That would be racist!!


124 posted on 10/02/2009 6:10:03 PM PDT by Osage Orange (A community organizer cannot bitch when communities organize..... - Rush Limbaugh)
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To: Ken H
"IMO, fedgov social policies of the last 45 years deserve most of the blame for the disastrous state of the inner-cities. The last thing they need is more of the same."

I definitely agree. And the current social and political strife in America was deliberately caused (and planned) by the Marxist Democrat Party!

125 posted on 10/02/2009 6:18:39 PM PDT by StormEye
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To: canuck_conservative

126 posted on 10/02/2009 6:19:31 PM PDT by CapnJack
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To: ROCKLOBSTER

If I remember my history, the flow of the Chicago River was originally reversed some time back in the 1800’s, to flow downstream instead of into Lake Michigan, carrying away sewage. It is no longer used for that. It is actually a nice spot, with open air restaurants and boats that go up and down with tour guides giving architectural history along the way. The downtown/lakefront area is actually very nice.


127 posted on 10/02/2009 6:29:49 PM PDT by Fu-fu2
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To: noiseman

Have you paused lately to remember that for eight years we heard about how “arrogant” Bush was? I never thought so then but now he seems like Caspar Milquetoast compared to this clown. Never in history has someone so little been so proud of himself for nothing whatsoever as Barack Hussein Obama.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Milquetoastcard.jpg


128 posted on 10/02/2009 6:30:17 PM PDT by RipSawyer (Trying to reason with a leftist is like trying to catch sunshine in a fish net at midnight.)
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To: Fu-fu2
Well, I thought it looked OK, but didn't know about the tour boats. Of course the last time I saw it was in the 80s.

They still had some pink air with the scary looking little cottonball clouds.

129 posted on 10/02/2009 6:36:55 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (RATs, nothing more than bald haired hippies.)
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To: ROCKLOBSTER

Alot has changed since the ‘80’s. Navy Pier was rehabbed and is a big tourist spot now too. Donald Trump put up a new skyscraper on the river. Then there’s Millennium Park (completed way over budget, of course). And beautiful planters filled with flowers—someone’s relative probably got that contract. Seems like there was alot of construction started in the south Loop area as well, but it seemed to have slowed down with the current economic conditions. As we all know, the “city fathers” had big plans for that.


130 posted on 10/02/2009 6:42:08 PM PDT by Fu-fu2
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To: Fu-fu2
the flow of the Chicago River was originally reversed some time back in the 1800’s, to flow downstream instead of into Lake Michigan, carrying away sewage. It is no longer used for that.

Well, then back to my original point...where does the Chicago sewage plant effluent go?

131 posted on 10/02/2009 6:49:03 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (RATs, nothing more than bald haired hippies.)
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To: ROCKLOBSTER
"...back to my original point...where does the Chicago sewage plant effluent go?

The city hall drinking fountains?

132 posted on 10/02/2009 6:52:47 PM PDT by Covenantor ("Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern." Chesterton)
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To: Lera

“Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t order all American troops guarding Europe home.”
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Actually, I won’t be surprised if he DOES order them home.


133 posted on 10/02/2009 6:53:06 PM PDT by RipSawyer (Trying to reason with a leftist is like trying to catch sunshine in a fish net at midnight.)
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To: ROCKLOBSTER

That’s alittle too technical for me. The Metropolitan Sanitary District handles it. There are sewage treatment plants downstream that take care of it. The drinking water from Lake Michigan tastes fine and is supposedly better than bottled water according to test results I’ve seen. I know whenever I travel anywhere and I taste the water, it always tastes weird.


134 posted on 10/02/2009 7:01:24 PM PDT by Fu-fu2
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To: La Lydia

Little noticed amid the Olympics brouhaha, this week SCOTUS decided, against the wishes of Daley and the Chicago Establishment, to hear the NRA-backed case against the Fourth City’s gun ban. Not a good week for that crowd.

The brutal 2x4 murder can’t possibly help their arguments of needing a gun ban to keep down crime.


135 posted on 10/02/2009 7:01:39 PM PDT by EDINVA (Obama CAN'T see the Olympics from his back porch !)
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To: Enterprise

Several hours ago they were blaming Michael Jordan for not coming along to make his sales pitch to the IOC. What happened? Didn’t that one go over well in the windy city?

mmm mmm mmm


136 posted on 10/02/2009 7:11:44 PM PDT by uncitizen
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To: uncitizen

Jordan seems to have a bit more sense than some athletes and entertainers. I think he once said “Republicans buy shoes too.” Imagine how Jordan would be feeling had he accompanied the Obamas and the voting flopped this badly. MMM MMM MMM!


137 posted on 10/02/2009 7:13:51 PM PDT by Enterprise (When they come for your guns and ammo, give them the ammo first.)
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To: Enterprise

Jordan showed good sense not getting involved. Oprah lost a good portion of her audience when she decided to get involved in politics. I read the book “The Secret” that she was pushing on her show awhile back. It said if you think positive thoughts, good things happen. I wonder if she will ever have the authors of that book on her show again....LOL


138 posted on 10/02/2009 7:19:38 PM PDT by Fu-fu2
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To: SkyDancer
The clothes has no emperor ......

That pic is the #3 hit on a Google image search for "empty suit". The first two hits are also at Zero's expense. He has been dominating that particular search since well before the election.

139 posted on 10/02/2009 7:25:16 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: RipSawyer

yeah that’s what I meant
I really need to stop and read before I hit post =P


140 posted on 10/02/2009 9:10:37 PM PDT by Lera
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