John Kass, the brilliant columnist for the Chicago Tribune, explains why Chicago did not get the Olympics. He tells the story of a t-shirt he saw. It says Chicago 1016 2016 on the front, and Terre Haute 2020 on the back.
To those of us not from Chicago, the joke is not immediately clear. So Kass enlightens the uninformed:
As every Chicago politician knows, Terre Haute, Ind., is home to a federal prison. That’s where a few would be tossed after boodling their way to Olympic fortunes. And why 2020? That’s how long it would take for grand juries to do their work.
I think Kass has it right. All the flowery platitudes in the world could not remove the stench of Chicago and Illinois corruption. Both outright thievery, and the political boss mentality of the Daley Chicago machine (see Kass’ prior column, If Obama gets 2016 Games, Daley will be king, not mayor).
Everybody knew that getting the Olympics was not about helping or honoring America. It was pure political pay-off for the people who made Obama President, and self-aggrandizement for Obama, the final stage upon which to celebrate his pre-ordained historic second term.
Yes, the world rejected Obama, because he’s just not all that anymore. And yes, Obama foolishly played the diversity card, only to be out-diversified by Lula and Rio. But even those who can’t read John Kass’ columns or who never heard of Terre Haute knew that what really was at stake.
The International Olympic Committee and the tens of millions of Americans who breathed a sigh of relief at the outcome, were not rooting against America. It may be unfathomable to the Obama cheerleaders in the media and worshippers in the Democratic party, but rooting against Chicago corruption is not rooting against America.
We were rooting against Terre Haute 2020. And we still are.
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Related Posts:
Obama Out-Diversified and Out-Historified
We Lost The Olympics Because of Bush
Blago Meets RICO
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Comments
This reminds me of the SuperBowl in Detroit a few years back after Ford Field opened. It was arranged by Detroit Mayor De3nnis Archer, but Kwame Kilpatrick took all the credit as he was mayor during that event. All his cronies got some juicy contracts out of it. Political payback for something that Kwame had no part in whatsoever.
People like Kwame and Obama build monuments unto themselves. It's nothing short of megalomania.
"It says Chicago 1016 on the front, and Terre Haute 2020 on the back."
I'm pretty sure you mean 'Chicago 2016'
@harkin, thanks for the catch! Sometime you miss the most obvious typos.
I don't know, it looks like we missed an opportunity.
Just depends on who would be going to Terre Haute in '20.
Talking about the Chicago gang makes me wonder. Chicago had an alderman in the 70's and 80's named Axelrod, who had a cousin who was Cook County Sheriff named Elrod. All part of the (Richard J.) Daley mob.
Wonder if Barack's main advisor is related to that crew?
The Olympics: a politician's dream and a taxpayer's nightmare.
According to Wikipedia, "As a prince of Denmark, Cnut won the throne of England in 1016."
Maybe that's who you were thinking of. He did command the waves to recede.