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| You Have No Idea Who I Am, Do You? |
Our own Managing Editor Ken Shepherd delivered earlier NBC's Chuck Todd analyzing the bad news that Chicago finished fourth out of four as a potential host site for the 2016 Olympics. This abject failure came despite a full-on push by both President Barack Obama and his First Lady Michelle, live and in person in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Despite all of this Presidential effort, Todd somehow arrived at the conclusion that the "the biggest political loser" was not Obama - but Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. A man who roughly 95% of the country (conservatively) has never heard of in their lives is somehow a bigger political loser than the President. A President who very publicly dropped everything to make a MUCH discussed trans-Atlantic jaunt to make the pitch for the Toddlin' Town.
This is a BIZARRE assessment. But Todd's explanation - in defense of his bizarreness - had him venturing further into the realm of the absurd. He insisted that Mayor Daley basically ordered the White House - and the President specifically - to get involved on behalf of his Olympic effort (video below the fold).
If this is true, Todd is breaking some serious news here - that the titular head of the vaunted, notorious Chicago Political Machine can bend the White House to his will whenever he wishes. Which would be more than a little disturbing.
And this after the media repeatedly assured us throughout last year's campaign of the incredible chasm that somehow miraculously existed between Obama and the Machine - despite Obama's career-long immersion in those fetid and festering waters.
Get a load of this:
TODD: But the biggest political loser here is Mayor Daley in Chicago. Nobody had more on the line than Mayor Daley. He was pushing this, this was his pet project. He's the one that just put so much pressure on the White House to get the President out there. He worked this White House, every contact he had here, harder than anybody.
If Daley really has this kind of juice inside the White House, we are indeed in for a LOOOONG four years.
Is Todd so desperate to deflect political damage from Obama that he would assert something so paranormal as this? Obviously, the answer is yes.
—Seton Motley is Director of Communications for the Media Research Center and Contributing Editor for NewsBusters.org.
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Comments Policy
→ Titular Head
October 2, 2009 - 15:36 ET by Cool ArrowSo Daley's the titular master of the Democrat party?
I'll go along with that.
Mayor Daley has Tremendous Power Over White House...
October 2, 2009 - 15:43 ET by Army BratOf course he does. He knows where each and every body is buried.
Corruption is like that.
islam is a lie and Truth is killing it.
The Machine
October 2, 2009 - 16:37 ET by slickwillie2001Of course. Daley controls the Chicago Machine and has connections to the Outfit. The Bamster needs Daley to deliver Chicago, and thereby Illinois' 21 electoral votes, in 2012. That could be the difference between winning and losing.
Todd has a good point . . .
October 2, 2009 - 15:40 ET by GalvanicAs mayor of Chicago, Daley had a much bigger stake in winning the Olympic bid than did Obama. With everything else going on in this country, I estimate that the majority of Americans could care less whether the US (Chicago) was awarded the 2016 Games or not. Afterall, the city of Chicago itself was split roughly evenly over it. The US taxpayers tab for covering the security would've been a nightmare.
But Obama certainly has something at stake in the bigger international arena, and his failure to persuade the IOC is but one more blatant example of how his articulation and manner -- much ballyhooed in the USA -- have absolutely no influence over foreign leaders. Oh, they LIKE him, but they know he is inexperienced and I think they sense that he is about PowerPoint deep on history and diplomatic issues. Obama is a featherweight showing up for heavyweight bouts.
Daley was the bigger loser, and Obama got another notch in his "Ah, S***" stick.
A real president would have
October 2, 2009 - 15:52 ET by mattmA real president would have sent an underling along with officials from Chicago to pursue this secondary issue while he busies himself with matters of significance and urgency.
Mr. Obama showed his utter amateurism and lack of qualification for the job his puppet-masters got for him.
Yes...
October 2, 2009 - 15:58 ET by Army BratIf he was a real President...however... he aint.
Obama is a liar and Truth is killing his Marxist agenda.
Daley is breathing
October 2, 2009 - 23:23 ET by ahussera sigh of relief that Chicago didn't get the olympics. Enthusism for the Olympics in Chicago has been eroding since the economic slowdown. All the Olympics do to a city/country is suck a lot of money out of it. A very good article in Sports Illustrated about this.
"Somehow, I told you so, just doesn't quite say it." Will Smith in 'I, Robot.'
Paranormal?
October 2, 2009 - 15:52 ET by Jerry MackPerhaps Todds' assesment is correct.
Maybe the judges were sick of seeing Obama.
October 2, 2009 - 15:59 ET by ekslibI'm sick of seeing him.
I'd bet that Obama's recent flurry of hobnobbing with the international set meant that people in other countries were constantly seeing him on TV, too. Perhaps more than their own leaders.
I hope the judges gave Obama a consolation prize. How about recordings of their speeches?
The X-games are a trillion times better!
October 2, 2009 - 16:02 ET by CrashFor Chicago's sake I'm glad they "lost" the bid. Can you imagine what that shyster Daley would have done?
I think "Freaknick" brought in more revenue! I cannot tell you how many people, from vendors losing their life saving (thank you convicted Mayor Campbell) to Atlantan's getting snubbed by not receiving the traditional praise, "The best games ever!" Sure we had a bombing, which took a poor young women's life, due to our cities lackluster 911 response to the threat. We got burned in Cobb county because a few drama-queens were bitching about a playhouse losing it's "arts" funding over nudity and crude-ity. For the record, after The Theatre in the Square was forced off welfare they recorded record ticket sales.
Now, I have one message for Chicago ... call in Elliot Ness and clean up the fifth floor.
So Chuckyboy is saying that
October 2, 2009 - 16:02 ET by RMRSo Chuckyboy is saying that Obama is president in name only? In reality, Daley runs the show? Mmmm-mmmm-mmmm! Ha! ha! ha!
Wonder when we're gonna
October 2, 2009 - 16:04 ET by Seabeach4348Wonder when we're gonna hear that:
1) The IOC is obviously racist
2) The "International Community" still hates us because of Bush.
Barak Hussein Obama
Ummmp Ummmp Ummmp!
Too late,Sea
October 2, 2009 - 17:42 ET by boomerconThe current "junior senator from Illinois" pulled the Bush Derangement Syndrome card earlier today, and defended Barry's earnest efforts (and those of Michelle, and Oprah).
What a deal.
October 2, 2009 - 16:25 ET by sevenObama owed Daley and it is paid. Obama has what he wants so he owes lesser people nothing.
Waterlooo
Obama should have left the chunky cow named Oprah at home. This an athletic event and not a cooking show.
Rumor has it that Rio did a power point including ladies like the one Obama and Sarkozy checked out in France.
Obama pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Now he needs to go sell Saturn and not shut it down.
This Wasn't ''Chicago's'' Olympics
October 2, 2009 - 16:30 ET by DoktorFrankenSome events were going to be hosted as far away as St. Louis. The Equestrian events were going to be held near our town and we're over 60 miles west of Chicago.
I am so glad this Olympic-sized financial burden has passed us by. The only people that were going to gain anything out of this fiasco were friends of Da Mare and Hussein.
Richard Daley?
October 2, 2009 - 16:32 ET by sic721"...Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. A man who roughly 95% of the country (conservatively) has never heard anything good about in their lives is somehow a bigger political loser than the President."
FIFY
Hey!
October 2, 2009 - 16:39 ET by DoktorFrankenHe does a great Mickey Mouse voice. (Especially when excited.) That's a positive - isn't it?
Chicago's Loss
October 2, 2009 - 17:14 ET by merlin61Ok folks, you're not going to believe this, but Sen. Roland Burris from Illinois, just blamed the loss on (you'll never guess), George W. Bush. Obama hasn't been able to fix up the mess he made in the last eight years. I just heard it on Fox News!!!! What a disgrace my senators are from Illinois. I'm ashamed to say I'm from here.
I saw the same segment...
October 2, 2009 - 17:22 ET by MightyMouthBut who else could they possibly blame anything on? It must be George Bush's fault! In three years they will be saying the same thing, you know :"no way could only 4 years of Obama fix everthing it took Bush 8 years to destroy , we have to give Obama 4 more years!"
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
Sounds Like
October 2, 2009 - 18:29 ET by DoktorFrankenRoland Burris is seeking reparations from George W.
Senator Tombstone has, until this, kept a very low profile as Durbin's voting puppy.
Todd is certainly a hard
October 2, 2009 - 17:50 ET by d1carterTodd is certainly a hard working propagandist....he does not let his guard down even when confronting with a crushing defeat to his main man, BO.
Sarkozy was right
October 2, 2009 - 18:27 ET by jon_torlinGiven the comments the French president made a few days ago, That One had to go and prove it.
I'm going to stick to what I say all the time about how there's a nefarious plan to take over the US from within but on the other hand, him making the trip over there brings to mine something Ron White has said before(and I don't care for the guy, but he gets some good points in): "You can't fix STUPID!"
-Jon
Daley & 0bama
October 4, 2009 - 08:43 ET by nandrelliOf course 0bama went over because Daley told him to!
The conversation would have been simple:
"Just remember who put you into the White House. I can take you out of it just as easily."
One of the problems with putting ANY totally-inexperienced person in a position of power (and especially 0bama) is that nobody owes him anything, but HE owes EVERYONE something. Daley was just collecting on some of the stuff that 0bama owes him.
Daley & 0bama
October 4, 2009 - 08:59 ET by nandrelliSorry for the multiple posts. I kept getting an error message, but it appears the post was successful after all.
Daley & 0bama
October 4, 2009 - 08:59 ET by nandrelliSorry for the multiple posts. I kept getting an error message, but it appears the post was successful after all.