GOPers Snicker Over Obama's Loss

In the wake of the president's failed attempt to bring the Olympic Games to his hometown of Chicago, some conservatives are partying like they live in Rio. On his radio program today, Rush Limbaugh was positively gleeful, declaring this the worst day of Obama's presidency. "Obama demeaned the office of the president going on this sales pitch," Limbaugh said. He told listeners Obama had been "bitch-slapped" upside his head. "He doesn't understand how delighted the world is to make him look foolish in order to take a swipe at our country . . . We've got a 2-year-old manchild with a Mars-sized ego, which today crashed and burned."

Blogger Erick Erickson, who runs the popular Red State site, vented sarcastically. "Hahahahaha. I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone. I thought if we whored ourselves out to our enemies, great things would happen. Apparently not. So Obama’s pimped us to every two bit thug and dictator in the world, made promises to half the Olympic committee, and they did not even kiss him. So much for improving America’s standing in the world, Barry O." 

According to Politico's Glenn Thrush, GOP operative Matt Machowiak snarkily declared, "Actually Obama got the flowers, not even the bronze." While it's true that the loss must be a blow for the president's ego, having made a last-minute trip to Copenhagen to seal the deal, it doesn't exactly reflect well on Chicago or the rest of America. (Incidentally, this was Chicago's fourth unsuccessful bid.) Nobody likes to see their country lose, so is reveling in it really a wise political strategy? Sure, this is embarrassing for the president, but isn't it also disheartening for America?

Not all GOPers are celebrating, though. Mitt Romney, who ran the successful Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002, was gracious. "I commend the leaders of Chicago and the nation for giving it their best shot. It's unfortunate that we lost the bid." Former presidential candidate Fred Thompson saw a bright side. He tweeted, "At least the trip to Copenhagen allowed Obama to meet with McChrystal face-to-face." And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was encouraging. He released a statement saying:

The whole country should applaud Chicago and the President for their efforts because the Games can be an incredible opportunity to build infrastructure, create jobs, and attract new visitors and business from around the world. That’s why we attempted to bring the Olympics to New York City in 2012.

We’ve moved forward on many of the plans for infrastructure and parks we laid out in our bid, and I expect the bid will ultimately produce many benefits for Chicago, too. Chicagoans should never feel regret for having made the attempt, and I hope we’re able to bring the Games to the U.S. in 2020.”

Let's hope, for the sake of Chicago's bruised pride, that Bloomberg's prediction about the urban benefits comes true.