No Olympics, So Now What?

Will the baby go home and cry, or will he roll up his sleeves and find a more worthy legacy project, one that applies more directly to everyday Chicagoans instead of corporate asskissers.

As much as I hate Daley (and I hate him, in the true meaning of that word), I always thought he was sincere--if massively ineffective--about providing education and other opportunities to low-class kids. His dad, despite all his faults regarding race relations and the like, did build a decent college designed for the working class and the children of immigrants. Maybe he'll do something on that front?

Or maybe he will just pout and say fuck it (I doubt that, but who knows).

Nice write up, by the way.

Now what? I think Mr. Quigley sums it up pretty nicely:

House Democrat Mike Quigley of Chicago, who won Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's old seat, reacted to the loss by saying: "Chicago was a world-class city before today's decision, and Chicago will be a world-class city tomorrow. Although disappointment hangs in the air, this is not the time for regret, but rather to see opportunity in the incredible work that was done across Chicago over the past months.

"We now have the chance to move forward, free of the demands of the IOC, but equipped with plans that can address the real problems Chicagoans face on a daily basis. Chicago is now armed with an organizing capability never seen before, and an opportunity to continue the momentum and create better schools, more efficient transportation, and safer streets."

You know, I would argue that Chicago getting the Olympics actually would have led to more oversite and accountability than he is going to face now without the Olympics in Chicago. Delay and cost overruns in gearing up for the Olympics become juicy international news (just look at Athens, London and Vancouver), and the media would have been all over his ass just looking for signs of graft and corruption in his administraton during the building process. I really thing it would have actually forced him to come out of the shadows a bit.

I fear now that after a few weeks, it's going to be back to business as usual. The war chest he built up for the Olympics will now just flow to his other pet projects, like the Grant Park Children's Museum. He doesn't even face re-election until 2011, plenty of time to mend the fences assuming the economy improves. Chicago getting the Olympics and Daley screwing it up was just about the only thing that could have led to his defeat in my opinion.

"Typical politician speak - a meaningless, platitude. Nothing will change, yet you people will continue to talk about it without doing anything. It makes you feel good about yourselves to talk, yet you don't act. THis is why studies have shown that liberals do not donate to charity. The sympathy you say that you have for the poor is all talk, its all about you. When it comes time to put your money/effort where your mouths are, liberals do nothing."

Dear Pussy who never backs up what they say,
Please tell us all how you put your money where your mouth is. For every consecutive post that you don't respond, I'll post where I back up what I say.
Sincerely, A Non-Conservative-Non-Liberal person who says you're a pussy.

MM, don't be a wimp. Tell us where you put your money where you mouth is.

Here's another one: volunteer at Jesse Brown VA.

So I'll leave this alone as you never, ever back up what you say: good luck with that.

This Olympic bid was privately funded, all of it. The rude and snarky comments about the Mayor are just childish, stupid, and completely uniformed. IOC members are now making comments anout how it was "Rio's time" and how Peter Uberoth of the USOC mismanaged the bid from day one. There was nothing Chicago, the Mayor, or the President could do to change that. Check your facts people, using this as an excuse to bash the Mayor or City is ridiculous.