# Olympics in Chicago? Does Obama want it? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 14, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052 "2009-09-14T17:38:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/21 "2009-09-15T21:27:01Z")
> [@Stringer](#): > > If Obama actually cared about Chicago and its economy, he would not want the Olympics to come here. It will be a complete disaster for Chicago if we get the Olympics. I tend to agree with the second sentence, at least from a fiscal standpoint, but not the first. It may be a bad idea for Chicago, but if Chicago makes the bid, it would be wong for the president to be unsupportive. IOW, blame Daley, not Obama. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/22 "2009-09-16T14:59:11Z")
> [@furt](#): > > I tend to agree with the second sentence, at least from a fiscal standpoint, but not the first. > > It may be a bad idea for Chicago, but if Chicago makes the bid, it would be wong for the president to be unsupportive. IOW, blame Daley, not Obama. I don’t get it. Wouldn’t an influx of foreign money only help the US? Would people be stupid enough in a recession to bid for something that was going to cost them more money than it would make? Wait, I think I answered my own question. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/23 "2009-09-16T15:01:09Z")
> [@furt](#): > > I tend to agree with the second sentence, at least from a fiscal standpoint, but not the first. > > It may be a bad idea for Chicago, but if Chicago makes the bid, it would be wong for the president to be unsupportive. IOW, blame Daley, not Obama. I don’t get it. Why would anyone bid to hold the Olympics in a recession if they can’t figure out how to make it profitable? Why would anyone bid more than they could afford? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/24 "2009-09-16T15:16:55Z")
> [@furt](#): > > I tend to agree with the second sentence, at least from a fiscal standpoint, but not the first. > > It may be a bad idea for Chicago, but if Chicago makes the bid, it would be wong for the president to be unsupportive. IOW, blame Daley, not Obama. He’s not “unsupportive,” though. He’s perhaps not supporting them as much as Daley would want, but getting Michelle involved is a damned sight better than nothing. Daley may resent it but Obama has to focus on health care, national defense, and Kanye West right now. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/25 "2009-09-16T15:44:20Z")
> [@furt](#): > > I tend to agree with the second sentence, at least from a fiscal standpoint, but not the first. **Notassmart** ’s cites seem to contradict the idea that being a US Olympic site as a fiscal disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/26 "2009-09-16T17:31:04Z")
The Obamas will host a White House event, backing the Chicago bid, tomorrow: [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/16/obamas-host-event-to-support-chicagos-chances-for-2016-olympics/#more-69238](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/16/obamas-host-event-to-support-chicagos-chances-for-2016-olympics/#more-69238) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/27 "2009-09-16T17:50:02Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The Obamas will host a White House event, backing the Chicago bid, tomorrow: [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/16/obamas-host-event-to-support-chicagos-chances-for-2016-olympics/#more-69238](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/16/obamas-host-event-to-support-chicagos-chances-for-2016-olympics/#more-69238) Right. He’s supporting the bid, he’s just not going to Copenhagen to ask for it himself. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/28 "2009-09-16T18:13:16Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t get it. Why would anyone bid to hold the Olympics in a recession if they can’t figure out how to make it profitable? Why would anyone bid more than they could afford? Because being the mayor (or other elected official) of an Olympic city is a huge taxpayer-subsidized ego trip. Your face will be on global television and you’ll probably get a book deal out of it. It is also a pretty good advertisement for your city, as far as attracting investment and the like goes, even if it isn’t a direct money-maker (as may or may not be the case). ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/29 "2009-09-16T18:34:03Z")
The bid was not developed in this recession, it was started a while back. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/30 "2009-09-16T18:45:45Z")
Spain was affected by the recession of the early 1990s as much as any country in Europe, but the Barcelona Olympics were extremely profitable and almost single-handedly made Barcelona one of Europe’s premier cities. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052/31 "2009-09-28T14:46:22Z")
Looks like POTUS is heading to Copenhagen after all: [http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/28/obama-to-make-personal-bid-for-olympics-in-visit-to-denmark-white-house-says/](http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/28/obama-to-make-personal-bid-for-olympics-in-visit-to-denmark-white-house-says/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-in-chicago-does-obama-want-it/510052.md?page=1)