Cheering against Obama
Why the president's critics reacted with glee when Obama's pitch for Chicago's Olympics bid failed
Pay attention, we have just experienced a "teachable moment," said Paul Krugman in The New York Times. Rush Limbaugh, The Drudge Report, and the editors of The Weekly Standard jumped for joy when the International Olympics Committee rejected Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Games, because they interpreted it as a loss for President Obama, who had personally backed Chicago's bid. The lesson here is that Republicans are against anything that might be good for Obama—"whether or not it’s good for America."
It WAS good for America that Obama "came home with his tail between his legs," said the New York Post in an editorial, after groveling on behalf of Chicago in Copenhagen. At some point, Obama has to learn that he can't get everything he wants by being charming and appeasing foreigners. "Whether it's the Olympics. Or health care. Or Iran's quest for nukes. At some point, substance matters more than style."
Still, Republicans might want to conceal their glee, said Glenn Thrush in Politico. During the Bush era, Republicans "questioned—in ways both veiled and overt—the patriotism of Democrats who challenged the administration’s Iraq policy, pre-war intelligence and surveillance programs." But the "joyous reaction" from some conservatives at the Olympic snub of Chicago—"coupled with the party’s rapid-fire reaction to bad economic data"—is helping Democrats turn the tables and ask if "Republicans are the ones cheering against America now."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
'In a normal country, their activities wouldn't even be crimes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published