The Bets Are Down!
Published in Der Tagesspiegel
(Germany) on 2 October 2009
by Christoph von Marschall (link to
original)
The U.S. president is making a risky bet: he is campaigning personally in Copenhagen to have the 2016 Summer Olympic Games awarded to Chicago.
How many balls can a world-class juggler keep aloft simultaneously? In the political arena, President Barack Obama never passes up a chance to test his skills. At home, everyone is waiting for the first fumble – his fans apprehensively, his enemies maliciously. In the midst of healthcare reform, discussion about strategies for Afghanistan and environmental debates, Obama suddenly flew to Copenhagen to personally campaign to have the 2016 Olympic summer games awarded to Chicago. Americans call it a gamble – a risky wager. A sitting president has never tried doing this before. Should he fail in his mission, many people will blame him personally. His wife, Michelle, who has already spent two days sweet-talking Olympic personnel in Copenhagen, says it is a “damned-if-he-does-damned-if-he-doesn’t” situation for the president: if he does not go and Chicago loses its bid by a narrow margin, people will say it was due to his non-appearance. For now, the Obamas are relying on their international rock star status. And they are also relying on the temptation of all that money. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stands to make a bundle from the television rights. Of course, the Obamas and the American media are politely ignoring that fact. Whether it is presidents, jugglers or other superstars, the general rule of thumb is that they do not want to share the stage with any other gods.
How many balls can a world-class juggler keep aloft simultaneously? In the political arena, President Barack Obama never passes up a chance to test his skills. At home, everyone is waiting for the first fumble – his fans apprehensively, his enemies maliciously. In the midst of healthcare reform, discussion about strategies for Afghanistan and environmental debates, Obama suddenly flew to Copenhagen to personally campaign to have the 2016 Olympic summer games awarded to Chicago. Americans call it a gamble – a risky wager. A sitting president has never tried doing this before. Should he fail in his mission, many people will blame him personally. His wife, Michelle, who has already spent two days sweet-talking Olympic personnel in Copenhagen, says it is a “damned-if-he-does-damned-if-he-doesn’t” situation for the president: if he does not go and Chicago loses its bid by a narrow margin, people will say it was due to his non-appearance. For now, the Obamas are relying on their international rock star status. And they are also relying on the temptation of all that money. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stands to make a bundle from the television rights. Of course, the Obamas and the American media are politely ignoring that fact. Whether it is presidents, jugglers or other superstars, the general rule of thumb is that they do not want to share the stage with any other gods.
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