The Red/Blue Switcheroo (Continued)
After the people of Chicago dodged that big ball of corporate welfare and eminent domain called the Olympics, their victory was celebrated by several Republicans -- partly for the petty reason that a president of the opposing party had asked the Olympic Committe to bring the games to Chicago, but also for the very good reason that having the Olympics in your hometown really sucks. Opportunistic or not, they were on the right side of the issue; my only sorrow at the committee's decision comes from my sympathy for the citizens of Rio.
Here's how the right's reaction was headlined on the liberal site Talking Points Memo:
Conservatives Revel In America's Olympic Defeat
In the article below that title you'll find another reference to right-wingers "reveling in America's defeat." In the comments beneath the story, the words bandied about include "unpatriotic," "un-American," "Anti-American," "traitors," and even -- let's hope this last one was meant ironically -- "Why do they hate America?" You have to scroll halfway down the page before anyone brings up the costs the games would have imposed on the average Chicagoan.
Apparently a lot of Democrats are discovering their inner jingos. Give 'em another year in power and they'll start burning Dixie Chicks CDs.
