There's No "I" In "Team" But Michelle Delivers "I" And "Me"

Does Michelle Obama have any serious staff support in the White House, or is she just surrounded by fan boys and sychophants?  The LA Times presents her speech to the International Olympic Committee.  A writing Tip From Tom - if you have a speech where "I" and "me" appear an average of twice per sentence, take it back to rewrite; this might be the unlucky day when someone in the audience does not share your conviction that it is All About You.

I exhort the bold among my readers to steel themselves and bash through Michelle's effort.  But for those with good judgment or little time, here is the summary -

I would really like these games to come to Chicago.  My beautiful daughters would like the Games to come to Chicago.  My wonderful husband, who has brought hope and change to the world, would like the Games to come to Chicago.  But more important than all of that, bringing the Games to Chicago would be a wonderful way to honor my father, now deceased, who had Multiple Scelrosis.

I have no doubt he was a wonderful man who was very proud of his daughter and justly so, but, umm, so what?  A good sales pitch explains the benefits of saying "yes" and needs to get beyond "I'll be so happy if you give me the order".  I guess the delegates were expected to be thrilled to have a chance to put a smile on Michelle's face.  Didn't work. 

WE'RE NOT ROOTING AGAINST AMERICA, WE'RE ROOTING FOR RIO:

"We were teasing her this morning and we said, 'Well, it's time for the closer to come out again,'" Jarrett said with a laugh.

"We were all teasing her this morning and we said, 'Well, it's time for the loser to come out again,'" Sue said with a laugh.

CAN'T SPELL "OMG' WITHOUT OBAMA:  Posse Incitatus shortens the Huckster-in-Chief:

Basically, he told the IOC that they should choose Chicago because Obama did.

And because Michelle is hot.

ALTERED STATES:  Ann Althouse tackles that timeless query, how did you hate the speeches?  With video of Michelle and Barack, for the truly brave.  I endured nearly 1 minute 45 seconds of Michelle...

Comments

[Melinda Romanoff]

Getz/Gilberto Radio @ last.fm

[Melinda Romanoff]

TC-

Don't remind me, I had to sell my tickets.

My boss said if i went, I would be fired. My dad and I had gone to every game that year and we had tickets on the 40.

Upside, that boss was fired seven months later and now he calls me for business.

Besides, and I will repeat myself, the IOC knew better than to risk interference with Bears pre-season games, and you now, of course, see what happens when you choose Oprah over Ditka.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Sorry, TC, our tix at Soldier Field were on the North goal line, our lottery for the Super Bowl put us on the 40. Just trying to clarify.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Typhus infection, posts flash in when they weren't there before.

[Thomas Collins]

Sorry you missed the game, Melinda, but at least you got to go to regular season games and root for an 18-1 team that had the good sense to lose its game during the regular season, not the Super Bowl!

[Rick Ballard]

Pofarmer,

If I were a pessimist I would write about the fact that the banks have only written down 50% of realized losses and don't seem to be adding quite enough to loss reserves to cover the certain increase in anticipated losses. Or the fact that the FDIC hasn't the coin on hand to handle much in the way of additional necessary bank closures. Or the soon to come CIT BK. Or... Look! Aren't those bunnies just the cutest thing you ever saw?

Now, about Roman Polanski...

[Melinda Romanoff]

TC-

Actually, a lot of the players from that team became friends and co-workers, of sorts (different trading pits).

I still wish I'd gone to the game with my dad.

[PD]

How many married couples do you know who are constantly firmly grasped together?

Not that many. But there is an older couple (moderately older - late 50s) that sits in front of me in church on Sundays, and they always hold hands whenever we stand to sing. I think it's kind of touching.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Rick-

Don't leave out that tap on the shoulder by the FDIC on the remaining healthy banks that they need to pay up 3 Years of dues now! It's like they want to speed up the demise of the banks...

Hey, what was that Cloward-Piven strategy again?

[Jane]

My wife and I hold hands. Is there a problem with that?

Po,

Always? Every time you go anywhere together? I don't doubt there are genuine hand holders in this world. I just find it an ironic prerequisite for the white house.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Enough of the Brasilian stuff, back to Grappelli. His last.fm radio station.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Jane-

We do too.

[Strawman Cometh]

Mel,
I agree about Getz, I have always liked this one. The LUN is not very good copy, but then, I've got the vinyl.

[MayBee]

My husband and I still hold hands.
But I totally get what Jane is saying. We don't always hold hands. We didn't always hold hands with our kids when they were in 5th grade, either.
I think it's just one of those weird things someone tells them to do - every time- for the cameras.

[Pofarmer]

"Always? Every time you go anywhere together?"

Yeah, maybe not always and anywhere, but, quite bit.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Don't have that one, but if you can find the remastered Getz/Gilberto with Jobim, on vinyl, you will be holding one of the best of the genre, by far.

Were you looking for me earlier?

[Melinda Romanoff]

Oh, this is good!

[Melinda Romanoff]

Oops!

LUN

[matt]

I knew I was with the right crowd....I love Brazilian music. Check out Bebel Gilberto, Ivan Lins, and Elis Regina sometime....

For those who like a little hip hoppy stuff, there's a guy named Eduardo Bid who did an import with Seu George on several cuts, and Seu can't sing badly....It's a Brazilian thing, I think. Samba, jazz, and incredible rhythms......

[Melinda Romanoff]

matt-

Links, please.

No more teasing.

[matt]

Grapelli and Django made some incredible music as well.

[JM Hanes]

Lots of Dualing apologists over at Politico!

Why did Chicago lose?

Outside factors aside, Chicago had “by far the best bid,” asserted Bill Mallon, who has consulted for the IOC and co-founded the International Society of Olympic Historians.

He said Chicago likely got eliminated in the first round because IOC members gave “sympathy” votes to the lesser bids in the first round, thinking those bids would get eliminated anyway, allowing them to shift support to a stronger bid in subsequent rounds. In fact, Madrid came out ahead in the first ballot with 28 votes, two more than Rio, six more than Tokyo and 10 more than Chicago.

“There are so many parts of the world, that sometimes IOC members don’t want to embarrass cities, and give a few votes to some of the lesser ones and then unfortunately the good bids drop away because of that,” Mallon explained. “Unfortunately, sometimes those token votes taken away from the good bids like Chicago’s add up. And in this case, that’s what happened.”

OTOH, Chicago could have been on the receiving end of the sympathy vote.

Adding to the fun, Axelrod, himself is manning the barricades everywhere. Shades of Hillary! Whenever she needed a liar, she'd send out Howard Wolfson.

"As I said, the lobbying around the — you know I come from Chicago, so I’m used to intense politics, but nothing quite rivals apparently the politics around the IOC and getting these Olympic Games,” Axelrod said. “And you know, as I said the head of the former president of the Olympic Committee ... was leading the bid for Madrid. That has to count for something. He’s been working with the committee for years. He knows all the members. I’m sure that that was a benefit to them, and all these countries made strong bids, so it is what it is. But I think the president would do it again if he had the opportunity.”

Obama's Transparency Czar continues (first link above):

“I don’t view it as a repudiation of the President or the First Lady,” Axelrod told CNN. ‘There are politics everywhere and there were politics inside that room…..There are a lot of factors that go into this.” 



“The president made a very strong bid,” Axelrod said. “It wasn’t strong enough to overcome some of the internal currents there…. There are all kinds of cross-currents in the room. There are relationships.”

You know how those smoke filled back rooms are! Rio's "breadthrough" win is not about the not-about-me">http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/27834_Page2.htmlo">not-about-me President!

Chicago’s boosters have long highlighted their links to Obama — he is prominently featured in the so-called “bid book” they submitted to the IOC — and wrapped the bid in the symbolism of an Obama-led shift away from the globally unpopular policies of the Bush administration.

[Melinda Romanoff]

matt-

Bireli Lagrene. And I am leaving out a bunch of accents, gypsy guitar and just amazing.

[Strawman Cometh]

I was concerned for you in the Chi-town chaos, went for the most benign explanation.

[MayBee]

o, so I’m used to intense politics, but nothing quite rivals apparently the politics around the IOC and getting these Olympic Games,

Isn't this the administration that promised us "Tough Diplomacy"? They think the IOC is more intense politics than Iran or NoKo's nuke programs.
Oh, my.

Transparency Czar. snort.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Cap'n-

Yer fallin' behind!

From Ace: Bacon Is Our Line In The Sand

LUN

[Ignatz]

We hold hands quite a lot too, including in church.
Except for when wifey pulls the hair on my forearm if I look like I'm dozing off.

But she has never tried that submission hold Michelle was using on Barry today.
Looks like the couch tonight.

[PD]

Has the WH released the report on the investigation into the NYC AF1 flyover yet? The one that several months ago was promised to be released "within a week"?

[clarice]

You took the words out of my mouth,MayBee.

[Elliott]

I don't think they'll admit the obvious, namely that Chicago's presentation was dreadful and that the President would have done more good staying home. He sent the wrong signal by parachuting in at the last minute and not staying for the results.

[Gregory Koster]

The leather oughta be strong enough.

Hey TM: start a thread dedicated to Clarice's notion. I'm sure there will be plenty of gloomy days yet when we'll need laughs.

[Gregory Koster]

Yipe!

[Gregory Koster]

Down boy!

[Melinda Romanoff]

Straw-

Thanks for your concern, I was in the second most safe place to be in these circumstances, in my office. Rest assured, I was merely across the street from complete safety, the oldest bar in the city, The Green Door, a Capone speakeasy.

I was worried you might have thought I moved the office there already. LUN.

[JM Hanes]

In other photo ops you might have missed: The Obama's welcome Queen Margrethe II to the Christiansborg Palace:

The U.S. First Lady presented "Margie" with an IPod Nano video collection called "The Best of FLOTUS" and a knock off of Mrs. Obama's signature belt.

[Dave (in MA)]

Melinda:

"‘First, they came for hot dogs, ... Then they came for pepperoni, ... Then they came for bologna ... Then they came for bacon. . .’

Don't they ever get full?

[Melinda Romanoff]

Time to fold.

G'night all.

[clarice]

Love that see thru shiny dress with no slip--perfection and oh so flattering.

[Melinda Romanoff]

jmh-

The chain-smoker herself. I would love to see her facial expressions for that meet.

Now it's good night, had to comment on that great pic.

[flodigarry]

As a Chicagoan who has been "rooting for Rio" for years, this is not a surprise. Actually, in discussions with friends from across the globe over the past few years, we concluded that Chicago was a long shot, particularly with Rio in the mix.

I am glad that Chicago has been eliminated, it would have been one of the worst economic events to be inflicted upon Chicago, other than the Chicago machine that is.

As for Rio - while I got choked up due to their well deserved opportunity, and the country's exuberant happiness at the win, - they are no less immune to the immense graft, corruption, cronyism, and "I got mine" attitude", etc. of any of the other contenders. An honest analysis will reveal that they are likely the City least able to deal with these elements. Oncoming events will reveal whether these concerns are real or not.

Regardless, I wish Rio well, and will watch from a discreet distance.

[MayBee]

OMG, JMH. You are killing me.

[Barbara]

Congratulations to Rio!

One of my favorite songs by Brazil 66 is Mas Que Nada (LUN).

[Elliott]

Yet to be discussed: The Ogle.

[Porchlight]

Wow...I always thought Joao Gilberto wrote The Girl From Ipanema, etc. Learned a lot today.

Michelle's dressmakers are building in the gores and pleats for her maternity-sized gut, I see. The problem is that she won't stand up straight enough to smooth the lines. That black and white number (complete with Barry hand-crush) gives a new meaning to the term "windowpane plaid." A window it is, indeed.

[JM Hanes]

I admit, I'm having a good time, MayBee. ::g:: /Sue

[clarice]

Heh!
First entry in the dress contest:

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/stadium.weblogsinc.com/tmz/images/2008/03/bf_10_full.jpg>

[Ann]

JMH,

Those two women look manlier than Obama!

But I think he always looks like a wuss. Check out the difference bet Obama and Chewbacca is this pre-Olympic bid photo:

NOT COOL!

[clarice]

Let me try again:
It won't print as an image..
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/stadium.weblogsinc.com/tmz/images/2008/03/bf_10_full.jpg>Dress entry for state dinner

[matt]

What bothers me is that the London bookies had Chicago as the odds on favorites at 8-11 until today. $11 would get you $8, in other words. Everyone else was a better yielding bet.

The London bookies are wired. The stakes are way too high for them to lose big. In my Olympic experience it was like Kremlin watching. You talked to the IOC members and then figured out what influenced them. Idealism, nationalism, blocism,logic, disinterested objective self interest, or plain cash.

I was a schmoe, but would find piles of stuff, sometimes quite valuable, outside my hotel room door in the morning.

The London bookmakers had their contacts, and I'm sure they would have been using any and all of them they could. Seb Coe's statement on Michelle is jarring in light of the vote. Like I said the "I/Me" aspect could have really been the deciding factor.

Chicago not only did not win; they got blown out of the water in Round 1.

I love the ideals of the Games. If you haven't been jaded by the dark underside, they are what we strive to achieve as human beings. Perhaps this was a factor as well. Chicago is still known in the global hinterlands for Al Capone and Richard Daley Sr. after all.

Rogge is a good egg and I think perhaps just maybe there is still a kernel of that idealism left. This bothers me....LA did a fantastic job, and yet since, it seems the US candidates have fallen flat on their faces.

[Dave (in MA)]

Elliott: Oh yeah - she was a Brazilian. Heh.

[willem]

Yes. Ivan Lins. A must hear at LUN.

[Soylent Red]

Look at that mincing, girly, "Oh! Hee-hee! THHHHH-TOP IT you brutes!" pose Barry is captured in.

Worf looks like she wants to leap in a school some suckas.

[Ann]

Soylent,

I love the fact that the military guy is smiling while Obama is peeing in his pants...

This would make a great avatar if we had them at JOM.

[cathyf]

Just remember: There is no I in TEAM, but there are four of them in "platitude-spouting idiot."

[flodigarry]

I think that Chicago was a front runner up until the end. While much was in play with the voters, Chicago had a tenuous lead.

The Chicago bid, particularly the spin from the the Obamas, fell short in their lack of street sense (go figure), compelling story (sorry O & M, it is not "all about your") and general antipathy from the euro reps fronting for other venues.

O&M tried the personal emotional pitch, but Rio came across as the "real deal", at last to the voters. Best wishes to Rio in their efforts to pull this off, they will need it.

[Soylent Red]

Can you tell me how to get to THIS street?

[flodigarry]

last = least

[Dave (in MA)]

This would make a great avatar if we had them at JOM.

Even better than this?

[Ann]

Hey, Dave

At least, yours is pretty.

This is mine:

[Elliott]

Morning, JMH. Anything worth liveblogging?

[Ann]

Soylent,

That was good. Even Michelle's basket bunch of stinking fresh vegetables call him a liar.

Just wait til Pelosi demands Big Bird and his vegetables to apologize on the House floor!

[Check out the Mohawk.]

Hah, cathyf, how about Platitude Spouting Puddypus?
==============================

[Do you miss him yet?]

Perhaps the Circlecrats do hear Persian sabers rattling and wonder where is Cowboy Bush. Mebbe cyclocrats? Or is that too cryptic?
==================================

[They had cannibals, you know.]

Once more for the Real Tuesday Weld and Old Brazil?
================================

[daddy]

Simply goes to show that the Obama's can't win an election without ACORN manufacturing the votes

[bishop]

daddy, I heard that Anchorage was in contention back in the 90s and the 00's for the Winter Games, but it never came to a head. I guess Begich wasn't an influential enough figure then. Looks like thedownsizing
of municipal employees is common to everywhere, from Miami to Anchorage and all points in between.

[Anime, aussi.]

OK, return you will to Old Brazil at link under name.
==============================

[See why I don't link?]

Oops, return you won't. Search Real Tuesday Weld and Old Brazil.
=======================================

[bishop]

Great music selection, that has kept this relatively light, as Kratos from Ace says
"in the end there will only be chaos" or
words to that effect, or as another blogger
has put it, BECE. On that note, a sample of
unintentional media bias, that seemed to slip the folks at supernatural

[Ann]

Elliott,

Kudos, to you and JMH last night. I watched the live stream until Michelle gave her speech. Blech

daddy,

If you haven't seen it, it is here: I, I, Me, Me

and Michelle Malkin remarks:

“Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad’s lap, cheering on Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis, and others for their brilliance and perfection.”

Um. Ew. Oof.

Mrs. Obama was 20 years old when Lewis first competed in the Olympics in 1984.

[Elliott]

Thanks, Ann. ♥

I had way too much fun.

[daddy]

Thanks Ann,

Have been away all day so missed all the excitement. A great pleasure to read this thread after the fact and vicariously enjoy the fun.

[Elliott]

Quasi-voluntary unconditional surrender of sovereignty draws nigh in Europe.

[Ann]

Elliott,

Oh hell, I just watched that again and realized Michelle wasn't going for the Olympic Gold but the Oscar Gold. What an actress!

They have this whole victim thing down to a science don't they?

[Elliott]

I was expecting tears from FLOTUS, Ann, but the highly trained legal powerhouse and international fashion icon brought herself to the verge but no farther.

[PD]

My sweetie's take:

Mission Not Accomplished

[Ann]

Which makes Valerie Jarrett's comment seem so unexpectedly funny: “There won’t be a dry eye in the room,” said Valerie Jarrett, who plans to travel with the first lady to Copenhagen for the Oct. 2 International Olympic Committee vote.

Michelle Obama Plans Dramatic Pitch for Olympics, Jarrett Says

[JM Hanes]

Morning, Elliott. :-)

Not much worth our concentrated attention, but lots of fallout to savor till reality intrudes again, don't you think? It's going to be a long time before anything else can measure up to the mother of live blogging events last night -- and we were there!

[Jane]

Maybee,

Yeah that's what I meant for the handholding thing. When it is fake it comes across. Who can forget Bill and Hillary?

For the rest of you handholders, now I have a new way to imagine people I haven't met. And that is fun.

[Jane]

BTW is it the general consensus that Obama once again didn't do his homework, had no idea what he was facing and assumed that the IOC would simply fall in love and put all their usual criteria away for the Messiah?

As I understand it, the IOC operates a little like Chicago politics, but it appears our president didn't realize that applied to him, and his envoys didn't do anything to help him. As far as I can tell it is an astonishing case of malpractice - which makes you really concerned about meetings with Putin and Ahmadinejad.

[Janet]

PD - A "Mission Not Accomplished" banner would be perfect! Ha!

[drjohn]

My wonderful husband, who has brought hope and change to the world, would like the Games to come to Chicago.

Just like Jesus.

[peter]

Jim Ryan, thanks for all the great bossa nova links. Loved the Andy Williams video. how topical. he didn't he ruin the song.
Melinda, since you are extremely knowledgeable about gypsy jazz, no doubt you have heard of Gus Viseur? (sorry no link.)

[Pigilito]

Best. post. ever.

[hit and run]

Elliott:
Yet to be discussed: The Ogle.

Great catch.

Wow, you are gooood.

[DAVOD]

"Sylvia, to me, simple incompetence is a more likely explanation of Obama's missteps as POTUS than any conspiracy."

Yes. When you wake one morning and realise the incompetent one has control of major banks and financial institutions, control over the auto industry, destroyed the bankruptcy act in support of unions, reversed the welfare reforms of the 90s, placed wage controls on all private enterprise, all but nationalized the health care industry, et al.

G-d Help us if the great learns from his incompetance.

[WestWright]

Rick B, thanks for highlighting ZeroHedge. I've followed ZH for a while and I find it an amazing site & a real David vs Goliath story. Tyler D and confederates have been very effective in spearing the Mastodons that are the criminals of the Heist, ie., the TBTF banksters, US Treasury, Bernake-etal, CNBC/GE's pump&dump and our bankster- captured Congress/Regulators...I bet TM knows some things about ZH???