What Happened to Country First?

When I learned that President Obama was headed to Copenhagen to make a personal pitch for the Olympics to come to Chicago in 2016, I rolled my eyes. 'Dude. Really. Is this the best use of your time?' I thought. On second thought, after learning that heads of state from other countries would be there, and considering that Chicago (and any other American city) could use the influx of jobs that an upcoming Olympics would bring, I thought, 'well, if it helps get some people employed, however temporarily, maybe it is a good use of his time.' I half-expected for some reason, that Chicago wouldn't get it, the cynic in me figuring the IOC wouldn't mind bringing him down a peg. Turns out conservative punditry stateside erupted in giddiness at news of America's (i.e., Obama's) loss. I guess the cheers are better than the venom and vitriol they would've spewed had he NOT gone and some other country had won.



Speaking of conservative punditry, David Brooks continues to sporadically delight me. Just as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh's blustery blather seems omnipresent, David Brooks' voice of reason in The Wizard of Beck calmly interjects:
"...Over the years, I have asked many politicians what happens when Limbaugh and his colleagues attack. The story is always the same. Hundreds of calls come in. The receptionists are miserable. But the numbers back home do not move. There is no effect on the favorability rating or the re-election prospects. In the media world, he is a giant. In the real world, he’s not.

But this is not merely a story of weakness. It is a story of resilience. For no matter how often their hollowness is exposed, the jocks still reweave the myth of their own power...
So the myth returns. Just months after the election and the humiliation, everyone is again convinced that Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and the rest possess real power. And the saddest thing is that even Republican politicians come to believe it. They mistake media for reality. They pre-emptively surrender to armies that don’t exist.

So as Michelle, et al, tweet news of the 'conquest' and marching orders to followers, we are reminded: it's much ado about nothing. I heart David Brooks!