Mitt Romney Showed Political Courage And Consistency By Supporting Obama Olympic Bid
Color me shocked. After researching Mitt Romney‘s record procurement of federal funds for his 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and subsequent bragging about it, I did some checking to see how badly he flip-flopped when President Obama flew off to Copenhagen in search of an Olympic bid for Chicago. As it turns out, while all the other conservatives in the world were shaming themselves, Mitt Romney was unqualified in his support.
Whatever else you think about Mitt Romney, or even about the benefits of international competition, there is no denying that in this case, Romney was consistent, and bucked the politics of his party.
While people like then-RNC Chairman Michael Steele and then-House Minority Leader John Boehner were busy trying to make political hay out of the President’s 24-hour trip to secure Olympic glory for the good old U.S. of A., Mitt Romney bucked the political winds and not only supported Obama’s trip, he didn’t even care if the games made money:
“If President Obama is actively involved in recruiting IOC (International Olympic Committee) members, particularly from the non-committed nations, that will make a big difference,” said Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who also served as a turnaround expert for Salt Lake City’s 2002 Winter Olympics.
“(Obama) will have particular sway with some nations. In some respects, it’s kind of our turn. Europe’s had summer games again and again, so I’m kind of optimistic about Chicago’s prospects,” Romney said, adding he believed the city would get the nod over its international competitors.
Still, Romney said the value of hosting the Olympics is in demonstrating a city before a world audience, not in whether it makes a profit.
“I don’t see the games as a moneymaker. If that’s what you’re looking for, I don’t think that’s going to be the result, typically. It is however about the best service opportunity for the world that you’ve ever experienced. It will bring Chicagoans together in a way like nothing else can. It is a marvelous experience,” he said.
That last paragraph is remarkably consistent with these 2007 remarks that Romney gave about his own Olympic experience, which come about as close to poetry as anything I’ve ever heard Mitt Romney say:
Of course, President Obama’s Olympic gamble didn’t pay off, and Republicans pounced, but really only succeeded in making themselves look small and petty in the process. Unless I missed something, though, Mitt Romney was not among those who rejoiced at the Olympic bid’s failure, and doesn’t appear to have reversed himself on the matter since then. Maybe he’s on to something, maybe the President and Congress should take a few weeks off this summer and throw some jav (that’s slang I just made up for “javelin”), shot some put, and tri some athlons. Nothing else seems to be able to bring them together, and even if it doesn’t work, it’ll make for some entertaining highlight reels.
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This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
