Obama associated his personal authority with the decision on Chicago. If effect, he was saying 'a vote against Chicago is a vote against me' and vice versa. To raise the stakes in the decision to that degree without knowing how the vote would go is nothing short of amazing. Taking such a risk definitely raises questions about his judgement.
Obama's behavior since he became President is beginning to show a character flaw. He seems to persist in assuming that his personal authority and standing can overcome all obstacles. It didn't work on his health care national speech; it didn't work on his address to Wall Street executives on financial reform; and it didn't work in Copenhagen.
Obama has turned out to be a risk taker. But his risks are not well thought out. He or his advisors don't seem to calculate the various factors. The Obama team bypasses real politics by relying on the Obama 'magic.' This approach becomes more and more foolish as time goes on.
Chicago's dramatic loss says a lot about the public's assessment of Obama. Obama is more popular around the world than even in the United States. Plus if there ever was a politically correct committee it has to be the Olympic leadership. Yet with all this going for Obama, Chicago lost pathetically with the lowest vote total of the four competing cities.
The loss seems to indicate that the illusions about Obama are fading away. Public sentiment is beginning to realize that Obama is not what they thought he was. The public is less willing to put their confidence in him.
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