"Chicago was eliminated in the first ballot of voting for the 2016 Olympics on Friday, a stunning defeat for the city that was expected to be one of the two finalists," the Associated Press reports. "Not even the presence of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama - nor a long list of celebrities - was enough to help the United States' third-largest city."
After Tokyo was also eliminated, the last two cities left standing were Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. Rio won out, and will now host the 2016 Olympic games.
The Olympics bid became a political issue the last week as conservatives criticized President Obama for getting behind the Chicago bid effort.
As McClatchy reported Thursday:
Some Republicans and right-wing commentators are blasting him for going, saying it's a waste of presidential time when he should be doing other things, such as deciding on an Afghanistan strategy.Some say Chicago itself is unworthy, calling it a crime-ridden city filled with corrupt Obama cronies waiting to line their pockets with Olympic-sized graft.
Some openly suggest that the United States should lose the competition.
A bold red headline on The Drudge Report gloats, "WORLD REJECTS OBAMA: CHICAGO OUT IN FIRST ROUND." Not completely satisfied, Drudge later added "THE EGO HAS LANDED" to his banner.
Another AP report notes, "Thousands of people gathered in downtown Chicago stood in stunned silence Friday after watching the International Olympic Committee choose someone else for the 2016 Summer Olympics."
"An audible gasp could be heard from the crowd," the AP report added. "Many stood for a few minutes, staring at the screen, and at least one flung his hands into the air in a crude gesture toward the TV screen."
