Regardless of how many (or few) Democratic candidates for the House and Senate may benefit from Barack Obama's candidacy, there's one contest in which Obama could play a decisive role.
Next year, the International Olympic Committee will select the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The four finalists are Tokyo, Madrid, Rio De Janeiro and Chicago. It's unlikely that the IOC will go back to Asia or Spain so quickly, so it's probably a two-town contest. Rio has the edge, representing a continent which has never hosted the Summer games. Chicago has a couple of problems, including no plans for a permanent Olympic Stadium and the need to play some soccer games as far away as Minnesota.
But, if all goes well, Chicago may have one very strong card to play. Chicago's bid may benefit from international admiration for Barack Obama. The 2016 Games would take place at the tail end of what we can only hope with be President Obama's second term. In additional to declaring the games open, President Obama might also provide some of the outside shooting of which American Olympic basketball teams always seem to be short.