While we are fighting for health care for Americans and we are facing serious economic and foreign policy issues, what is Obama doing? Apparently he is going to Copenhagen to do the bidding of Mayor Daley's corrupt political machine.
The Olympics has lost money for the host city 10 of the last 11 times and is increasingly just an excuse to displace residents of the host city.
Daley has bankrupted Chicago with his corruption. City workers are given furlough days to deal with the city's budget crisis. And most long time residents know are trains and roads used to be better. Recently he sold our parking meters for a fraction of their value and the city is still just about insolvent.
Here is a great open letter to Obama from No Games Chicago: Open Letter to Barack Obama.
A large proportion of Daley's give-aways are toward developers who seek to push people of color out of Chicago. He has bet the city's financial solvency on the ability to keep real estate values rising forever. He lost. And the Olympics is his last desperate scheme to get the contracts that he needs to stay in power.
I know right-wingers have also leveled the same criticism against Obama. That doesn't mean it is wrong.
I am very disappointed in Obama. He has proved to be nothing but a corporatist economic manager. He isn't interested in fighting for even a public option. (He used to support single-payer.) And now he is helping Daley pursue a racist gentrification agenda and get juicy contracts for his cronies. Lately, it seems Obama just isn't what I voted for.