What Michelle, Barack, and Oprah forgot in Copenhagen?
More than a week after the fact, the possible reasons behind Chicago’s failed 2016 Olympic bid are still being hotly debated. The Rev. Jesse Jackson said yesterday that video footage of a Chicago teen's beating death might have influenced the International Olympic Committee's decision. Peter Ueberroth, former president of the United States Olympic Committee, will share his thoughts on The $ports Take with Sports Professor Rick HorrowTuesday.
But nobody is talking about what to my mind is an obvious reason – President Obama did not use the powerful social networking apparatus he put together so effectively in campaigning for the White House. (See
http://my.barackobama.com). I was surprised, that everybody was surprised, that Chicago got kicked out during the first round.
What a waste. I think President Obama could have won the Chicago bid easily if he had followed the same, ICT-enabled strategic plan he had followed before. Use the power of a massive, grass-roots movement to get-out-the vote – in this case, get the IOC’s vote. Volunteers all over the country, and especially in the city of Chicago, could have self-organized and set up an Olympics fund, organized rallies, created YouTube-captured moments, and done on-the-ground marketing in Copenhagen to wow the IOC and create a groundswell of momentum – all tactics that worked so well in 2008.
This way, people could have had the chance to participate actively and positively in a global competition – and in the process perhaps gain an appreciation for the other contestants, who, after all, are also citizens of the world. Instead, as The Daily Evergreen noted, we won the “gold medal for whining.” (See
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/29688).
We also witnessed business as usual. The poisonous politics of the United States Olympic Committee – USC feud was allowed to set the tone, along with the typically grim picture of crime-ridden, beleaguered Chicago in the mass media. What happened? In short, the lessons of 2008 were forgotten. The star power of one very famous and admired person, or even the star-studded power of two or three famous and admired people, can’t compete with the energy and excitement of millions of internet-connected, ordinary enthusiasts.
The good news is, there are more issues besides the 2016 Chicago Olympics bid. Let’s turn our attention to something more substantive, and not forget to mobilize the energy and passion we know are out there – if someone just asks.
If you have any recommendations and suggestions for reactivating the ICT-enabled “Obama Mobilization Machinery” for common good then please leave a comment or email me at patrick@metamorfs.com
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What Michelle, Barack, and Oprah forgot in Copenhagen?
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