I generally stick to pure economic policy issues, but will stray a bit to discuss the 2016 Olympic bid.  I am a bit of an Olympics nut, and the intersection with the Washington debate interests me.

I attended two Olympics, the Barcelona ’92 games and the Atlanta ’96 games.  I worked as a volunteer at the Atlanta Games.  I hope to attend many future Olympics to support American athletes.

In the Summer of 2008 I ran a small project in the White House, in which members of the White House staff sent personal letters to every member of the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing.  The letters were delivered to the athletes in their residential village.  It was a small gesture of support, but neat to know that each athlete representing the USA knew they had a specific person in the White House rooting for them.  A few dozen durable friendships were created by this effort, and many of the US Olympians brought their families to the White House for West Wing tours given by their new staff friends.

President Bush enjoyed enormously his time at the Beijing Summer Games, as well as the athletes’ visits to the White House.  One comment in particular struck me:  the President said that the American athletes were universally appreciative that he attended.  To them, the President was a symbol of America, not a representative of any particular political party or policy agenda.  By attending the games and supporting the team, he was demonstrating that America supports her athletes in competition with other nations.

I apply the same approach to President Obama’s trip to Copenhagen in support of Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Games.

• I am glad the President went to Copenhagen to support the Chicago bid.
• Yes, it represents a signaling of Presidential priorities, and yes, national security issues and health care reform are top policy priorities.  Presidents attend symbolic public events several times each week, and these events consume very little of their time.  The only thing differentiating this event is the additional time and expense of traveling to Copenhagen.  Hosting the Olympics is an element of soft power, and the host country generally benefits on the world stage.  Chicago’s loss is therefore America’s loss.
• Federal funds do not directly support American cities when they host the Olympics.  That makes sense to me.  The Olympics are a private operation, and as a general matter federal taxpayers should not […]