Little wonder so many are now griping. As a safety precaution and for your own peace of mind, you should nearly always divide such hyperbolic expectations by a factor of at least 10. I sense another set of crazy expectations, this time in my field of professional interest - NSW politics. So many Carr colleagues seem to think successful Olympics equates directly to electoral capital. They may firm up votes where support is otherwise soft but even that is high-risk reliance.
Failure humiliates voters and punishes governments.
Votes don't necessarily come with success but they sure as hell flood away with disaster. Winning plaudits from overseas big wigs is not ignoble but the real test of governments is that they manage optimally the institutions entrusted to them. Ensuring the ill and frail are cared for and the young are educated to high standards remain the core business of States. David Humphries is the Herald's State political editor.