Gaylord may be the biggest shmuck, but how many shmucks believed the dream?
Remember the episode of Dallas that ended with Bobby in the shower, when Pam realized the entire season's plotline had just been a dream? That's what this past year's whole Gaylord hotel/resort/convention center project seems like: just a dream.
And now the shmucks have left us high and dry.
Oh, sure, economic boosters insist that Gaylord's restructuring -- including the sale of its four hotel/resort/convention complexes to Marriott -- doesn't really affect the deal, that another developer can step in and collect the $300 million subsidy from Aurora, and then maybe even convince the state to hand over that Regional Tourism Act money, and then go forward with the dreamy, $800 million project, throwing proms and parties for everyone who signed off on the concept.
Including all the lawyers and lobbyists who collected big paychecks pushing the project over the past year.
But still, it seems pretty shmucky of Gaylord not to reveal its plans while Aurora dreamed its big dreams, and while all the other regional eco-devo plans got pushed aside in their quest for RTA incentives.
Still, maybe the people who believed in the dream are the biggest shmucks of all. Bobby might be in the shower, but we all took the bath.
There are plenty of other shmucks out there, though. The folks who brought back Dallas, for example, which returns to the airwaves this month. Click to check out our complete Shmuck of the Week archive.
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