Ironies and bad losers

The irony is that, although there is no (repeat, no) energy crisis, the Casa Rosada had a power failure for 30 minutes this afternoon... The prez wasn't there, fortunately.

Another irony is how seemingly tough politicians can be made to retreat by public opinion, when clear enough, as governor Felipe Solá did a couple of days ago. When Misiones Province governor Carlos Rovira tried to get re-elected forever through a disgraceful campaign, and was crushed by a loose coalition led by a retired bishop, that sent ripples far away. Solá was trying the same, though using slightly less dirty means (instead of paying poor people to vote for him, he asked judges to bend the electoral law). Always a big macho in words, he waited a few days, then was invited to the Casa Rosada to set things straight. He emerged visibly agitated and announced that he in no way desired to be eternally seated in the governor's office. He later said, rancorously, that the opposition just "needed to take him out". So much for a bad loser.

There's also a kind of irony in how former president Duhalde is saying that Rovira's thing was gross (as in a gross mistake). Duhalde, who was vice-president of Carlos Menem and then ruled the province of Buenos Aires (and with it its hyper-corrupt police force, complete with arms dealing, drug dealing, prostitution networks, illegal gambling, and a well-oiled industry of stolen car parts) and then was a presidential candidate (who lost to Fernando de la Rúa in 1999), well, this guy is talking about Rovira's attempt at indefinite re-election. You'd think he has no moral stature to do that... However, it must be said that Duhalde was also interim president of Argentina during the horrendous days of 2002 and up to 2003. He presented Néstor Kirchner to public opinion, he propped him up and lent Kirchner his large political machine, hoping to get a puppet into the big office... only to see Kirchner emerge with as yet unknown strength, on his own, and turn against his former ally. Duhalde, not a great man but at least honest to himself, saw very clearly that people were fed up with old-time politicians, and promised from the start that he would end his interim term and never attempt to run for the presidency again. He could've won that; somehow he managed to stabilize Argentina in little more than a year. Now he emerges here and there to speak as a statesman. Like the old-time mafia boss he really is, he usually knows what he's talking about... and he knows this will only make Kirchner foam at the mouth a bit more.

Jujuy governor Eduardo Fellner also ditched his re-election. That's three Kirchnerist governors who will leave their seats next years.

Make no mistake, I'd rather have Kirchner in charge, and strong, than any of the opposition leaders. I just wish he could break with the legacy of Peronism, which is above all a movement based on blind loyalty to whoever brings votes or grants favours. Solá and Fellner left their dreams of re-election behind because they were ordered by Kirchner to do so. Kirchner supported Rovira because Rovira had campaigned (bought wills) for him in 2003, when he ran against fellow Peronist (!) Carlos Menem; and he stopped supporting these other two only when he saw that the shit would land on his image as well. That's a shame, and it's also a shame that Kirchner himself hasn't said a word about Rovira, and that his ministers have reacted with the equivalent of "OK, fine, since you're being so nasty -- see, I dumped it! Are you happy now?!". The national government is becoming over-sensitive and paranoid, and doesn't care what enemies it makes, or whether the reason is sound, and Kirchner reminds me more and more every day of the first government of Perón. Which didn't end well...