Both Oriana and Samir voted for Argentina’s new leader Javier Milei, the radical right-wing libertarian with extravagant hair and an abrasive style. He came from behind in last year’s election to win more than 55% of the vote.
“He understands people’s problems,” says Samir, “I think he’s just what Argentina needs… to deal with the inflation.”
I’d say let the chickens come home to roost, but well they’re eating them.
I think one of the greatest lies conservatism has sold people is that they, alone, are fiscally responsible. I feel a lot of people have woken up to that notion by now, but it appears it hasn’t stuck with everyone.
Conservatives aren’t “fiscally responsible”, they just don’t want to use money for socialized care, support programs, or for other things that they deem as “unnecessary”, which just so happen to coincide with many of their social objectives. It gives “center-right” voters a comfortable excuse to support more fiscal responsibility, without having to directly say that they support racism, bigotry, and hatred.
In the U.S. they wield “Tax and Spend” against liberals like it’s the ultimate weapon, when in reality that’s just how money works.
Income and expenses. They would rather spend and then shutdown the government instead of paying the bill when it comes due
¯_(ツ)_/¯
Argentina was once one of the richest countries in the world, richer than France or Germany.
And much of that wealth was built on exports of beef, especially to Britain. But that was well over 100 years ago.
Now, thanks to a profound economic crisis, it languishes in around 70th place, according to the latest figures from the World Bank.
It wasn’t ‘an’ economic crisis that caused that change. It was a long-term political crisis. The fundamental cause of Argentina’s economic decline was political misrule - the combination of decades of political instability, military juntas, protectionist trade policies and hyperinflationary monetary policies, all of which discouraged long-term investment and left Argentine businesses and industries inefficient and uncompetitive.
Argentina dropped out of the developed world because the Argentine political class chose to drop out of the developed world.
Argentina is what those Americans flirting with the idea of re-electing Trump should be thinking about. Right now, MAGA, protectionism and political chaos are a one-term aberration in American politics. If they bring him back, if they make Trump’s form of politics a regularised part of the American political culture, Argentina is their future.
Thanks for saying it so clearly. As an Argentinian , I recognized Trump as a Peronist, bound to bring inflation and de-competition to the US. I see Biden as just a puppet, which is not much better, maybe even worse.
Clearly not worse. He’s done just fine by this country.
The fucking Gates Foundation over here buying chicken.