My Doughter In Her Underwhere

The mirror and the Pendulum

In the movie Duck Soup can see the famous scene in which the president of Freedonia, Groucho Marx, he wanders around his palace with her nightgown and nightcap, and is an imposter who is dressed well and try to convince you is a mirror. It's the same task in which there are many politicians in many countries since the triumph of Obama try to present one's own situation as a reflection of the U.S., resulting in their local version of Obama and the transcript of Bush opponents.

long been exploiting this key element of local propaganda: propaganda peace achieved in 2003 arouse the anti-American mood in Europe and in the English case punishment promote Bush's ally, which anyway was only achieved in 2004 thanks to Islamist terrorists killed 191 people in Madrid three days before the election. Later is a recurring theme of the PSOE government propaganda presented as the local version of Obama, since voters are mostly willing to pay the price of anti-American demagoguery.

But the comparison is rather forced. Zapatero is a mediocre politician whose real job (and the members of his government) is ranting of the opposition party, which because of all the calamities that Spain has undergone in the last year (no, not like in other parts, such as quickly issued prejudice: he is a quality of Chavez, but his audience is less coarse). A connoisseur the former Soviet bloc and the president described English:

Of course, Zapatero shows and at rallies look upset and broken rictus of the Bolshevik leaders in the provinces when they threatened the enemy and prevent the traitor accused meet their brilliance Five Year Plan. Impotent hatred and discord spills everywhere. It is dangerous. In and out can use their seed who did not want us right. Someone should warn. But I say that Zapatero and just listen to the voices she hears inside.

in Colombia also is intended to operate the mirror image, and much of the propaganda campaign of the press against Bush this goal: the fans of Chavez, as William Ospina (but they are virtually all columnists El Espectador ) the banner flying without complex humanitarian curse the day he fell philanthropist friend of Chavez who "ruled" Iraq. Well, do not think they're going to present Wilson Borja as the local Obama, but who would think that the Communist Party will win the election? Less than two decades got 22,000 votes in elections, and certainly the cocaine trafficking that finances the strike force helped create a vast clientele among public employees (Borja was president of Fenaltrase), but the presidential election require many more votes.

No, the "obamoide" Creole is Sergio Fajardo: academic, technocratic, "enlightened" quiet ... The man easily collected the support of the poor local version of Beautiful people . Not many people realize that the vast "Caguán Party" (in which Fajardo need support to form a majority) would be inconceivable in the U.S.. It is difficult to know how far the deception will work, first because Colombia is very tight and "obamofilia" is rather an attitude of the same kind of people who voted for Carlos Gaviria in 2006, and second because maybe the image of also admired by William Ospina! not so good in a year: his conciliatory attitude has emboldened Chavez, Ahmadinejad and North Korean tyrant, as indeed was expected. Can that despite the propaganda the location of the source of problems in the perversity or stupidity of Bush do not convince many people in 2010.

In parallel to this mirror image is another in which they put the hopes of the opposition: the pendulum. I do not know how many opinion columns devoted to complain about the waste of resources in the war against the FARC and have read terrible urban insecurity. The pendulum theory assumes that people are excited about the guerrilla war for a while, until gets tired and starts asking for peace negotiations. It is also a mistake: there are simply times when it takes effect the propaganda of the media de-legitimizing the state and the people tolerate the thugs of the democratic left to impose their will, as with the Constitution of 91. (Well, what is delegitimize democracy, because the state is also the National University from which target the FARC, as evidenced by the alias episode "Cienfuegos" and the Supreme Court, where it lobbies for the business of the murderous gang.)

The pendulum problem for antiuribista faction is a risky play poker, how to get the people are convinced of the need for peace and support allies Piedad Cordoba, as Mr. Fajardo? A good number of bombs in the cities (quite easy for the terrorists, who have thousands of students willing to implement any such campaign) could take effect, but also, given the triumphalism of most Uribe, could encourage vote "warmonger." Appear sharper the victory is given over have always sabotaged and proclaim "enemiguísimos" of the FARC, and even willing to bury refounding the country tend to agree with them, or "disappeared" from public attention.

But these are only reasons (issues) of deception, and perhaps self-deception: the majority of Colombians today want to live in a country whose income grows, the hotels are built and set up businesses. No matter how they paint the redemptive mission of Mr. Fajardo and other doctors, even to repeat that the country sinks for the gifts to the rich, even those who submit to the kidnapping charge (as Mr. Garzon, who spent much of the resources of the citizens in campaigns for the "humanitarian exchange") as emissaries of a country at peace and "reconciled", people know that in recent years have improved their standard of living and increased security. If left drag mirrors to a pendulum can lose everything and end up worse off than in 2002.

By Jaime Ruiz. Atrabilioso columnist.