Spanish elections and politics III / Pedro Sánchez faces a new term as PM

[Lumine]

Have to salute Sanchez on being such a crafty and tough SOB.

What I don't get from his particular magic is how he can get away with consistently holding contradictory positions or changing his red lines - or, to put it less kindly, lying through his teeth in an admirably ballsy manner - without encountering punishment from the electorate.

It can't just be his ability to pick the moment for an election or the transparent mediocrity of his rivals, surely?

I doubt he would appreciate the comparison, but that type of politician (exactly what the trick entails differs depending on political systems and contexts, but the skill set is always much the same) is not really a novelty:

It works until it doesn't. That can be a very long time, especially when most opposing forces are inept, foolish or both.

Fair enough! I imagine that his eventual fall will be quite sudden and unexpected in that case.

Is that Andreotti?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Is that Andreotti?

In one of his many archly self-aware portraits, yes.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Have to salute Sanchez on being such a crafty and tough SOB.

What I don't get from his particular magic is how he can get away with consistently holding contradictory positions or changing his red lines - or, to put it less kindly, lying through his teeth in an admirably ballsy manner - without encountering punishment from the electorate.

It can't just be his ability to pick the moment for an election or the transparent mediocrity of his rivals, surely?

I doubt he would appreciate the comparison, but that type of politician (exactly what the trick entails differs depending on political systems and contexts, but the skill set is always much the same) is not really a novelty:

It works until it doesn't. That can be a very long time, especially when most opposing forces are inept, foolish or both.

On the one hand, Il Divo had the advantage of a much stronger and "inevitable" party. On the other hand, the... tricks... he pulled... went much further than Sánchez would even consider.

[Velasco]

Have to salute Sanchez on being such a crafty and tough SOB.

What I don't get from his particular magic is how he can get away with consistently holding contradictory positions or changing his red lines - or, to put it less kindly, lying through his teeth in an admirably ballsy manner - without encountering punishment from the electorate.

It can't just be his ability to pick the moment for an election or the transparent mediocrity of his rivals, surely?

It wouldn't be magic if it was easy to explain, don't you think? The thing is, for better or for worse, Sánchez epitomizes what is a thoroughbred politician.  He combines political instinct with invincible self-confidence; both virtues have allowed him to endure adversities and survive all his rivals (the list of political corpses is quite long at this point). It's particularly admirable the way Sánchez managed to overcome being ovethrown by the sacred cows of his party, whom treated him with arrogance and contempt. Sánchez is absolutely pragmatic, on the other hand: he's neither rancorous, nor he has problems dispensing close collaborators when they are no longer useful. He always plays for high stakes and does his best under extreme pressure. Lack of consistency and lack of convincing narrative or explanations of his most risky decisions are among his main blind spots.

As for why he gets no punishment from voters*, I don't know. Speaking for myself, I'm willing to forgive inconsistencies as long as he is competent running the country on the correct path, enacting progressive legislation while managing economy efficiently under adverse circumstances. So far Sánchez has handled the situation in Catalonia with remarkable intelligence and the results are visible, so in my opinion he deserves a vote of confidence on the amnesty issue. Additionally Sánchez is our main bulwark against the barbarism represented by Vox and Ayuso's right-wing populism (the latter is the most dangerous threat by far), so long live to Perro Sanxe.

* Sánchez and the progressive government have been punished and suffered tough defeats in a series of regional and local elections. Recovering from the May 28 catastrophe and averting the reactionary tide on July 23 was quite a feat. Former PM Zapatero played a key role during the campaign and now is backing Sánchez on the controversial amnesty law (in contrast with the staunch opposition of the most sacred cow, Felipe González). The Economist and Financial Times have praised Sánchez for his audacity on this issue, using similar terms to describe his move

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Have to salute Sanchez on being such a crafty and tough SOB.

What I don't get from his particular magic is how he can get away with consistently holding contradictory positions or changing his red lines - or, to put it less kindly, lying through his teeth in an admirably ballsy manner - without encountering punishment from the electorate.

It can't just be his ability to pick the moment for an election or the transparent mediocrity of his rivals, surely?

All of the previous posters made great points. I wanted to add something I've been thinking about that Sanchez said during the campaign in July. «Yo no soy perfecto, no aspiro a serlo, he tenido un mandato difícil, pero le digo que soy un político limpio.» (Here is one source, but he also said it at nearly every rally I saw on the news as well.) The idea of a politician going out there and proudly proclaiming his own cleanliness as an explanation for why his opponents only go after his policies, sure says something about that person. That is the instinct and self-confidence Velasco describes, I suppose. He was basically proven right when the opposition didn't challenge this assertion, just kept up the "derogar sanchismo" line. I think about this line from Sanchez a lot, because of how few politicians explicitly make the claim, for fear of being "found out" for something. It's part of the magic.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Also now that the election is finally officially over, should the Spanish politics discussion be moved to the International General board?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Also now that the election is finally officially over, should the Spanish politics discussion be moved to the International General board?

This thread has contained general political discussion while being in this board in the past, so I don't see why this should not continue. On the other hand it might be time for "Spanish elections and politics IV".

[Mike88]

Also now that the election is finally officially over, should the Spanish politics discussion be moved to the International General board?

This thread has contained general political discussion while being in this board in the past, so I don't see why this should not continue. On the other hand it might be time for "Spanish elections and politics IV".

Exactly. And even though Sanchéz won the investiture vote, instability and the possibility of a snap election are still hovering in the air. Plus, Galician and Basque Country regional elections are also due during 2024.

[Velasco]

Also now that the election is finally officially over, should the Spanish politics discussion be moved to the International General board?

This thread has contained general political discussion while being in this board in the past, so I don't see why this should not continue. On the other hand it might be time for "Spanish elections and politics IV".

Exactly. And even though Sanchéz won the investiture vote, instability and the possibility of a snap election are still hovering in the air. Plus, Galician and Basque Country regional elections are also due during 2024.

All right. I think I'm going to block this thread and start a new one in this board. Starting a thread in the General Discussion board would only make sense in case there's someone updating on day-to-day political affairs. There was an attempt to keep a political discussion thread some years ago,  but it didn't last