[Marxism] A summary of the Spanish electoral situation.

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Picon Alvarez wrote: 

I'd talk a bit more about the conjuncture, the electoral bases for the 
parties (especially in class terms) etc, except that this post is already 
turning out huge. I hope that I have explained the situation more or less 
clearly, and of course I'd answer any questions. Surveys foresee a tight 
PSOE victory, but surveys in Spain are particularly unreliable.

I would like to thank David for his report.  I note that this is the kind of
thoughtful information I have come to expect from Ed George, who we haven't
heard from much lately.

In order to encourage David to give us his impressions of the situation in
Spain, let me ignorantly provide my observations of a Spanish presidential
debate, which I watched on TV at a Spanish restaurant that I frequent for
good food and cheap wine. (The kind of place I fell in love with from afar
before I had eaten any Spanish food at all from reading The Sun Also Rises.
Have never been Spain but would definitely like to go there).

I was struck by two aspects of the debate.  I have learned much more Spanish
lately, but my ability to understand spoken Spanish is still pretty bad,
even though most of my coworkers speak it. 

One was the confidence and aplomb of Zapatero (whom I recognized) and the
kvetchy, complaining tone of Fraga (the other candidate, whom I did not
recognize but identify now from David's report). Of course I realize there
must be much to kvetch about in Spain, but I had the feeling that Fraga came
across as griping while Zapatero seemed to be not desperately defending but
clearly presenting his own point of view (whatever it was).

This left me with the suspicion that Zapatero -- a very able politician, I
think, expects the margin to be greater than the media are expecting.

I admit that this presentation is impressionism at its worst.

The other thing that caught me was from the US electoral standpoint.  This
seemed to be a real debate between two people who actually had different
thought-out opinions. There was a moderator from the media, but this was not
a debate run primarily to feed media gossip.  No idiotic reporter questions,
begging for brief and equally idiotic replies from candidates who have no
ideas of their own as a matter of principle.

One of Obama's advantages and problems is that he is  a very intelligent-
and thoughtful-LOOKING fellow who is therefore widely suspected of having
some ideas although he goes out of his way not to express them on the
campaign trail.

I'm sure there was plenty of bullshit in the Spanish debate, but it seemed
cut from a different cloth than what we get here.

By the way, the waiters and the restaurant-owner were all for Zapatero.
Fred Fe;d,am




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