Posts from serafina in thread „Dec 10, 2019 - Alberto Fernandez takes on the Presidency - Safety in Microcentro?“

Quote from JAN

come guys......U really think that guy has anything to pull???

The Peronists, and their head, cfk is one huge mafia....they have been in charge since 20 years!!!! Don't make me put another bet on the table.....with even better odds for u, say 2:1 for u.....I give u 2 bottles scotch if I'm wrong, u give me one if I'm right.....ok?

U can not seriously believe Alberto will get rid of someone.......are u drunk at noon or what????

In my view, the Peronists are the historical political force behind this country. The KKs are a spin-off from an extremist fringe of the original Peronist party, but far from the original idea behind it. I am pretty sure that not all Peronists love Cristina and have accepted and tolerated her only because they had not alternative. In a sense, the moderate Peronists have been overwhelmed by the KK's fringe, just as the moderate right has been taken over by full swing extreme right-ist politicians recently.

In the past, the most extremist fringe was always a minority, whereas now they have a larger follows because of mass media - they can swerve the most gullible electorate with provoking posts and images. Remember that in old times, politics was done on newspapers, with lengthy articles, and translated in real life only for a few by the means of local offices of political parties. There you could try to amp up things, but you needed to get the people to the party's local office first.

Right now, we all have (fake or true) information at our fingertip, in the form of powerful imagery with a short caption, purposefully devised to provoke very strong feelings. If you look at more extremist people's profile on FB, they do not have length and reasoned posts. Instead, they just share a picture (immigrants, badly maintained roads, face of political adversary) with a short caption ("Italians first!", "This is Rome with Mayor Raggi. Raggi go home NOW!", " 'We have to fight tax evasion', said Mr. X, then his father has accounts in Panama unknown to the Tax authority. Start from home, Mr. X!'"

These techniques can manipulate many more voters, who do not go beyond it and take them as they came, forward them, and propagate them.

In other words, social media have made available to manipulation an ocean of gullible people whose vote count.

Quote from GlasgowJohn

Yes , she behaves like the crazy person she is..

Both Alberto and Mauricio seem tremendously civilized...

I think they rehearsed that moment (separately), except for Cristina who just wants to be herself.

Cristina is livid toward Macri (after all, she finally had to take the stand in court last week... nobody ever got that far on her!) as much as she is pissed at Alberto.

Maybe she had staged a scene much like in Splinter's book, with the opposition leaders on public display and made fun by the rabid people while Alberto insisted for having a resemblance of civility, at least on that day.

It would be interesting to see what goes on behind the scene between Alberto and Cristina. She might be the head behind the FF combo, but she unfortunately guilty of vanity, she wants the crowd to herself, and I firmly believe she is not happy to share the stage and the attention of the crowd.

But I guess that Fernandez doesn't want to be her puppet, either... maybe he has an agenda as well, and it doesn't involve being mama's boy for 4 years. He was against her all his life, I am sure he has his party's interest at heart... and his party is not CFK's.

Quote from Splinter

She was behaving like this. Resentful and full of hatred, so just watch her body language when Macri enters the scene. Quite repulsive by anyone's standards.

I wasn't expecting anything more from her. After all, he's been on her for his whole term (yeah, saying 'let the justice do its due course...' but that was the message) and forced her daughter to exile in Cuba (fun!).

What really disturbed me was the stadium crowd... in Parliament. If those are the more educated and high representing ones, then the gap with the cartoneros outside doing exactly the same thing is just a matter of attire. A herd of bonobos in a suit.

So, I am alive to tell...

I went out one hour earlier than normally to account for roads closed around Plaza de Mayo.

My bus, Linea 140, should pass for Avenida Corrientes, that was marked as closed in the map on La Nación. As I hopped on the bus, I asked the driver if he was going through Corrientes or if it was already closed, and he'll say, 'We'll see when we get there'. Duh!

For some reason the driver started deviating at some point, following Calle Tucumán, the closest parallel road to Corrientes still open. Oddly enough, transit was not any heavier than usual given that many shops and offices were closed for the day.

While crossing 9 de Julio, I could see people starting to walk with banners toward Congreso, but very tranquil. There were many buses parked along 9 de Julio and I guess they were supporters' buses and not tourist ones.

In the end, I arrived 45' earlier (9 AM), so I just went for a coffee to wait for my appointment. Microcentro was unusually quiet. Not Sunday-quiet, but I was expecting people swarming from every side. It was not the case.

However, when my appointment was over, at about 10:40, I soon realized that 140 buses were nowhere to be seen (other buses were running just fine), so I decided to walk toward north, where I was heading anyway.

After walking 6 blocks, I stopped at another 140 stop. There were about 8 people in line... and it looked like they had been there for a while. Then a man walking by told the man in front of me that the 140 weren't able to go fully to the last stop, so they were stopping at Tribunales, which was another 6 blocks away. I walked to Tribunales, and there they were! Two 140s with aircon!

The rest of the people in line didn't move and stayed in the line. I don't know if they decided to ignore the passer-by or didn't hear him. I am glad I did, because waiting under the sun, all dressed up, with 35°C was no fun.

When I crossed the 9 de Julio by foot on my way back, fast passed 4 buses 'Escolares' (or former escolares) with windows down and doors open, full of union men with the flag UOCRA PRESENTE screaming and yelling like it was the Superclásico.

I watched around if other people were as disheartened as me, but nobody seemed to care.

La Nación published this map. Folks, I like it while it lasted. I am heading out in a hour. Wish me luck!

Quote from Splinter

Sounds like a great GoPro opportunity for me and no, I wouldn't sorry about security. Why would there be any trouble anyway?

In 2014, on a Sunday afternoon my husband was giving a tour of downtown Buenos Aires to a friend from abroad.

He wasn't aware there was a large gathering for Cristina in Plaza de Mayo -- we all know she loves a big crowd and has people taken to Buenos Aires for free just to make even larger. My husband said that it was an unsafe situation as there were many people getting drunk and looking for a fight. He said they were savages and I tend to believe him as the Ks crowd is not exactly the most refined and quiet.

Quite egoistically, I'd add that here most people do not value other's life much into account, also because there is no consequence for them.

Next Tuesday, President-elect Alberto Fernandez will take on the the Presidency. There will be a ceremony in Plaza de Mayo, I assume....

Unluckily for me, I have an appointment 6 blocks from the Casa Rosada at around 10 AM.

I cannot absolutely reschedule it because I booked it 40 days ago and I'd have to wait another 40 days to get a new one.

I am concerned about my safety. Do you think there will be a large crowd in the Microcentro? Do you remember what it was like the last time a K won? Is public transport operating anyway around the area? I wanted to ride bus 141 and hop off on Corrientes y 9 de Julio, but I am wondering if there will be roads open and public transport working as usual around the center.

Are banks going to be open? I have to go to Banco Patagonia on Lavalle 400 to pay for my trámite...

I wouldn't be worried if it was Macri's electorate swarming the center... I wasn't here last time Cristina won, so I am ignorant of the risks, but I have seen her electorate and they scare the hell out of me.

UPDATE: according to Clarin, it starts at 8 AM and will be held at the Congreso de la Nación, but it looks like there was a Presidential Parade last time Cristina was elected, so I guess they'll cut out roads.