When Donald Trump said in 2016 that he could stand on New York’s Fifth Avenue and shoot people without losing votes, he was using one of those exaggerations that are a hallmark of his political discourse. Trump was fully aware that his rise to power was related to a phenomenon some political scientists call “negative partisanship.” As polarization has increased, voters are converging and mobilizing because of their distaste for opposing candidates. It has also been happening in Spain for some time. It is quite possible that Feijóo or Sánchez will not unleash passions in their natural electorate, but will mobilize the popular voters for their strong opposition to sanchismo and the socialists for the rejection that the Galician leader evokes in them. That is why, in general and regional elections, much of the effort is not aimed at titillating like-minded people with proposals, but at attacking and exhausting rivals in a thousand ways. In short, politicians today think that all they need to do is instill fear or anger towards the opposing side in order to win or keep power. The pre-campaign in the Region follows that path. The outlook (for now) is disturbingly mediocre. No wonder nearly 40% of the electorate is indecisive. Few brilliant or well-founded proposals have been heard in the run-up to the poll appointment. On the contrary, the commitment to disqualifying the most radical in social networks is striking. An infectious attitude because these beans are cooked to a greater or lesser extent everywhere. There seems to be a general rule: those who show the least head are the ones who charge the most. Many participants express themselves without any filter, threatening bullying and resorting to lies with frightening ease. It is normal for the atmosphere to heat up during the campaigns, due to the fear that characterizes those who may lose or get a job, but the normalization of insults and attacks against institutions unrelated to the election campaign, such as the University, is going far beyond the red lines that should guide the democratic confrontation between parties. Today, a ‘dream team’ of political insults could be assembled in the region, a first quintet of representatives of the main Murcian parties, and there would be no problem choosing replacements who were up to the task. This embarrassment is not accidental. This is what can be expected as long as there are no open lists that allow voters to actually choose their representatives, and ban the most unrepresentative of all sorts, who are generally people with limited or no professional careers outside of politics and that they will do whatever it takes to be in this ointment. How to go through four parties to find a stable position and strive for a mayoralty. Among the candidates for the presidency, there are neither great professional trajectories nor dazzling academic curricula. Then they should all make a special effort to live up to the responsibility they aspire to, by maintaining an exemplary attitude in the democratic ways that are mandated in their parties. It would help immensely if the Spanish regional leaders had an intensive last season in community institutions and not the other way around, in the twilight of their careers, turning the European Parliament into a golden haven or the fate of those who stand in the way at home. Thus they would gain refined manners and a trace of political base. Last Friday, a large Ciudadanos poster in Murcia sparked controversy by putting Pedro Antonio Sánchez, Ramón Luis Valcárcel and José Vélez behind bars, inviting López Miras to warm up as he would be next in that alleged situation. There is no doubt that Cs exposes corruption, on the contrary, but the Murcians also deserve ways to engage in politics without exaggerations that frivolize with prison sentences. The campaign’s ideologue has started “shooting” next to Gran Vía, thinking it would win him votes. Someone should remind him that “negative partisanship” favors the helpful voice, just what Cs needs least, who errs not in substance but in form. 28M is approaching and the nerves are surfacing in all games. Here he skates and crosses the line inappropriately to those least expected.
Source: La Verdad
I am George Kunkel, an author working for Today Times Live. I specialize in opinion pieces and cover stories that are both informative and thought-provoking – helping to shape public discourse on key issues. My work is regularly featured across the network’s many platforms, including print media and social media.
