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The Outsider Who Won

On Saturday, before yesterday’s election in Argentina, The Washington Post called him “Trump-​like”; The New York Times, on Sunday, compared him to Donald Trump in the first sentence of its results profile, proclaiming his win, in its title, a “victory for the world’s far right.”

The two pieces deserve careful study of how American media primes its center-​left readership to fall in line with its ideological poses. Sad that I cannot provide that careful study, here; but happy for the occasion to probe the issues laid bare in these two less-​than-​stellar election coverages.

A decent profile of Argentina’s new president would inquire more honestly and deeply into just how badly Peronism and Kirchnerism have wounded the inflation-​ridden South American country, and with less prejudice explore the actual beliefs of president-​elect Javier Milei. Then, and only then, would they figure out why Milei’s been so successful.*

Against all previously determined odds.

For whatever else one may say about Milei, he’s not only the most thoroughly and vehemently anti-leftist politician in the world, but also the most thoroughly successful libertarian one.

Which is why the Times tries to make him sound “right-​wing.” The factuality of the characterization is merely Milei’s fervent anti-​socialism. But the comedy of the characterization is that, in previous times, North American leftists have characterized Peronism, which Milei opposed, as right-​wing. So how does the “far right” win for defeating “far-​right fascism,” as we used to think of Argentine mainstream politics?

This is a dance of misdirection, of course.

Truth is, Milei’s the ultimate outsider, making Trump seem insider-​ish by comparison.

Our miseducating media doesn’t want you to consider that!

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.


* Javier Milei’s victory margin was “the widest since Argentina’s return to democracy in 1983.”

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3 replies on “The Outsider Who Won”

Milei campaign ad: “We’re not going to privatize healthcare. We’re not going to privatize education. We’re not going to privatize soccer. We’re not going to allow the unrestricted carrying of weapons.”

I guess tying his regime’s fiat currency to the US regime’s fiat currency might be more “libertarian” than the status quo in Argentina? Other than that, he seems pretty much just a standard-​issue “social conservative” /​ “economic progressive” with interesting hair.

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