in common agreement, Serge Massa He is the most chameleon of national politicians, an ideological nomad with no known scruples who would be capable of doing anything to attain the presidency he has had in his sights since early childhood. Among the charitable, the most used epithet to qualify it is “pragmatic”. Be that as it may, although in less hectic circumstances than the current ones, the not very good reputation that he has earned in the course of his sinuous career and that is reflected by the polls that place him – with Cristina Kirchner, Maximo and Alberto Fernandez– among the most repudiated official leaders in the country, I would condemn him to a resounding failure, because the situation in which the country finds itself is so desperately bad, it is possible that it will help him.
In his favor is the hope that, being the unprejudiced character that he is, he might manage to free himself from the suffocating tutelage of the boss and the subservient fauna that surrounds her. She will have to if she hopes to manage the grotesquely distorted national economy with any rationality. It will be for this reason, in addition to what was happening in other parts of the world, that the markets have initially reacted positively to its transformation into “super minister”. Unlike Silvina BatakisFailed to establish himself despite his efforts to portray himself as a fiscal hawk, Massa is, by lax local standards, a political heavyweight.
Even so, it is undeniable that he has made an extremely risky bet, one typical of an impatient kamikaze who did not want to waste any more time waiting for the great crisis to devour the Kirchnerists with whom he allied himself after having whipped them mercilessly for years. The damned numbers are so bad that it won’t be entirely easy for you to order them before the generalized collapse predicted by the doomsayers who, by the way, are not without reason to foresee the worst. For the most skeptical, his haste will remind Alexander Pope’s verse according to which “fools rush where angels fear to tread”, pI was Massa He himself believes that, because the challenge he has asked to face is so enormous, the Peronists and those accustomed to accompanying them will pay tribute to him for his audacity and will be satisfied if he manages to prolong the status quo long enough for others to have to deal with the disaster.
Those who know him say that he is inspired by the example given by the Brazilian Fernando Henrique Cardoso the renowned sociologist who, as president, with the “royal plan” that his opponents would revile as “neoliberal”, rescued a country that was in danger of sinking in the middle of a ferocious economic storm. Of course, before reaching the presidency of his country Cardoso had been not only a prominent politician but also an internationally famous academic and, once in power, he would have first-rate technical teams, achievements that Massa cannot claim. For the rest, he was helped by the fact that at that time the opposition was led by who would be his successor, Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva, who would turn out to be a moderate, not by someone as extravagant as Cristina.
Although presumably Massa has something similar to the Brazilian “Real Plan” Bearing in mind, before starting it, it would be necessary to tame the Kirchnerists who occupy key positions in the labyrinthine government apparatus, including many in the energy area, and meanwhile, prevent the insatiable suburban area that absorbs more and more of the resources from exploding. produced by the rest of the country. For now, with Cristina watching over him, Massa It will have to act cautiously because, but without their help or, at least, their silence, it will be very difficult for them to keep calm the horde of voracious militants who have become accustomed to living off the State, for them a benefactor, that they have known how to build.
Presumably, then, that in his heart of hearts the Tigrense is praying that the trial for corruption in public works in which the vice president plays the starring role ends up completely discrediting her and demoralizing her faithful so much that they abandon her to her fate. He will know that, before it is too late, it will be necessary for him to break with the fanaticized Kirchnerism that, as long as it retains power, would prefer that Argentina fall to pieces than that it finally begin to take advantage of the many comparative advantages that it has. still retains.
For almost twenty years, Massa he has felt obliged to privilege his relationship with the Kirchners, collaborating with them when it seemed profitable to do so and challenging them if he felt that it would allow him to increase his own power, as indeed happened after he contributed to destroying the dream of eternal re-election . Although he still hasn’t turned his back on them again, he can’t help but understand that how much before Christina is expelled from the political corporation, the better it will be for him and for the country. It’s not just that she’s a political rival, though his power has waned of late, he’s still in a position to cause her no end of trouble. Also that she is economically toxic. As long as she is there, it will be virtually impossible to restore confidence in Argentina’s future; From the point of view of potential investors at home and abroad, the mere presence of the lady in the government constitutes such a serious threat that they prefer not to commit themselves. Although it is impossible to estimate the cost Christina, a sure good is equivalent to a substantial proportion of the gross national product.
Thus, a stage has begun that promises to be full of paradoxes. The virtual president is aware that her own salvation, linked as it is with the evolution of her political power, will depend on the success or failure of the “superminister’s” administration that she reluctantly approved because she believed that there were no more viable alternatives. However, for Massa to achieve his minimum objectives – curb inflation, find several billion dollars for the country to have reserves and encourage businessmen, starting with those in the countryside, to produce and export more – he will have to liquidate the power he still retains Cristina without scaring her prematurely. This being the case, we are about to witness a ruthless political duel.
If Massa does not lack something, it is confidence in his own gifts. With modesty, he says he does not believe he is a “savior” or a providential man, but he can only hope that others, beginning with the country’s businessmen and financiers, soon followed by those of the rest of the planet, will be duly impressed by his presumed will. to do whatever is necessary to spare the country the sad fate towards which it has been slipping like a sleepwalker.
