Is the Milei "Transformation" Failing Already?

[Musicman]

Two months into Javier Milei’s presidency, his quest to overhaul Argentina’s economy and tame triple-digit inflation has swerved off track.

It isn’t just that Congress rejected his administration’s request for expanded executive powers — a key element of his plan — but it’s the way he responded, hastily shelving the bill and then lashing out at those who voted against him as government bonds plunged in international markets. Milei’s press office sent out a list of 61 legislators who undermined his bill with the label “those who voted against the people.” It’s a move, political analysts say, that will only further strain the rapidly deteriorating relations between Milei and the parties he needs to push through his agenda.

It all “speaks volumes about the government’s political inexperience,” said Jimena Blanco, the chief analyst at consulting risk firm Verisk Maplecroft. “The initial willingness of certain opposition blocs to negotiate and collaborate with the executive has been eroded.” Where does he go from here?

 

[gringoexpress]

Two months into Javier Milei’s presidency, his quest to overhaul Argentina’s economy and tame triple-digit inflation has swerved off track.

It isn’t just that Congress rejected his administration’s request for expanded executive powers — a key element of his plan — but it’s the way he responded, hastily shelving the bill and then lashing out at those who voted against him as government bonds plunged in international markets. Milei’s press office sent out a list of 61 legislators who undermined his bill with the label “those who voted against the people.” It’s a move, political analysts say, that will only further strain the rapidly deteriorating relations between Milei and the parties he needs to push through his agenda.

It all “speaks volumes about the government’s political inexperience,” said Jimena Blanco, the chief analyst at consulting risk firm Verisk Maplecroft. “The initial willingness of certain opposition blocs to negotiate and collaborate with the executive has been eroded.” Where does he go from here?

I imagine he's headed to visit yet another town in Israel next, as that seems to be his primary concern.

 

[Johnny]

I imagine he's headed to visit yet another town in Israel next, as that seems to be his primary concern.

Or throw women into prison who have an abortion. He's on a roll.

 

[Ange]

That abortion call from that deputy was such an unbelievable WTF moment.
The gov obviously distanced itself from any of it, but still.

 

[Reply Guy]

The bill was torpedoed by a compulsive masturbater.

https://x.com/bowtiedmara/status/1685464540937404416

 

[antipodean]

Or throw women into prison who have an abortion. He's on a roll.

He should stick to the real and immediate issues. And leave any attempts at idealogical indulgence on non-economic issues until at least a second term.

I suspect this whole omnibus/ congress debacle was simply a planned Plan B in order to generate "enemies of the people" who will be made responsible for more painful than otherwise austerity measures over the next years in order to gain the votes his (and indeed a huge part of Argentine voters) agenda actually needs and wants in the mid-terms. Meanwhile he is testing the waters to see what he can "get away with" in the meantime and with who. I certainly would not write him or his planned reforms off as a failure already after barely two months in the job.

Distractions on social issues such as abortion however really don't do him any favours when he could just as easily have chosen to let sleeping dogs lie.

 

[Ange]

I m not sure it’s about inexperience. Doing the ‘experienced’ thing plays into the status quo, even more compromises and stalling. And that’s precisely what the opposition is after.

It’s more that with such little power in the cámaras, there aren’t too many options. I just read an interesting article about how Cristina didn’t do well playing the same financial game Milei is starting to play with gobernadores with Daniel scoli back in the day he was gobernador.

 

[Ange]

I imagine he's headed to visit yet another town in Israel next, as that seems to be his primary concern.

Definitely too much ideology and too far from current Argentinian priorities.
But meeting and getting advice from someone as politically clever as Netanyahu is as good as it gets. Not saying anything about his views, just about his undeniable political shrewdness.

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

I’m inclined to believe that too many Argentines are involved in Argentine politics for it to ever be a success…

 

[antipodean]

El Gobierno se desligó del proyecto impulsado por una diputada oficialista para derogar el aborto legal

"No es parte de la agenda del Presidente", aseguró el vocero Manuel Adorni

www.infobae.com

It would seem the abortion issue is coming from a loose cannon within LLA and not something the president is pushing afterall. So in all likelihood, they will make a bit of noise in Congress, be voted down and then it will fizzle out and be forgotten about for a long while (as an "oh well, we tried" gesture to their more extreme social conservative voters...)