Ignacio Ortelli
10/18/2020 2:55 PM
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 10/18/2020 2:55 PM
"We
make mistakes, you (journalists) don't love us too much and because of the pandemic we couldn't find our own mystique: it's even natural that there are so many rumors
."
The reflection arises from a minister of
Alberto Fernández
and hits the heart of the moment that the Government is going through, where in line with the strong support that the President gave his Cabinet last week, when he
discarded changes
and maintained that his collaborators have “ done an impressive job ”, a relaunch is attempted for the end of the year and, consequently, the start of the electoral campaign.
No one dares to say it publicly, but
the need to construct a story is admittedly
low
, as the government of
Cristina Kirchner
and, in its antithesis, that of Mauricio Macri, who helps to promote the successes and hide the tensions in troubled times.
In the Government they argue that
the pandemic forced to change all the plans
that Alberto F. had drawn up for his first year and that this also has its correlate in the discursive and in the lack of an identity.
They point out that two axes, such as economic recovery and job creation, were inevitably
postponed due to the impact of the isolation
decided to prevent infections.
"At this point we expected to be talking about recovery, but 70 percent of our agenda was taken by the covid," they lament near the President.
And they recognize that the health care banner that the President raised at least during the first stage of the quarantine and that paid off in the level of approval of his image that
was reflected in the polls
, was also eroded.
To make matters worse, the advance of the cases and the fifth place that Argentina occupies today in the ranking with the most contagions forced a change in that discourse:
the message that “the worst was avoided”
, which is already repeated by officials who face more Often the media is not enough to return to that path.
President Alberto Fernández, this Saturday, October 17, at the act at the CGT.
Look at Governor Axel Kicillof.
However, with a view to the post-pandemic and with the premise that "quarantine does not exist," as the President emphasized, the Government's communication brains are trying to
capitalize on some actions
of the ministries outside of health.
"
Only now can we begin to build a story
, because there is no story possible without management, until now we had only worked in emergencies," they point out, detailing "some areas took time to start" but that in the reactivation they begin to take a key role .
For example, that of María Eugenia Bielsa, the Minister of Territorial Development and Habitat, who went from being one of the most criticized for the low level of budget execution of her ministry to occupying several boxes on the President's landing agenda: in the next few days they will open houses together again.
Bielsa is part of
the batch of ministers
who, according to subtlety in the presidential environment,
“it was difficult for them to adapt to adversity”
that was the change in dynamics due to the coronavirus.
“There were some, like Kato (by Gabriel Katopodis, Minister of Public Works) or Wado (Eduardo De Pedro, Interior), who were a watchdog, and others who were asked for more action and who were only able to get back on track a few weeks ago.
It is still too early to draw conclusions and in general Alberto is very satisfied
”, they say.
In any case, in the diagnosis made indoors, there is unanimity that
it was not possible to highlight the successes either
.
A striking example was given in August.
The climate of relief generated by the agreement with the bondholders for the debt was quickly replaced by the tension with the opposition and a sector of the Justice, by the judicial reform promoted by the ruling party in Congress.
March in Courts at the end of September to support the judges displaced by Kirchnerism.
Photo Rafael Mario Quinteros.
Although it had been a promise that Alberto F. had made during the campaign and reinforced in the opening of sessions of Congress, the sending of the project simultaneously with the creation of a commission of experts, among which is Carlos Beraldi, the lawyer of Cristina, who eventually proposed an increase in the number of members that make up the Supreme Court of Justice,
once again put the Government on the defensive
against sectors that alert a scenario of confrontation with the judges similar to the one that the current vice president raised in 2013.
Although the exercise of self-criticism occurs with more conviction in the more moderate sectors of the Frente de Todos, there are also Kirchner leaders with experience in management who
question the sense of timeliness of the presentation of the project
.
"We have to learn to choose the moments: if it is not urgent, it can wait, first we have to go through the priorities," says an official who, curiously, came out with more fierceness to defend the initiative against opposition attacks.
"
How long would (Mauricio) Macri have been with his ministers hanging around the television channels with the debt swap that (Martín) Guzmán did,
" he said in what seems to be an acknowledgment of the communication strategy of the previous government, but ultimately , renews questions to the media.
Alicia Castro, who lowered her nomination for ambassador to Russia in disagreement with the government's policy towards Venezuela.
However, there are those who attribute these shortcomings to the political diversity that encompasses the Frente de Todos.
“It is not easy to set up an agenda with the informational speed of today's media and the volatility of the news.
And then
the other problem is the freethinkers who come out and say anything,
"explains one of the government strategists.
There they enlist "
outsiders"
(those who did not manage to gain access to positions), and "loose" leaders, who complicated on swampy issues from the political point of view, or with personal opinions on matters related to the management situation.
The recent episode with Carlos Raimundi, representative to the OAS, and former Ambassador Alicia Castro, in the case of Venezuela;
is the most used example.
For this reason, in line with the request made weeks ago by the Chief of Cabinet, Santiago Cafiero, to the ministers to “come out to defend the management,” the front-line officials began to receive bullets with keys on each issue so they can do it.
"Nobody can say that it has no lyrics," they repeat from Headquarters.
Likewise, in any case and when in doubt, the warning is to follow Alberto's speech: “Whoever does not like to read, let him listen to the President.
That's the line, it's not that difficult ”.