Poll: Nicas More Optimistic Than Ever
Submitted by sball on Fri, 2012/02/17 - 13:14.
For the first time in a decade, Nicaraguans are feeling good about the direction of their country, according to a new CID-Gallup poll.
The article goes on to say that this is a huge change in perception from when Ortega first returned to power. Now you don't have to be on this website for long to know there are also strong anti-Ortega views, but what over the last five years has changed the poll results?
Not surprised
This morning we were listening to Edmundo Jarquin's weekly message on Radio Corporacion. I'm disappointed. Back in his serious MRS days he had something to positive to offer. That is, the MRS/he had a political position. This morning there was just 30 minutes of how the current government sucks.
Whether it does or not seems pretty irrelevant to the average Nicaraguan if you don't have a plan or, well, even an idea, of how to make things better. Someone here in NL "10 laminas of zinc isn't much". Well, it is 10 laminas more than I heard in 30 minutes this morning.
Whether there has been a real positive change or not, what seems to have changed is there isn't anyone suggesting an alternative. In 1990 people here were told that a neo-liberal approach would do good things. For most, 16 years on neo-liberal didn't do much but at least there was the suggestion of alternatives. Today there is only a party and an anti-party. It seems a lot like saying "the food you have is not of good quality" but not offering a way to get something better.
Not trying to start a flame-war
But I'm pretty sure that's the current issue in US presidential politics. And it was probably the issue in 2004 as well. There're the incumbents and the... anti-incumbents.
At least you know what the incumbents are doing/will do.
I just think it's interesting how sometimes things really are the same...
Issue-free politicss
While I agree that US politics seems to generally be free of real issues (after all, having a position will offend a potential voter), that is not the same as what I see here. In the US will see anti-incumbents take a position against some position of the current administration, no matter how bogus. For example, Obama has been accused of opening up travel to Cuba (whih really hasn't happened but that's beside the point) and the anti-incumbents have said they will reverse that.
I see not even such marginal grandstanding happening here. While the subtext of the anti-incumbents rhetoric may imply they might do something different, about something, that never seems to be the actual message. That is, there is never anything offered that they might do that you could agree (or disagree) with.
I look forward to the day when the planet has a Resourced Based Economy and there are no politicians at all. Oh, and no countries.
neo=liberalism only deals with certain problems
Population growth, alcoholism, and environmental destruction are a terminal combination that neither the neoliberals, nor the socialists nor the second coming types can address.
"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality." Ayn Rand