Democracy works?

Well, it can work pretty well when, say, the public gets to choose their leaders and not the country's Supreme Court. An exotic concept, maybe.

Now, admittedly this video is very much a partisan production, by the youth wing of Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero's Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), the Juventudes Socialistas (Socialist Youth). But the point of this video is that they are able to claim some substantial promises fulfilled in four years: Spanish troops withdrawn from Iraq (note to trolls: they are still fighting as part of the NATO force in Afghanistan though I realize that fact doesn't fit into the Republican Party line very well); gay marriage has been legalized (and the Spanish Republic shows no signs of collapse so far); legal enforcement of women's right to equal pay has been strengthened; meaningful action on global warming; and, support to families with young children has been improved (Socialists are pro-family? Who knew?)

What struck me most about this video is that it leads with presumably an act that is still very popular with the Spanish electorate: the withdrawal from Iraq. They seem to think it stands out as a sign of trustworthiness and responsiveness to their electoral mandate. Democrats? Are you listening?



The video takes off from a 2004 speech by Zapatero in which he promises that power won't change him. The song/chant at the end says, "No, no, que el tiempo no te combie." (May time never change you.)

Tags: españa, iraq war, spain, zapatero

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