Over the last couple of days, I've been catching up with my Argentina friends to get their thoughts on the shocking presidential election.  One friend told me something like "our inflation is 10 times worse than yours."  He added that this is why we were desperate for a change.  I understand completely.

Down in Buenos Aires, the president-elect showed up at the opera.  He got a mixed reaction when he walked in with his pretty girlfriend.  This is the story:

Both jeers and cheers for Argentina’s right-wing presidential candidate resounded with acoustic perfection inside the country’s legendary Colón Theater, laying bare the country’s polarization on the eve of Sunday’s runoff.

The audience had gathered Friday evening in Latin America’s premier opera house that is world-renowned for its acoustics to watch a performance of “Madama Butterfly” -- but Javier Milei soon became the main event. A group began insulting him as he sat in the front row of a box alongside his girlfriend.

So they chanted slogans in both directions.  They love and hate this man even though he won a comfortable election.  A lot of the hate is based on what he said about the Left.  He calls them parasites, other words not suitable for this blog and a lot of stuff that you wouldn't expect from a presidential candidate.

Then I asked about all the comparisons to Trump.  I couldn't get a good explanation on that because Milei is more of a libertarian.  I don’t remember Trump promising to shut down federal departments if elected.  

One friend did say that he has a pretty girlfriend like Trump.  Frankly, this is the one that comes closest to the mark.  Why?  Because they love their First Ladies to be elegant and feminine down there.  I guess we can blame Evita for that, even though her husband Juan Peron was the one who messed everything up.  My hope is that Milei’s election buries Peronismo for 50 years. 

What’s next in Argentina?  I don’t know for sure, but there is probably someone down there composing a tango about all of this.

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Image: Vox Espana