Panama Papers: Argentine President hires Obama's former public image advisor.

[forest444]

In response to strong pressures for unpopular policies and hit by the effects of the recent Panama Papers, Argentine President Mauricio Macri has hired expert Jim Messina, President Barack Obama's former public image advisor.

Veinte y Tres magazine reports that Messina while is a stranger in Argentina he has a successful career as a consultant, which includes leading Obama's political campaign in 2012 when he won reelection.

One of the main cornerstones of the campaign was the use of social networks and information posted by users in different platforms to know the preferences of voters, the article reveals.

On Wednesday, March 30, a representative of the Messina Group, vice-president Brennan Bilberry, met with Chief of Staff Marcos Peña and Public Communication secretary Jorge Grecco, the article goes on.

Messina, who was the architect of Obama's reelection in 2012, is regarded as one of the greatest strategists in public and communications issues worldwide. Currently, the Messina Group advises clients from several countries and a variety of fields that include energy, security, telecommunications, entertainment, health assistance and sports, and now will advise President Macri.

He comes at the right time, when President Macri is going through a difficult period after the revelations that he led a ghost company based in Bahamas and is the vice-president of another company in Panama.

At: http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4763341&Itemid=1

[2naSalit]

1. Hmmm

the Shock Doctrine 2.0 not going so well I gather.

[forest444]

3. Add this to the ongoing Macrisis, and you can almost hear the helicopter coming.

People down there don't take too well to self-righteous trust fund babies who feed at the trough while burdening everyone else with austerity.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/111676969

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110848812

[Judi Lynn]

11. Thanks for these great link. Would have hated to have not seen the Macri patronage list,

which is beyond grotesque. He's one evil "dude." He's spitting in the face of all the decent people of Argentina with all of his actions since he was "elected." (Another bow with a grimace to the dictatorship's paper, Clarín, for its anticipated assistance in his campaign, and afterward. He knows he can count on the paper to whitewash everything he does, as they did the torture/murder-lovers of the dictatorship.)

[bemildred]

2. Yeah, that will work.

[forest444]

5. You can imagine how this is playing in Argentina. This has backfire written all over.

When it comes to Argentina my advice to President Obama would be "sir, you're better off sticking to the Tango."

[bemildred]

6. He looks bored.

Yeah, I don't think it will play well, and I doubt Messina has a grip on Argentine politics.

But Messina is a PR/image person, so maybe he is just there to teach Macri how to mind his tongue.

[2naSalit]

4. Seems to me this

Macri is basically another Pinochet without the military costume. I could be wrong but after the recent "election" All I can think of is a calmer repeat of 1972.

[bemildred]

7. That's what he wants, I don't think he is going to get it this time. nt

[2naSalit]

8. I hope this

turns out to be the "correction" in the proper direction and a better president takes office before year's end.

[bemildred]

9. That works for me. He seems to be a stupid person.

He keeps doing dumb things, it's like he has no self-control.

[forest444]

10. There's definitely something to that.

It's been noted quite a bit by progressive writers that the strategy of illegally blocking payments to Argentina's foreign bondholders (ostensibly to force them to give vulture funds a 1600% payout) and blocking Argentina from international bond markets had as its real objective the unseating of the center-left Kirchnerist administrations that governed from 2003 to 2015.

While there are many differences - not least of which that the Kirchners were market socialists like you see in Western Europe, not communists - that strategy certainly had shades of the "make the economy scream" offensive against Allende.

The irony is that, because the economy doubled in those 12 years, U.S. interests in Argentina enjoyed record profits during that time (as opposed to steep losses during most of the "pro-business" governments that preceded Kirchner).

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiempofiscal.com%2Fvernota.asp%3Fid_noticia%3D4539

Judging from the sharp recession Macri has thrown Argentina into in just 4 months, business probably isn't too happy under his "pro-business" administration.

Except perhaps in Panama.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Great description! n/t