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LA STAMPA

Silvio Berlusconi: Italy's Salesman-In-Chief Spins Out Of Control

Essay: Reaching yet another new low, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi suggests a vulgar, sexist new name for his political party. No less disturbing is how the economic crisis has revealed the fact that he's been selling Italy an empty ba

(EPP)
(EPP)
Massimo Gramellini

TURIN - After a long debate between his most trusted advisors -- him and himself -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has finally understood the true issue facing his country.

The central problem Italy must confront as soon as possible is a new name for Berlusconi's political party. The leader's decline, his subordinates' mediocrity and inability to maintain their promises and reform the huge and corrupt system…these are not such pressing matters.

In his natural-born-adman's mind, the things themselves are never the point – the labels are. Whatever markets, entrepreneurs and electors (even his own) may say, Italy can still be considered a great theme park, and Berlusconi still the most popular attraction in the world, if only his Partito della Liberta" (Freedom Party) had another name. Consequently, a proposed bill to increase productivity cannot be the solution to the current political and economic crisis. The answer is a more catchy name.

Out of control

In front of a small group of smiling supporters, who gathered in the Parliament building, the prime minister suggested as a new name Forza Gnocca…CNN's website translated it as "Go Pussy." Signor Berlusconi has proved once again his preternatural elegance. There are still some doubts about the symbol of the renamed party. Luckily, Berlusconi has some valuable allies. Umberto Bossi, Minister for Institutional Reforms and leader of the Northern League party, is one of them. When a Parliament Member expressed some concerns about the name, Bossi yelled back, "Go f*** yourself."

It seems that both the political situation and the Prime Minister himself are totally out of control. The other day, he welcomed the President of Macedonia with a pun on fruits (in Italian, macedonia means: fruit salad.) He could end playing hide-and-seek in his private Roman residence Palazzo Grazioli, or capture-the-flag during the G20 meetings, which are so boring and complicated after all.

Despite this neverending twilight, Berlusconi remains faithful to his advertiser's essence. He thinks that packaging is the most important part of a product. Ten years ago, he suggested that Fiat should have renamed its cars "Ferrari Young." Probably, he has already tried to christen his Minister of Economy Giulio Tremonti with a new handle: Thatcher, or to call another ally: Einstein.

For 20 years, he has sold empty boxes, promising he was preserving an affluent society, even if reality proved otherwise. It is not just his fault. Times have changed, and he is no more a man of his time.

Beyond names, he is also obsessed with numbers. When he wants to brag, he declares with precision his 211 approved laws, the 23 cups won by his soccer team A.C. Milan, the 144 meetings he has attended, and so on. Packaging and quantity are his twin totems. They were the focus of the 1980s when consumerism and easy debt where the rules in Italy. The country has tried to keep this alive, relying on the champion of those values to lead. Sadly, in 2011, commercials are no longer enough. Smiles and "pussies' will not help survive the current economic and moral crises.

Truth is that the Prime Minister's party has actually an issue with a name: his own. Using Berlusconi's name used to be a guarantee of success. Now it is disappearing from all the posters. And one day in the not-too-distant future, those same supporters who laughed at his sad and sexist jokes will simply start to deny that a certain chap named Silvio who was never able to sell anything for 20 years ever even existed.

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photo - EPP

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The Weight Of Trump's Indictment Will Test The Strength Of American Democracy

The U.S. legal system cannot simply run its course in a vacuum. Presidential politics, and democracy itself, are at stake in the coming weeks and months.

The Weight Of Trump's Indictment Will Test The Strength Of American Democracy

File photo of former U.S. President Donald Trump in Clyde, Ohio, in 2020.

Emma Shortis*

-Analysis-

Events often seem inevitable in hindsight. The indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump on criminal charges has been a possibility since the start of his presidency – arguably, since close to the beginning of his career in New York real estate.

But until now, the potential consequences of such a cataclysmic development in American politics have been purely theoretical.

Today, after much build-up in the media, The New York Times reported that a Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Trump and the Manhattan district attorney will now likely attempt to negotiate Trump’s surrender.

The indictment stems from a criminal investigation by the district attorney’s office into “hush money” payments made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels (through Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen), and whether they contravened electoral laws.

Trump also faces a swathe of other criminal investigations and civil suits, some of which may also result in state or federal charges. As he pursues another run for the presidency, Trump could simultaneously be dealing with multiple criminal cases and all the court appearances and frenzied media attention that will come with that.

These investigations and possible charges won’t prevent Trump from running or even serving as president again (though, as with everything in the U.S. legal system, it’s complicated).

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