This article addresses some of the issues that have been brought up here.
First of all, it was estimated that the governing party would win the election by a margin of 3 to 5 percent. This could have made them even depending on the margin of error.
Secondly, people quoted in this article state that the reason they voted out the governing party was because they were angry at them sending troops to Iraq.
The Spanish people were sick of not having their voice heard. Now the people have spoken and this, to me, is true democracy. The bombings that took place a few days ago inspired more people to go vote.
What I would like to know from the OP is if you believe that “the terrorists have won” how will the results from this election benefit Al Qaeda?
They will believe (and reasonably so) that terrorism works. That they can effect the workings of governments to their benefit through means of mass terror and because of this further terror will ensue.
good enough, and getting pretty bored. typing while half lying down is also not much fun, if i get really bored i’ll start concepts for a bad movie review website i’ve been planning for a while…i’m watching many lately since i can’t move much.
Does anyone actually think that the re election of the Popular Party would have discouraged Al Queda? They blow up stuff. They’re terrorists, that’s what they do. Are we expecting them to go, “In Allah’s name, they kept them in power! I guess we’d better give up the plans then.”
I’m pretty sure they’re wrong about that, because I’m pretty sure these people are nuts. Crazy people, as a general rule, tend to be weak at geopolitical strategizing. The most important risk from a terrorist attack isn’t surrender and appeasement, its wildly disproportionate and/or inappropriate response.
What a stupid fucking offensive wank of an OP. The Spanish government’s popularity has been plummeting for long before the terror attacks. 90% of Spaniards oppposed the illegal US invasion of Iraq, yet its slimy president went licking Bush’s balls nonetheless.
So they voted for a change of government. Maybe they were sick of their current rulers’ inability to deal with the threat of terrorism, and prefer to have rulers with a less knee-jerk, imperialistic, Bush-sucking mentality.
"If we vote PSOE, then al-Qaeda might attack again! I’m scared! I guess we’d better vote for the PP despite being massively against their policy in Iraq.
“Voting for a party we disagree with because we’re scared of being bombed again – that’ll show those terrorists that they can’t affect the democratic process!”
from what i’m reading more Spanish people are mad that the gov’t was limiting info on the bombing and making it look like the ETA so they could politicize it (even maybe forbiding info that it wasn’t from being released until after the election) so that’s why they got ticked off and voted those idiots out. Good riddance to bad garbage, i say.
[QUOTE=Raygun99]
Does anyone actually think that the re election of the Popular Party would have discouraged Al Queda? QUOTE]
Nah. But you can bet your ass that this electoral event will be featured in all the promotional videos presented to young wannabee wahabis in the madassas, along with the glorious footage of the falling twin towers. Just the concept (however false it may be) that the moral strength of the infidel is so weak and bending that it would capitulate under the fear of the sword of Allah must be intoxicating to the young impressionable minds recruited as frontline warriors and ordinance in His service. Clearly, what this election tells the recruits is that their terror can overthrow governments by striking fear in the population.
Do you believe that Al Qaeda’s intent was to get the Socialists elected? How will Al Qaeda benefit from the Socialists being elected?
If they had left a letter saying vote Socialist or we’ll kill you, then I would agree. In the article I attached it says the Socialists are just as dedicated to fighting terrorism. I assume, as do the Spanish voters, that they will be more likely to actually fight terrorism and not waste time or resources on something else (Iraq).
I fail to see how the current government was overthrown. A general election was held and the current party lost. How can anyone say for sure that the attacks helped 1) the Socialists win and 2) benefit Al Qaeda.
I contend that the attacks helped get more people to vote not change their minds.
Let’s see: one party has sent troops to kill them, and would likely do so again. One party opposed sending troops to kill them, and would likely continue to support an ideology of “limited engagement.”
Yes, I think they care. I don’t think they’ll stop killing Spanish civilians, but I think they care what the Spanish do in return.
Hopefully they won’t be pushovers. But compared to the recently ousted conservatives, yes, I think they’ll be more pushover-ish.
Yes. I think the war in Iraq was about (among other things, including the apparently invisible WMD) creating stability in the ME, and opposing regimes that foster and support terrorism in all its forms.
No. But I do think the millions upon millions of Spanish voters that ousted the conservative government, hoping that al Queda will now leave them alone, took the cowards way out. [Caveat: I know not all Spanish voters went socialist because of their opposition to the conservative’s support of American policy in Iraq and elsewhere, but if the news reports are to be believed, many of them did.]
I also don’t care to copy and paste my comments from over there.
(Also, is GBS public again, otherwise why was a link there given?)
To sum up my remarks on this situation:
Socialists suck. They suck big time. They couldn’t possibly suck more, yet every day brings a new height of suck-ness, as they break their own levels, which surely were the previous record of suck-i-tude. They set the curve for suck.
Also I suppose that now terrorists will try the same thing here, so as to get their friend John Kerry elected, eh?
If that’s true, then why didn’t they “limit” the info until after the election? It’s not like we’re talking about a delay of even a week, are we? I’d say they released the info relatively quickly.
It was not a “major reversal,” numbskull. Recent polls showed the Popular Party held a slim lead to begin with. Would the Socialists have won anyway? I don’t know. But clearly a lot of people liked the idea of ending Spanish support for the coalition in Iraq to begin with.
When did Spain send troops to kill Al Qaeda? The dispute was over Spanish support for the war in Iraq, which had nothing to fucking do with Al Qaeda.
