Spain, Socialism and Sanders: Day 26

I woke up today, the first day of a five day Easter Holiday, to some very loud Spanish rap from the building behind mine, the news that Bernie Sanders had dropped out of the U.S. presidential race, and a sweep of bad news on the home page of the national newspaper, El Pais.

Last week, The New York Times amped up its disaster reporting from Spain with a video interview on the unsafe conditions in the new hospital pavilion in the Madrid Conference Center, IFEME. The video was fair–the conditions were deplorable. But the next day, when the authorities shut it down and moved all the patients and staff to a better managed area, there was no follow up reporting on the response.

I get it, bad news sells. But being in a country where authorities and the government are trying to do the right thing seems like it’s worth sharing. So that’s what I’m trying to do.

Certainly there has been a lot of mismanagement here. Like everyone else, the government ignored warning signs from doctors and responded way too late. Almost 15% of the infections are in health care workers which indicates a terrible lack of preparation with PPE and should be a red flag to every single country. And in the beginning, there was complete chaos in testing. My brother-in-law in Bilbao was feverish for days and couldn’t get anyone to answer a phone. Luckily he emerged in one piece and seems fine. Since then, things have stabilized considerably. Here, in the Basque Country, ICUs did not overfill, same as many other regions. Most of the disaster photos and stories, I believe, were coming out of Madrid and Barcelona.

So, contrary to media reports, Spain is not melting down. And mismanagement is not the same as dismissal and ignorance and willful antagonism, as seen at the federal level in the U.S. Not even close. A key point that seems to escape most journalistic reports about what’s going on here.

To that, I’d like to add, has not pretty much every western country been caught unprepared? Italy and Spain happen to be unlucky that the outbreak occurred there first, meaning other countries had a few extra critical days to view Italy’s failures and now Spain’s, and adjust when they went into lockdown, if they chose.

Even Spain, which was only a few days behind Italy, understanding that the curve was not flattening enough there, implemented stricter measures from the start of lockdown. (We are not allowed to exercise outside, a decision that now, a study shows, may have been wise–although this is of course, just one study, and a simulation at that. Honestly, the more we learn, the less it seems we know. Although we do know that in crowded urban areas the virus seems to thrive, and if everyone were out exercising…well, you get the idea).

Spain and Italy were also subject to severe austerity measures from the EU, following the 2008 economic crises, which weakened their health systems. In Spain, this was further compounded by many years of governance by the right-wing, let’s-privatize-everything-including-healthcare, Partido Popular

Meanwhile, back to El Pais and its own bad headlines this morning: “Why Spain Can’t count its Dead,” “Families Rebelling against School Evaluations” and “Vox, [the far right party] Plans to Protest the Extension of the State of Emergency.”

Meanwhile, just to mix things up, yesterday, the World Health Organization labelled Spain’s response “heroic and innovative.” I couldn’t find the rest of the quote, but in the Basque Country alone, there are approximately 60 projects and trials underway. Spain and Italy are also preparing for Phase 2, that is, how to lift lockdown without triggering another epidemic.

Being in a relatively low-case area with a strong health care system and based on what I’m seeing in San Sebastian, hearing from friends and shopkeepers, and reading in the press, I’m going with the WHO.

Coming from the U.S. where those of us on the left WANT more federal oversight and activity, it’s a pleasure to watch a centralized, Socialist government in action, or, trying to be in action, anyway. (I’m sure nationalists from the various autonomous regions would disagree; in fact many of them are picking fights with the Government that seem pointless, just to register a protest against “centralization,” which goes to show that the far right and far left can be equally stupid when there’s a national emergency.)

The news changes about every ten seconds (as does the music out my window, Salsa now, Meringue a few minutes ago), so it’s hard to keep track, but I’ve been trying to document over the last few weeks the national response to the pandemic in both Spain and the U.S.

The Spanish government hasn’t accomplished everything they’ve set out to do, but here’s what a 40 year old democracy with a focus on people’s health and the collective good looks like versus a 250 year old democracy that’s been hijacked by the wealthy into a complete kleptocracy. (And led by a president who is less competent than my cat. Seriously).

It’s enough to make you want to drag Bernie straight back into the race.

Spain vs. The U.S: Where Would You Rather Be During a Pandemic?

Spain	United States
Centralized government response ordering nationwide shutdown	Trump shit-show ignoring warnings from WHO and white house staff.
Gratitude and appreciation from the Prime Minister to the public for staying at home	Trump refusing to order a nationwide stay-at-home order
Massive and immediate efforts to protect workers and freelancers	Congressional squabbling and 500 billion dollars for corporations. Firing of impartial Inspector General designated to oversee distribution of first bailout
Centralized prohibition of rental evictions and extension of mortgage payment deferrals	Each community/person on their own
Government pays portion of lost wage to ALL workers, meaning businesses can avoid layoffs	Massive layoffs and predicted closings of hundreds of thousands of businesses
Centralized organization of procurement of PPE and tests, distributed to regions based on number of cases. Shortages in beginning, adequate materials now	Each state for themselves. Federal government politicizing state’s requests for materials and favoring distribution based on political leanings. Federal stockpile relabeled as federal supply, not for states
Public recognition from Prime Minister for work of media and positive response to media call for more open access during press conferences	Continual stream of lies, media insults and charges of fake news. Belittling of journalists and news organizations.
Complete daily data disclosure based on best possible information from health ministers	Trump shit-show of unproven medical advice, falsehoods and carnival barking pronouncements
Government planning to release second line of credits worth 20 billion euros.	Squabble, squabble, squabble.
Prime Minister asks for “unity and loyalty” from the opposition	President tweet storms bad names
Planning with epidemiologists on how to allow society to emerge following lockdown	No plan to make a plan to make a plan to make a plan…