The thing that a lot of western countries should keep in mind about Milei is that he promised a lot of pain before the prosperity would come...and he did it. Inflation continued for 6 months into his presidency, and then it dropped to levels that haven't been seen for almost a decade. Poverty rates rose for almost a year, but then dropped well below what it was before he took office. GDP dropped for a year, but then rebounded pretty spectacularly. This is more than a year of non-stop naysaying from people who used those things as proof that he was wrong, only to be silenced when he turned out to be right. He hasn't been shy about still needing more help, seeking funding from the IMF and the US, but he has at least proven that what he is doing is working.I have a million reasons to not like Milei, but he is successfully pulling off something that almost no politician ever does without getting voted out first. Anybody who promises pain has to deal with the constant criticism that comes with that pain, and almost nobody can survive that hit to their popularity. Even if you disagree with how he did it, you have to at least admire that he did what he said he would do.
I think a lot of American liberals have a hatred of him because he's right wing, but we should actually be (at least partially) praising him and pointing out his successes have come from being the exact opposite of Trump on issues like tariffs and deficits.
kragen|4 months ago
Edit: I can't find evidence that this is true, and I think I might have been tricked. But growth is at best quite anemic. See longer comment below.
dmitrygr|4 months ago
Two economists are walking in a forest when they come across a pile of shit.
The first economist says to the other “I’ll pay you $100 to eat that pile of shit.” The second economist takes the $100 and eats the pile of shit.
They continue walking until they come across a second pile of shit. The second economist turns to the first and says “I’ll pay you $100 to eat that pile of shit.” The first economist takes the $100 and eats a pile of shit.
Walking a little more, the first economist looks at the second and says, "You know, I gave you $100 to eat shit, then you gave me back the same $100 to eat shit. I can't help but feel like we both just ate shit for nothing."
"That's not true", responded the second economist. "We increased the GDP by $200!"
greyw|4 months ago
altcognito|4 months ago
No liberal (of which I am), should really have looked at the economic policies they had prior to Milei and think they were a good idea. Leftist populism is no better than right populism. Milei may act like a populist politician, but if his policies are sound (I don't know enough to comment) -- then kudos to him.