Arrogance of power
2006-01-24
Jiří Paroubek insists that voters aren't bothered by his style, and
he has the numbers to back it up. STEM found that he has a 58%
rating, to 41% for Mirek Topolánek. Paroubek is a chronic name-
dropper (Schröder, Blair, Chirac, etc.) and even takes credit for
ridding Wenceslas Square of prostitutes, but his arrogance is an
everyman boast, complete with potbelly and a hint of inferiority
complex. This is endearing to voters. ODS, in contrast, is
unapologetic in its arrogance. Topolánek bought an Kč 8m
apartment in a near-election year, Gov. Petr Bendl received a
Porsche 911 from his rich wife, MP Ivan Langer took an Kč
83,000/month part-time job in a law firm, and ex-MP Vladimír
Doležal was rewarded with a Kč 300,000/month job at ČKA
when voters felt he should have gone to jail. Modesty isn't a
strong point of either party, but ČSSD is managing its arrogance
better.
[Czech Republic Gerhard Schröder Tony Blair Jacques Chirac
Česká konsolidační agentura governor car arrogant approval
rating]
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