L’equip de dissenyadors del logotip de la campanya del president Obama ens explica com es va crear el que segureament és el logotip polític més famós de tots els temps.

El 20 de setembre de 2001, nou dies més tard de l’atac terrorista a les Torres Bessones de Nova York, el president Bush es va dirigir al Congrés en sessió conjunta. El texà, que havia estat elegit amb el dubte del frau electoral i que era percebut com un novell sense experiència en política exterior i defensa, va donar el pas endavant que necessitava la seva presidència. En aquest discurs va marcar la política exterior nord-americana per al seu mandat. La lluita contra el terror, com a pretext per a tants abusos com després van cometre, va tenir la seva posada de llarg en aquest impressionant discurs de George W. Bush.

“We Are a Country Awakened to Danger and Called to Defend Freedom.”

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow Americans, in the normal course of events, presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the union. Tonight, no such report is needed; it has already been delivered by the American people.

We have seen it in the courage of passengers who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground. Passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me welcome his wife, Lisa Beamer, here tonight?

We have seen the state of our union in the endurance of rescuers working past exhaustion.

We’ve seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.

My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our union, and it is strong.

Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.

I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time.

All of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol singing “God Bless America.”

And you did more than sing. You acted, by delivering $40 billion to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of our military. Speaker [Dennis] Hastert, Minority Leader [Richard] Gephardt, Majority Leader [Thomas] Daschle and Senator [Trent] Lott, I thank you for your friendship, for your leadership and for your service to our country.

And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its outpouring of support.

America will never forget the sounds of our national anthem playing at Buckingham Palace, on the streets of Paris and at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy offered at a mosque in Cairo.

We will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning in Australia and Africa and Latin America.

Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our own. Dozens of Pakistanis, more than 130 Israelis, more than 250 citizens of India, men and women from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and Japan, and hundreds of British citizens.

America has no truer friend than Great Britain.

Once again, we are joined together in a great cause.

I’m so honored the British prime minister had crossed an ocean to show his unity with America. Thank you for coming, friend.

On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country. Americans have known wars, but for the past 136 years they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941. Americans have known the casualties of war, but not at the center of a great city on a peaceful morning.

Americans have known surprise attacks, but never before on thousands of civilians.

All of this was brought upon us in a single day, and night fell on a different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack.

Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, “Who attacked our country?”

The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al Qaeda. They are some of the murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and responsible for bombing the USS Cole.

Al Qaeda is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is not making money, its goal is remaking the world and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics, a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam.

The terrorists’ directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans and make no distinctions among military and civilians, including women and children.

This group and its leader, a person named Osama bin Laden, are linked to many other organizations in different countries, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad [and] the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

There are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries.

They are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan, where they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction.

The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan we see al Qaeda’s vision for the world. Afghanistan’s people have been brutalized, many are starving and many have fled.

Women are not allowed to attend school. You can be jailed for owning a television. Religion can be practiced only as their leaders dictate. A man can be jailed in Afghanistan if his beard is not long enough.

The United States respects the people of Afghanistan — after all, we are currently its largest source of humanitarian aid — but we condemn the Taliban regime.

It is not only repressing its own people, it is threatening people everywhere by sponsoring and sheltering and supplying terrorists.

By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder. And tonight the United States of America makes the following demands on the Taliban:

Deliver to United States authorities all of the leaders of al Qaeda who hide in your land.

Release all foreign nationals, including American citizens, you have unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers in your country. Close immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist and every person and their support structure to appropriate authorities.

Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make sure they are no longer operating.

These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists or they will share in their fate.

I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. We respect your faith. It’s practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.

The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself.

The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.

Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there.

It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

Americans are asking, “Why do they hate us?”

They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.

They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. They want to drive Israel out of the Middle East. They want to drive Christians and Jews out of vast regions of Asia and Africa.

These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against us because we stand in their way.

We’re not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind before. They’re the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history’s unmarked grave of discarded lies.

Americans are asking, “How will we fight and win this war?”

We will direct every resource at our command — every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war — to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network.

Now, this war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat.

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes visible on TV and covert operations secret even in success.

We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place until there is no refuge or no rest.

And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.

From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. Our nation has been put on notice. We’re not immune from attack. We will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect Americans.

Today, dozens of federal departments and agencies, as well as state and local governments, have responsibilities affecting homeland security.

These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So tonight, I announce the creation of a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to me, the Office of Homeland Security.

And tonight, I also announce a distinguished American to lead this effort, to strengthen American security: a military veteran, an effective governor, a true patriot, a trusted friend, Pennsylvania’s Tom Ridge.

He will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard our country against terrorism and respond to any attacks that may come.

These measures are essential. The only way to defeat terrorism as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it and destroy it where it grows.

Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents, to intelligence operatives, to the reservists we have called to active duty. All deserve our thanks, and all have our prayers.

And tonight a few miles from the damaged Pentagon, I have a message for our military: Be ready. I have called the armed forces to alert, and there is a reason.

The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud.

This is not, however, just America’s fight. And what is at stake is not just America’s freedom.

This is the world’s fight. This is civilization’s fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.

We ask every nation to join us.

We will ask and we will need the help of police forces, intelligence services and banking systems around the world. The United States is grateful that many nations and many international organizations have already responded with sympathy and with support — nations from Latin America to Asia to Africa to Europe to the Islamic world.

Perhaps the NATO charter reflects best the attitude of the world: An attack on one is an attack on all. The civilized world is rallying to America’s side.

They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens may be next. Terror unanswered can not only bring down buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments.

And you know what? We’re not going to allow it.

Americans are asking, “What is expected of us?”

I ask you to live your lives and hug your children.

I know many citizens have fears tonight, and I ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the face of a continuing threat.

I ask you to uphold the values of America and remember why so many have come here.

We’re in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith.

I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your contributions. Those who want to give can go to a central source of information, libertyunites.org, to find the names of groups providing direct help in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this investigation may need your cooperation, and I ask you to give it. I ask for your patience with the delays and inconveniences that may accompany tighter security and for your patience in what will be a long struggle.

I ask [for] your continued participation and confidence in the American economy. Terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity; they did not touch its source.

America is successful because of the hard work and creativity and enterprise of our people. These were the true strengths of our economy before September 11th, and they are our strengths today.

And finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and their families, for those in uniform and for our great country. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow and will help strengthen us for the journey ahead.

Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and for what you will do.

And, ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, I thank you, their representatives, for what you have already done and for what we will do together.

Tonight we face new and sudden national challenges.

We will come together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the number of air marshals on domestic flights and take new measures to prevent hijacking.

We will come together to promote stability and keep our airlines flying with direct assistance during this emergency.

We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools it needs to track down terror here at home.

We will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know the plans of terrorists before they act and to find them before they strike.

We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America’s economy and put our people back to work.

Tonight, we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of all New Yorkers, Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. As a symbol of America’s resolve, my administration will work with Congress and these two leaders to show the world that we will rebuild New York City.

After all that has just passed, all the lives taken and all the possibilities and hopes that died with them, it is natural to wonder if America’s future is one of fear.

Some speak of an age of terror. I know there are struggles ahead and dangers to face. But this country will define our times, not be defined by them.

As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty here and across the world.

Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment.

Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us.

Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail.

It is my hope that in the months and years ahead life will return almost to normal. We’ll go back to our lives and routines, and that is good.

Even grief recedes with time and grace.

But our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what happened that day and to whom it happened. We will remember the moment the news came, where we were and what we were doing.

Some will remember an image of a fire or story or rescue. Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.

And I will carry this: It is the police shield of a man named George Howard who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others.

It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. It is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end.

I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.

Fellow citizens, we’ll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come.

In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom and may He watch over the United States of America.

Thank you.

A principis de la dècada dels vuitanta, la Guerra Freda estava a punt d’arribar al final. Molts pensen que va ser el col·lapse de l’economia soviètica o la insostenible carrera armamentística a la que es va veure empesa la Unió Soviètica per iniciatives com la Guerra de les Galàxies. Ho pensen i tenen raó. Però des del món de la comunicació, es va donar una estocada mortal. Un cop que va venir en forma de acudit.

Segurament, per estrategs com Clausewitz no entraria en el seu ventall de possibilitats l’opció de guanyar una guerra a través de l’humor. Si la millor defensa, per a Clausewitz, és la pròpia defensa, l’humor més que defensiu pot ser una afilada eina. Com se sol dir, la millor defensa, l’atac.

Ronald Reagan es va aplicar la lliçó. Mentre ordenava augmentar la despesa militar i acostava posicions amb els aires de reforma de la Perestroika de Gorbatxov, no dubtava en emprar acudits sobre les condicions de vida a l’est del Teló d’Acer. Amb ironia i sarcasme desarmava al que, anys enrere, generava por a una generació sencera de nord-americans que temien  acabar els seus dies sota una taula d’escola mentre esperaven l’explosió de la bomba nuclear.

L’humor és una potent eina de comunicació. Però hem de saber quan usar-lo. Per això, Reagan va saber prendre-li el pols al moment històric que estava vivint. És a dir, no és el mateix recórrer al sarcasme quan es creu estar en superioritat amb l’enemic i entenent que l’opinió pública pot entendre el recurs a l’humor, a fer-ho en moments més febles. Per exemple, amb els #AguirreFacts o si ara, amb la que cau, a Rajoy li donés per explicar acudits del tipus “Un espanyol, un grec i un alemany se’n van de canyes. Qui paga?”…

Els últims anys del comunisme van rebre del bàndol oposat la burla i la rialla. Els acudits del seu comandant en cap es van fer famosos i el seu enorme carisma va generar una idea imbatible en la ment dels americans: l’enemic ja no era tal. Els anys posteriors a la caiguda del Mur van fer el seu per això però, quanta responsabilitat tenen els acudits de Reagan a fer que la por es dissolgués com un terròs de sucre en un cafè?

El general George S. Patton fill va dirigir aquest discurs als homes del Tercer Regiment dels Estats Units el dia abans de la invasió de Normandia, el cèlebre dia D, durant la Segona Guerra Mundial. Un exemple clar del que una arenga pot i ha de fer entre una entregada massa.

Patton, a diferència de molts oradors contemporanis, no usava notes o apunts. Ni molt menys telepromters. Sempre es dirigia als seus homes amb un llenguatge col·loquial, directe. “No es pot dirigir un exèrcit sense paraules malsonants, s’ha d’utilitzar un llenguatge eloqüentment informal“, solia dir.

“M’ocuparé personalment d’acabar amb aquest cabró fill de puta de Hitler”

You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else. Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight. When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That’s why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.

“La idea mateixa de perdre és odiosa per a un nordamericà”

You are not all going to die, only two percent of you right here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Death, in time, comes to all men. Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he’s not, he’s a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men or they get the hell slammed out of them watching men fight who are just as scared as they are. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some, it takes an hour. For some, it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood. Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base. Americans pride themselves on being He Men and they ARE He Men. Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. They are not supermen.

“L’autèntic heroi és l’home que lluita encara que tingui por.”

[...]All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don’t ever let up. Don’t ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain. What if every truck driver suddenly decided that he didn’t like the whine of those shells overhead, turned yellow, and jumped headlong into a ditch? The cowardly bastard could say, “Hell, they won’t miss me, just one man in thousands”. But, what if every man thought that way? Where in the hell would we be now? What would our country, our loved ones, our homes, even the world, be like? No, Goddamnit, Americans don’t think like that. Every man does his job. Every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important in the vast scheme of this war.

[...]Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I’d shoot a snake!

[...]There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON’T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, “Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.” No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, “Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!

Publicat avui a La Vanguardia.

Un presidente con salud de hierro.

Obama ha hecho historia. Aunque la reacción en sectores importantes de la sociedad americana es que Obama debería ser ya historia. La suya ha sido siempre una decisión arriesgada y durante todo el proceso ha demostrado que los líderes de verdad están hechos de una pasta especial. No se achantan. No se repliegan ante la primera adversidad. Por ello, aunque muchos deseen que éste sea otro presidente de un solo mandato, lo cierto es que el comandante en jefe no cesa en su empeño de superar barreras, batir marcas y seguir su senda para cumplir con lo prometido.

No lo olvidemos: la reforma sanitaria fue uno de los mensajes clave en campaña. Fue, entre otros temas y propuestas, los que llevaron a millones de personas a las urnas por primera vez. Sólo un movimiento, y no una candidatura al uso, podía incorporar a tantos nuevos votantes. Y sólo los movimientos, con un liderazgo fuerte, pueden acometer reformas de calado. Parece como si a muchos, especialmente durante la tramitación de la ley, les hubiese molestado que el presidente quisiera cumplir con la palabra dada. Quizás otros políticos hacen del caso omiso su bandera, pero no es así en esta Casa Blanca.

“No rehuimos nuestras responsabilidades, las abrazamos. No nos acobardamos ante el futuro, le hemos dado forma”, dijo Obama en su comparecencia tras la aprobación de la ley en la Cámara de Representantes. Responsabilidades para con su país, con la gente. Con los 32 millones de americanos que tendrán a partir de ahora cobertura sanitaria. Aunque para algunos, la opción de Obama es suicida para con su partido: este noviembre las cámaras se renovarán parcialmente y los efectos de esta reforma podrían dañar a la presidencia. Quizás la opción fácil hubiese sido desistir y hacer caso a los cálculos electorales, pero este domingo se respiró en el Capitolio y en el Ala Oeste lo que hace distinto a esta ley: es una decisión histórica.

Por ello, el tono del presidente no escondió triunfalismo, alegría y ambición. Un acontecimiento histórico merece ser tratado como tal. No se escapó ni un detalle: Obama siguió la votación desde la sala que lleva el nombre de quién inició la cobertura social en Estados Unidos, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Y así lo hizo constar el secretario de prensa de Obama mediante un tweet: “POTUS watched vote in room aptly named for president who started this – cheers and clapping at 216 – high five for Rahm, hugs all around”.

No olvidemos que no es sólo una decisión histórica, de calado y con fuertes implicaciones para la ciudadanía e importantes sectores económicos del país. La decisión muestra una vez más el triunfo de un estilo muy alejado de Washington. Algo así como cambiar el sistema desde el sistema. Esta reforma sería inconcebible con otros presidentes. Tal y como desgranó el líder de la mayoría, la promesa de una reforma sanitaria ha venido del brazo de casi todos los presidentes de los últimos años, pero sólo aquel que basó su posicionamiento como outsider al modo de hacer política en la capital, ha conseguido realmente su cometido. El cambio, ya decía el presidente, no viene de Washington: va a Washington.

Esa parte conceptual, que rebosa retórica, tendrá que ser explicada a muchos congresistas. Porque quizás Obama vea como su mayoría en las cámaras se pierde en noviembre, pero con esta ley en su haber tendrá la fuerza necesaria para poder batallar por esos distritos. Para volver a contar eso de la necesidad de hacer sentir las voces de la gente en una democracia. Seguramente, esa cobertura del presidente sea una de las contrapartidas arrancadas a la Casa Blanca por parte de muchos congresistas demócratas. Esta ley hace más bien que mal al presidente y, según la filiación de cada uno, más mal que bien al país: deberán hacer un gran esfuerzo en el Ala Oeste para rentabilizar esa victoria y convencer a los que aún creen que ayer Estados Unidos dio un paso hacia el comunismo.

En uns mesos, Catalunya celebrarà les seves eleccions. Abans, veurem comicis per a la presidència del Barça i, encara que sembli que estan a anys llum, en poc més d’un any tornarem a triar alcaldes i la majoria de presidents de comunitat autònoma. I amb el que està passant a la xarxa -i no, no em refereixo a això de la LES i la institucionalització de la censura a la xarxa per part del Govern-, és lògic pensar que Internet jugarà un paper central. O hauria. La importància, dependrà de com s’apliqui.

A Catalunya ja s’estan donant passos molt decisius, especialment a CiU que com ja ressenyem en altres articles, compta amb la seva pròpia xarxa social. Per a la resta de partits, tant catalans com els candidats de qualsevol poble o ciutat de la geografia espanyola, potser sigui bona idea fer una ullada a alguns d’aquests llibres.

El president del Parlament, Ernest Benach, que ha estat el clar exemple de lideratge per introduir noves rutines en seu parlamentària, ha escrit “Política 2.0″ comptant l’experiència i donant interessants claus sobre el què ha de ser la política 2.0 i per què Internet pot salvar la distància cada vegada més gran entre polítics i ciutadans. És un excel·lent manuscrit que va camí de convertir-se en llibre de capçalera per als que vulguin canviar. Es pot comprar en format electrònic, a més del paper.

De l’altre costat del Atlàntic ens arriba un interessant relat en primera persona de la campanya electoral més reeixida fins al moment a Internet. Sí, parlem d’Obama. I sí, parlem de la traducció al castellà del “Yes, we did” de la canadenca Rahaf Harfoush. Rahaf, que va estar l’any passat a Espanya per delectar-nos amb la seva experiència, la presenta per escrit en un llibre en què trobarem diverses claus que hem d’atendre. Això sí, amb la distància necessària: el nostre sistema no té res a veure amb l’americà. El llibre l’edita Gestión 2000, del Grup Planeta.

Publicat avui a La Vanguardia.

Obama, padre y presidente

“Si pudiese ser algo, sería un buen padre”. Este es uno de los titulares de una de las primeras entrevistas en clave familiar que dio Obama al llegar a la Casa Blanca. La paternidad es algo que está en el fondo de su discurso, casi al mismo nivel que en el propio imaginario del país que preside. Una nación que tiene en la familia uno de sus sustentos: un país creado por Padres Fundadores que son venerados, recordados e idealizados. De hecho, no es extraño que uno de los expertos en comunicación política más en boga, George Lakoff, use una metáfora de padres e hijos para explicar la diferencia entre demócratas y republicanos. Los primeros, blandos o comprensivos. Los segundos, estrictos.

¿Es Obama un padre blando? En una entrevista en la ABC afirmaba no serlo con sus hijas. Y desde la perspectiva de Lakoff, tampoco parece serlo. No en política exterior y tampoco en ciertos aspectos internos. Aunque para aspectos internos, debemos echar un vistazo al dominio familiar en la Casa Blanca: la vida de la familia presidencial parece haber tomado el mando en la agenda presidencial.

El presidente afirmaba el año pasado que “ser padre no es una obligación, es un privilegio”, pero parece que muchos trabajadores del entorno presidencial, colegas de partido, ciudadanos y detractores empiezan a cuestionarse si el privilegio de ser padre también se ha convertido en un privilegio laboral para el comandante en jefe. Obama desayuna cada día con sus hijas y esposa, muchas reuniones de trabajo se retrasan e incluso se posponen durante su celebración para que el presidente pueda cenar con sus hijas y éstas puedan acostarse entre las 20 y las 21 horas. De hecho, Obama alardea de no haberse perdido ni una reunión con los profesores de Sasha y Malia en lo que va de presidencia, así como de haber asistido a eventos deportivos y culturales de sus hijas. Incluso ha leído los siete volúmenes de Harry Potter a Malia.

Una de las colaboradoras de Obama así lo expresa: “El horario de irse a dormir forma parte de la normalidad y no debe interrumpirse porque el padre está en un evento.” Precisamente, esa es la cuestión que más ampollas ha levantado: ¿debe el presidente de Estados Unidos abandonar una reunión para irse a cenar con sus hijas? ¿Puede programarse una reunión sobre el despliegue de tropas en Afganistán más allá de la hora en que Sasha y Malia se van a la cama para que el presidente puede acostarlas? ¿Debe retrasarse hasta la medianoche una reunión con los líderes en el Congreso sobre la reforma sanitaria porque Malia da un recital de flauta? ¿Pueden retrasarse viajes de Estado para hacerlos coincidir con las vacaciones escolares de las pequeñas? ¿Esa flexibilidad entra en las obligaciones del cargo?

El dominio de la agenda familiar en la agenda presidencial, que se para literalmente para atender a la familia, se observa como un triunfo de la conciliación laboral y familiar y un escrupuloso respeto de los valores familiares por parte de algunos. De hecho, Obama cree que sus hijas “parece que se están divirtiendo” y no parecen impresionadas por lo que están viviendo. Todo un éxito para unas menores que están en el ojo del huracán. Pero otros ciudadanos se preguntan si Obama abusa de su posición. Se cuestionan por las posibilidades del presidente para conciliar su vida familiar y de la imposibilidad de hacerlo en el Ala Oeste o en las condiciones habituales de millones de ciudadanos. No todos pueden subir unas escaleras en el trabajo para volver al despacho tras la cena, ventajas de vivir y trabajar en el mismo sitio.

En el fondo, entre los detractores subyace la idea que Obama no fue elegido para ser buen padre, sino para ser buen presidente. Pero, ¿pueden separarse ambas esferas? En una sociedad como la americana, donde cada detalle de la vida familiar importa, ¿debe el presidente ser el mejor padre?

En todo caso, Obama sienta un precedente y un ejemplo para muchos de los padres que forman el 59% de hombres americanos que tienen problemas para conciliar ambas vidas. Pero también la confirmación que la paternidad es importante para el desarrollo de los hijos. En el país de Obama el 23% de los niños crece sin conocer a su padre. Obama forma parte de ese grupo, como evidenció en su historia personal con un padre ausente que, pese a ello, dejó gran huella en él y sus sueños. También sienta un precedente para los que creen que anteponiendo la familia al Estado, debilita al propio país.

El presidente cree que “son los pequeños momentos y gestos los que pueden hacer una gran diferencia” en el crecimiento de los hijos. Cree que con ello, la sociedad puede ser mejor, aunque algunos vean en eso un signo de debilidad. Pero, quién sabe, quizás poder darlos sea una de las mejores cosas que pueda hacer un presidente para mantener la cordura y actuar del mejor modo para su país.

Passa alguna cosa molt estranya a casa nostra quan aterra un assessor d’Obama: capta tota l’atenció mediàtica i se li dediquen grans espais en els mitjans. I no és per a menys, perquè la campanya que va fer del senador d’Illinois, president dels Estats Units ha marcat un abans i un després.

Podria dir que no entenc l’enrenou amb tots els assessors del president, però mentiría: és comprensible. Ho és, perquè crec que sentim una sana enveja en veure com una campanya electoral pot pivotar única i exclusivament en la gent. Perquè no estem acostumats a ser la part central del debat polític.

Mentre escoltava a Harfoush reflexionava sobre el que estava dient a les persones a qui dirigia la seva intervenció. La nostra manera de participar en la política no s’assembla, ni mínimament, a aquest miracle participatiu aconseguit en la campanya de les presidencials de 2008. Cada anècdota que explicava, amagada en els 13 milions de correus enviats des Obama for America, dibuixava somriures i aixecava admiració. A mi m’ha fet tornar a la màgica nit del 4 de novembre, un moment que vaig intentar relatar en aquest post. Curiosament amb el mateix títol que el seu llibre.

Suposo que entre les persones que omplien l’auditori de l’històric edifici de Telefónica, es barrejava aquest sentiment d’enveja i la pregunta inevitable, com podem fer alguna cosa semblant aquí? I la resposta de Harfoush és la clau: no hem de tenir por al mitjà. Només són persones parlant amb persones.

La campanya d’Obama, la online i la offline, ens ha ensenyat moltes coses. Potser ha arribat el moment de no sorprendre’ns davant la visita dels artesans d’aquesta campanya i mostrar més interès en què podem canviar de les nostres. Com passar del cara a cara Rajoy vs. Zapatero basat en el jo, jo i jo a campanyes que parlin de nosaltres. Com passar d’una estèril campanya a les europees a sentir la necessitat de participar en el procés perquè algú escolta.

I aquest camí haurà teixir-se aquí, a la xarxa. Aprenent d’Harfoush, però també de les campanyes de grassroots, l’ús d’elements emocionals i, posats a demanar, de candidats que ens facin partícips del seu repte.

Les declaracions de Rita Barberá han donat lloc a tot tipus de comentaris i han alimentat desenes de tertúlies: està acceptant que Camps va rebre regals al equiparar amb les anxoves que va rebre Zapatero de mans del president de Cantàbria? O la comparació no arriba a tant?

En tot cas, la comparació és molt desafortunada, independentment del que volgués dir. En el debat ja s’ha introduït el primer anàlisi mencionat: l’acceptació tàcita d’una il·legalitat i la defensa del president de la Generalitat amb un dèbil argument. En tot cas, les anxoves càntabres, com a regal institucional, donen peu a introduir una costum americana.

En finalitzar el mandat d’un president, l’Oficina de Biblioteques Presidenciales (Office of Presidential Libraries), òrgan dels Arxius Nacionals, recopila i sistematitza la documentació i els regals que un president ha rebut per ser arxivats i exposats en les anomenades Presidential Libraries.

No són biblioteques strictu senso, però si un espai on tota la documentació associada a un president és conservada i pot ser consultada. En l’actualitat hi ha 13 biblioteques (generalment en els estats natals dels presidents) repartides per tot el país i George W. Bush tindrà la seva construïda cap a 2013, amb un pressupost de 200 milions de dòlars, al campus de la Universitat Metodista de Dallas. En ella, per cert, es contindrà també la pistola de Saddam Hussein, un dels 40.000 regals rebuts durant el seu mandat.

Unes anxoves càntabres no poden comparar-se amb la pistola d’Hussein, com tampoc a uns vestits rebuts per un particular amb interessos en l’activitat del govern de la Generalitat Valenciana. Per molt que Barberá pretengui fer passar aquest regal per institucional.

No sé què passa quan un càrrec públic rep un regal institucional -més enllà d’unes comestibles anxoves que bé mereixeran ser menjades amb una mica de pa amb tomàquet- però el que segur que no comporten són contrapartides. Encara que tampoc necessitin d’un arxiu a l’estil americà.

No sé fins a quin punt convindria adoptar un sistema com l’americà per a un problema -el dels regals institucionals- que mai hem tingut. El que sí és convenient és conservar la memòria i l’activitat dels presidents, més després de la mort de Calvo Sotelo o la malaltia de Suárez. A Catalunya els nostres expresidents compten amb els seus centres d’estudis, que mantenen l’activitat institucional d’aquests servidors públics. Encara que, és clar, nosaltres no tindríem mai un Air Force One dins d’un d’aquests centres.