Sánchez and the Archive: 376 Responses to the Lie

Pedro Sánchez, the archive, and the art of changing his mind

Is Pedro Sánchez a liar, or simply someone who changes his mind so frequently it would baffle a weather vane? This question, title of one of the longest-running online political debates, has accumulated 376 responses and nearly 300 days of discussion. Over this time, the conversation has shifted from irony about his supposed lack of principles to a systematic display of tweets and headlines contradicting his past promises. The archive has become the primary tool of accusation.

The archive as documentary evidence

The bulk of shared material consists of screenshots. Videos and tweets show Sánchez promising he would never make pacts with Bildu, Catalan separatists, or Podemos, or describing amnesties for politicians as 'totally unassailable and unacceptable.' The contrast with subsequent pacts and the amnesty law is the most repeated argument. Some argue these are not lies, but a politician adjusting his discourse to parliamentary arithmetic. The common rebuttal is that a normal change of opinion occurs after an error, whereas here it happens when the change is more convenient.

The calculation of 130 defendants

One of the most circulated messages provides a specific figure: the Government has 130 defendants and several convicted individuals, including the president's brother, the Attorney General, and two PSOE general secretaries, with only 124 deputies in Congress. This figure, circulated as an image on social media, is used to claim that the promise to regenerate public life has amounted to nothing. The figure is not debated; it is taken as fact to reinforce the thesis of systematic lying. The full details, with names and charges, are in the original material.

The psychopath who believes his own lies

Psychological discussion occupies several messages. One school argues that a psychopath believes his own lies, so he cannot be strictly called a liar. The counter-argument is that this case is different: he does not believe his lies, but believes others believe them. This distinction, seemingly abstruse, summarizes the two main positions: those seeing a disorder and those seeing a strategy. Irony regarding 'changing one's mind' as a euphemism runs through the entire thread.

The voter who does not want to hear the truth

A portion of the analysis shifts from the politician to the voter. It is argued that Sánchez says what his voters want to hear, and they care little for truth or lies as long as it suits them. This is the 'votante' thesis, formulated more or less explicitly. The most repeated defense is that all politicians lie and the archive is only applied with a magnifying glass to the one in power. The problem, they reply, is not that he lies, but that many people still believe him.

Housing and the latest twist

The debate updates with the housing issue. A tweet is shared comparing Sánchez's current position on rent regulation with his stance years ago, when he argued regulation created legal uncertainty. The twist is presented as further proof he only seeks to maintain power. The most repeated conclusion is that he is incapable of maintaining his principles on any current issue.

History will judge him (or not)

The debate's conclusion recalls a phrase from Sánchez himself: 'Do the right thing, or history will judge you sooner than you think and more forcefully than you imagine.' The response is immediate: who judges Sánchez? It is noted that his brother is already convicted and his vvife is on her way, making the threat of history sound hollow. The article ends there, without a final verdict. Like the debate itself.