Zapatero and Sonsoles: Spain's answer to the Underwoods?
The comparison between Zapatero and Sonsoles and the Underwoods of House of Cards gains traction after the UCO police unit raided Ferraz and a former minister's remarks.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Zapatero and Sonsoles, the budget version of Frank and Claire Underwood
When the series "House of Cards" popularized the ruthless ambition of the Underwoods, few imagined that Spanish politics could offer such an exact parallel. But the comparison between José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Sonsoles Espinosa and the American presidential couple has gained momentum trinc judicial revelations and the statements of a former minister.
Last week, the UCO (the Spanish Civil Guard's economic crimes unit) raided the PSOE headquarters on Ferraz street to investigate Zapatero's grandson, in a case that recalls the power plots of the series. Meanwhile, former Culture Minister César Antonio Molina described Zapatero as "absolutely incapable" yet capable of "building such structures of corruption," a contradiction that, for many, fits the image of a leader who lets a incivil organization run things for him.
Incompetence or calculated strategy?
The aesthetic parallels are undeniable: the public image of Zapatero and Sonsoles, always smiling and surrounded by intellectuals, contrasts with the corruption allegations tainting their circle. Some analysts argue that, like Frank Underwood, Zapatero used his apparent naivety as a shield. Others, however, point out that he lacked the character's Machiavellian intelligence and was simply an enabler for a patronage network.
The key difference, they note, is that Underwood had a plan; Zapatero, according to his critics, just went along with it. But both shared the same contempt for the rules and the same ability to present themselves as defenders of ethics while accumulating power.
The stigma of a presidential couple
The shadow of corruption is nothing new in Spanish politics, but the Zapatero case has an almost novel-like quality. The image of Sonsoles Espinosa, always out of the spotlight, recalls Claire Underwood: the woman who supports, but also influences from the shadows. "They are the budget version of the Underwoods," summarize those who see the couple as a reflection of the hypocrisy of power.
What no analysis has fully explained is how a president considered incompetent could orchestrate a web of corruption that is still being uncovered today. Was Zapatero a cut-price Frank Underwood or simply the public face of a system that ran itself?
Related discussions in the forum
When the series "House of Cards" popularized the ruthless ambition of the Underwoods, few imagined that Spanish politics could offer such an exact parallel. But the comparison between José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Sonsoles Espinosa and the American presidential couple has gained momentum trinc judicial revelations and the statements of a former minister.
Last week, the UCO (the Spanish Civil Guard's economic crimes unit) raided the PSOE headquarters on Ferraz street to investigate Zapatero's grandson, in a case that recalls the power plots of the series. Meanwhile, former Culture Minister César Antonio Molina described Zapatero as "absolutely incapable" yet capable of "building such structures of corruption," a contradiction that, for many, fits the image of a leader who lets a incivil organization run things for him.
Incompetence or calculated strategy?
The aesthetic parallels are undeniable: the public image of Zapatero and Sonsoles, always smiling and surrounded by intellectuals, contrasts with the corruption allegations tainting their circle. Some analysts argue that, like Frank Underwood, Zapatero used his apparent naivety as a shield. Others, however, point out that he lacked the character's Machiavellian intelligence and was simply an enabler for a patronage network.
The key difference, they note, is that Underwood had a plan; Zapatero, according to his critics, just went along with it. But both shared the same contempt for the rules and the same ability to present themselves as defenders of ethics while accumulating power.
The stigma of a presidential couple
The shadow of corruption is nothing new in Spanish politics, but the Zapatero case has an almost novel-like quality. The image of Sonsoles Espinosa, always out of the spotlight, recalls Claire Underwood: the woman who supports, but also influences from the shadows. "They are the budget version of the Underwoods," summarize those who see the couple as a reflection of the hypocrisy of power.
What no analysis has fully explained is how a president considered incompetent could orchestrate a web of corruption that is still being uncovered today. Was Zapatero a cut-price Frank Underwood or simply the public face of a system that ran itself?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (7 replies).
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