Matteo Renzi: Made in the DisUnited States

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), mathematician, rationalistic philosopher and winner of the 1950 o!el "ri#e in $iterature, authored The Conquest of Happinessnot a %technical, professional& philosophical 'olume (et one that has en)o(ed numerous reprints since its initial pu!lication in 19*0+ ,n that tome BR distin-uishes the narcissist from the me-alomaniac. %/he me-alomaniac differs from the narcissist !( the fact that he wishes to !e powerful rather than charmin-, and see0s to !e feared rather than lo'ed+& 1atteo Ren#i, e2-Bo( 3cout, fer'id Roman 4atholic, ma(or of 5iren#e (5lorence, ,tal(), and secretar( of the ,talian Partito Democratico (6emocratic "art(), e2hi!its these s(mptoms of me-alomania. hee!ie-)ee!ies, manipulation of others, !ad temper, delusions of -reatness, !eliefs of superiorit(, and e2cessi'e a!sorption in himself+ ,n 5iren#e, 1R has more enemies than he possesses friends, !ut !efore the tele'ision cameras and in the print, electronic and social media, he cle'erl( fa0es !ein- deli-htful+ ot man( 5lorentines share his peach( perception of himself+ 1an( other ,talians do+ 3till, 1R7s mindset is not the onl( force -oadin- him on+ 8e has some of the !lessin-s of his own Partito Democratico (6emocratic "art(), !ut much of the !ac0in- of another democratic part(. /he 6emocratic "art( of the 6is9nited 3tates of :merica (693); 1R has )oined forces with the Ro!ert 5 <enned( 4enter for =ustice > 8uman Ri-hts, its ?uropean head@uarters set ri-ht in his 5lorentine )urisdiction, presided o'er !( <err( <enned(, se'enth child of R5<7s ele'en, ferocious ,rish Roman 4atholic, ri-hts7 acti'ist, and arrestee on dru--ed dri'in- char-es in =ul( 2012+ 1R -uided the transferral of the R5< 4enter7s Rome !usiness office to 5lorence (e'en the pope did not want <<, the redheaded !attle-a2, ca'ortin- around Rome;), and %softened& the center7s %intromission& into the stoppered 5lorentine societ(A<< not 0nowin-, still, that 90B of 5lorentine citi#ens ha'e ne'er heard of the R5< 4enter, and that if the 693 am!assador to ,tal( en)oined 5lorentines to )ump off Ponte Vechhio, there would !e a line of 5lorentines all the wa( to /annila, 5inland waitin- to o!li-e the 6emocratic "art(7s choice to represent the 693 in ,tal(+ Cho cares a!out democrac(D E1+00 F G1+00 in desperate 5lorence+ (Chat words will << HChen ,rish e(es are smilin-;I -ulp on when she so!ers up and comes to the reali#ation, finall(, that 1R7s 'ain-lorious rise to political influence has !een aided, a!etted and !an0ed !( ,talian politicians en)o(in- immunit( from crimes the( ha'e !een accused of and ona fide con'icted criminals includin- 3il'io Berlusconi himself D; =esus wor0s in stran-e wa(sD ?'er(!od( is doin- itD /he ends )ustif( the meansD) :nd -uess what the 6emocratic "art( of the 6is9nited 3tates has prepped the swellhead a!out mostD /he 1edia, of course; Remem!er the m(th a!out "/-109, the patrol torpedo !oat that =5< almost lost his life in, and that made a Corld Car ,, hero of himD

Cell, the media-minded 6emocratic "art( is coachin- 1atteo, this /uscan dolt, on how to run his campai-n to !ecome the prime minister of ,tal(Aa role )ust perfect to fit his inordinate cra'in- for mi-htiness+ :nd the :merican 6emocratic "art( is performin- this feat for him as it has so often ritualisticall( done so in its pastA con !usto+ /a0in- cues from two 6is9nited 3tates7 6emocratic "art( candidates7 attempts to win their places in the Chite 8ouse, the ones pullin- 1atteo Ren#i7s strin-s from the R5< 4enter in 5lorence are trainin- him on how to manipulate the media and not !e manipulated !( it+ /hese are not the !lind leadin- the !lindJ these are the im!eciles leadin- the im!eciles+ Kur first case is :l Lore+ 8is mother -uaranteed that her son would ser'e in Mietnam (et not in the field, not in a "/ !oat, !ut as a photo-rapher with the ran0 of pri'ate+ /he 6emocratic "art(7s :l Lore ne'er saw the !attlefield, and pro!a!l( ne'er carried a rifle in !ase camp where arms often had to !e loc0ed up to 0eep drun0en :merican soldiers from shootin- themsel'es+ Kf course, presidential candidate :l Lore was 'er( proud to sa(, to win hearts and minds, that he had !een a true-!lue :merican in Mietnam and one who ser'ed his countr( so, therefore, worth( to !e anointed with the respect of his fellow democratsAincludin- their 'otes; 4ase two+ =ohn <err(+ /his 6emocratic "art( %patriot& too0 professional film foota-e of himself in Mietnam, in action", that he later -lorified himself with in order to win 'otes when he ran for president of the 693+ 8e ser'ed in the a'( in Mietnam with the 6emocratic "art(7s 6a'id /horne, 6is9nited 3tates7 am!assador to ,tal( (2009-201*) and his roommate, and later !rother-in-law, at the 30ull > Bone7s Nale 9ni'ersit(+ Birds of a feather fl( to-ether+ R8,"; (Ran0 8as ,ts "ri'ile-es;) either :l Lore nor =ohn <err( won their presidential elections+ /han0 -oodness; 4ase three+ Kur !o(-politician, 1atteo Ren#i+ 1R has !een -roomed to ride a !ic(cle from one chauffered car to anotherAfor the media+ 1R has !een ad'ised to ta0e a ta2i, not a chauffered car, when in Rome 'isitin- the central office of his Partito Democraticofor the media+ 1R has !een instructed to flash a fro#en smile at all timesAfor the media+ "oliticians 0now the importance of alwa(s %loo0in- happ(&Ae'en if the( mi-ht ha'e !een dia-nosed with terminal cancer that 'er( mornin-Aespeciall( durin- a decisi'e speech the( mi-ht ha'e to mouth o'er the airwa'es+ Chen will we see 1R on the co'er of Time# /he( put 3il'io Berlusconi on the co'er of $e%s%ee&" But this is %loo0 stuff+& 1atteo Ren#i7s %heart and soul stuff & is still another facet of his romp for power+ :s so man( ?uropean dictators of the past and ,talian politicos of the present, 1R is also o'erstoc0ed with promises he will ne'er !e a!le to con'ert into a realit( e2istin- !e(ond the delusions of his own thin0in-+ 1ost ,talians want more to !elie'e in 1R than the( are willin- to understand what e2actl( he representsA)ust as the( ha'e had to learn the hard wa( from their e2periences with 1ussolini, 4ra2i and Berlusconi+ But do ,talians e'er learnD Both the ,talian Partito Democratico (6emocratic "art() and the 6is9nited 3tates7

6emocratic "art( o!'iousl( thin0 not; /he( reason that the( must ta0e ,talian politics into their own handsAto sa'e /he Boot; , wish to offer two su--estions to 1R. Ch( don7t (ou as0 <err( <enned( to find for (ou a 5-star con'ent or monaster( where (ou can -o, for a fortni-ht, to cool down (our !rain and reduce the si#e of (our puffed up headJ and when (ou return, enter into a lon--term ps(choanal(sis that will encoura-e (ou to -et to the root of (our irrational moti'es thus peelin- awa(, as one would an onion, the la(ers of (our personalit( that impede (our successful mental de'elopmentD ,n closin-, 1atteo Ren#i, would (ou !e so 0ind as to tell us the name of the 'itamins (ou in-estAthose that -i'e (ou the stren-th to find the time to !e with (our wife, (our famil(, time to !e !oth the ma(or of 5lorence and the secretar( of the ,talian Partito Democratico (6emocratic "art(), to constantl( shuttle !etween 5lorence and Rome (17* miles each wa(), to appear almost e'er( da( on some ,talian tele'ision pro-ram, to !e photo-raphed and inter'iewed for ,tal(7s dail( newspapers, to 0eep a!reast of the political and economic happenin-s of ,tal( and the world that surrounds (ou and (our countr(, and, finall(, to find the hours a normal human !ein- would need to rela2 and sleepD /han0 (ou+ 4ordiall(+++ :3= :uthored !( :nthon( 3t+ =ohn *0 =anuar( 11O,M 4alen#ano, ,tal( www+scri!d+comPthewordwarrior