Michelle Bachelet's Downward Slide

Michelle Bachelet's approval has dropped to 19%, as she faces problems from just about every angle (most recently it is protests about pensions). The general response has been to continue pressuring her to shuffle her cabinet. It's funny how that sort of action is viewed as potentially effective, when in fact part of the problem is that her entire coalition is falling apart.

It's also funny how the political response is to go back to the past.

The two names that emerged in the poll as most likely to be president after elections due in 2017 are both veteran ex-presidents who have already begun 'soft' campaigning - Lagos and center-right Sebastian Pinera. 

But when asked to choose between the two, most people said they would prefer not to vote (40 percent). The 78-year-old Lagos received 28 percent support, and 66-year-old Pinera 26 percent.

It's exactly like Hillary Clinton trying to position herself as the agent of change. People are not buying it and would prefer to sit it out in disgust.