The Democratic Party in decline among the colorblind? Color analysis is not a gala lunch

We will never win with this cyclamen colour!”: harsh and unequivocal words that were raised the other day during an interminable and dramatic meeting of the secretariat of the Pd, the day after the defeat in the municipal elections. The political line adopted so far by Elly Schlein and her secretariat, i.e. magenta, is under accusation. The verdict at the polls was clear: fuchsia – as the critical voices within the party call it – didn’t work, and is far from the real country where black, beige and anthracite gray dominate. “And yet with inflation and price increases, the economic data tell us that people are broke, and magenta is complementary”, the secretary’s closest collaborators try to justify. The analysis of the vote shows that Schlein is not particularly convincing among female electricians: “In hindsight, perhaps I would have bet more on candy pink” is the only concession to self-criticism that the secretary makes.

But for the rest, Schlein insists: “The color scheme is not a gala dinner, also because if it were we would risk getting stained and washing colors is more complicated than whites, it can be done up to a maximum of 40 degrees otherwise you risk to discolor the garments”; and he relaunches the theme of alliances: combinations with orange, yellow, Prussian blue. Appeal to which Giuseppe Conte responds with a sharp dark pinstripe suit (compared to which, however, some analysts wanted to see in the damask pochette an opening to future convergences); instead it will be difficult to pass the pomace or mauve into the ranks of the third pole, but a compromise is being worked on – for example the periwinkle, which the Renzians like and Calenda is not against.

The reformist wing of the Democratic Party is in turmoil: it’s okay to fight for the protection of rights and to promote peace, but using the rainbow flag as a reference color palette, and above all as a guide for color combinations, risks breaking the delicate balances that hold the souls of the party together and thus lose many voters, especially among the colorblind. “The Democratic Party is now too biased to the left”, one of the most critical voices vents in private, who however asks to remain anonymous. “The message that is passing is a return of red; moreover Rosso Valentino, which offers the side to those who accuse us of being radical chic. Moderate voters, on the other hand, love softer colors – light blue, dove gray – and insisting on such intense colors delivers the country to the right”. The reformist wing of the Democratic Party asks Schlein for a change of course: white for the summer, and pastel colors up to the European ones – ocher at most.

But the secretary’s color schemer threatens to leave the party; if there must be a change of palette, she believes that we should rather go towards fluorescent colors and optical patterns. Schlein tries to mediate: holds back on sequins, but opens up to spotted. Meanwhile, however, teal is a coincidence: most of the party members do not know what color it is, and have no idea how to combine it. While some local administrators of the north-east – civic but of the area – propose sage green at a national level. Thus the nudist frond advances more and more every day.