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thebajarunner
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Two presidents??? That ought to be interesting!!!
Nov. 21, 2006 11:37 | Updated Nov. 21, 2006 11:39
Mexican leftist Lopez Obrador sworn in as head of parallel gov't
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY
Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador swore himself in as Mexico's "legitimate" president and launched a parallel government, promising to legally limit
the power of big corporations and the "neo-fascist oligarchy" that he said now controls Mexico.
"I pledge ... to serve loyally and patriotically as legitimate president of Mexico," Lopez Obrador said during a ceremony on a blustery, bone-chilling
Monday afternoon in the capital's main central plaza, the Zocalo - just 11 days before President-elect Felipe Calderon is sworn in as the nation's
legal president.
"I pledge to protect the rights of Mexicans ... and ensure the happiness and welfare of the people," the former Mexico City mayor told an estimated
100,000 supporters - a smaller crowd than that generated by previous Lopez Obrador events.
The ceremony, which took place on the national holiday commemorating the Mexican Revolution, opened the latest chapter in Lopez Obrador's unsuccessful
battle for the presidency.
He claims fraud and dirty campaign tactics were responsible for Calderon's narrow victory in the July 2 vote, and his parallel government could spend
the next six years calling for the kind of street protests that have already prompted travel warnings from the US Embassy.
Rosario Ibarra, a human rights activist and senator for Lopez Obrador's coalition, placed the red-green-and-white presidential sash across his
shoulders. While the action lacks legal recognition, Lopez Obrador hopes to assume the moral leadership of millions of poor Mexicans.
His parallel government, with a 12-member Cabinet, will not collect taxes or try to make laws, and it will rely on donations.
Lopez Obrador plans to spend three days a week in Mexico City and spend the other four days touring Mexico "to create the most important citizens'
organization in all our history."
But his movement's first action will be to try to prevent Calderon's Dec. 1 inauguration ceremony.
"We are going to make Calderon realize at all times that he is an illegitimate leader," said 55-year-old Lopez Obrador supporter Beatriz Zuniga, an
unemployed professor of Latin American studies. "He's got a limited amount of time. This man will not finish his term."
Calderon insisted again Monday that he will attend his swearing-in ceremony at the national Congress despite Lopez Obrador supporters' threats to
disrupt it.
Lopez Obrador's supporters carried signs criticizing not only Calderon, but a variety of targets they say had tried to marginalize Lopez Obrador: the
Roman Catholic Church, mainstream news media and even rival leftists such as Zapatista rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos.
But some members of his Democratic Revolutionary Party, or PRD, have already expressed disagreement with Lopez Obrador's strategy of using Congress -
where the PRD is now the second-largest force - as an arena for protests rather than negotiations. Lopez Obrador pledged Monday to make more
legislative proposals.
Some average citizens also have tired of Lopez Obrador's brand of political activism, which includes endorsing the leftist protesters who seized
Oaxaca city for five months to demand the resignation of the state's governor. Lopez Obrador's own supporters blocked Mexico City's main boulevard for
nearly two months this summer.
"This affects the country's image," said Marco Ramirez, 34, a university researcher watching the protesters from a sidewalk cafe, "It puts out a very
bad image."
President Vicente Fox canceled a traditional Nov. 20 parade commemorating the country's 1910-1917 Revolution, apparently to avoid friction with Lopez
Obrador's event.
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toneart
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Bruce has posted that Mulege has also canceled the celebration and parade. I had noticed that almost every vehicle in Mulege had bumper stickers or
signs in the windows, supporting Lopez Obrador.
No matter which candidate was favored, Mexico needs to unify in order to gain control of the cartel violence that is making it an increasingly unsafe
country to travel or live in. Regarding the political situation in Oaxaca and Mexico City, I cannot comment. Being a U.S. citizen, I will butt out.
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DianaT
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As we travel both Baja and the Mainland, I have been reading a lot about this unusual political situation.
I have wondered how people in Baja view the situation. What kind of effect do you think this will have on Baja?
Diane
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comitan
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It certainly won't have any effect on La Paz, since he is not popular here.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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MrBillM
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Superb !
Isn't that Obrador a hoot ? I was afraid he was going to give up and go away. Thankfully, he's decided to stick around and make mischief.
It makes things much more interesting.
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thebajarunner
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Even Richard Nixon and AlBore had the class to step aside after questionable election results.
But not our boy AMLO......
No way!!
Gonna stick around and pee in the campfire all night long.
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Hook
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I am wondering why Calderon doesnt launch a pre-emptive strike on some of the issues that AMLO considers his bread-and-butter?
Yes, in advance of his inauguration.........
The plight of the poor is one of AMLO's biggest causes and Calderon has conceded that it is one of his highest priorities, too. Why not lay out his
plan right now, if he has it?
BTW, I was somewhat surprised to learn that PAN and PRI have formed a loose coalition within their Congress. The PRD's hold of 2nd place in delegates
could be defused if the coalition holds together.
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villadelfin
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| Quote: | Originally posted by comitan
It certainly won't have any effect on La Paz, since he is not popular here. |
Have you noticed the Lopez Obrador 2006 banners posted on CFE poles all over town? Someone is sure supporting him here. The CFE is a federal business
last I heard.
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Eli
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From what little I have seen over the last 4 months since I have resided in Oaxaca; it appears to me that the people who suffer most here because of
the AMLO supported APPO protest and the teachers strike are not the wealthy, they have the money to ride it out, they can send their kids to private
schools out of state.
Ah, but what these months of manifests have affected on the middle class, small businesses and the truly poor, these are the people who have been
outright devastated by the actions of APPO and the press exploitation of the few isolated incidents of out in the open confrontations that have
occurred since June.
The right to protest and manifest should be protected by those who claim to love this country, not abused as it has been by a few APPO thug. Those who
with their blockades, graffiti and burning of busses, busting a few windows and doing all that they can to show their strength and gain support have
instead intimated the average citizens who have over these long months of protest lost any interest in giving AMLO support. APPO is daily becoming a
smaller minority here in Oaxaca City.
Although the situation is long from over; The kids are finally all back in school, commerce is returning to some degree of general normalcy here,
government offices are more open than not. The mega march last Monday was only a couple hundred diehard strong, and the skirmishes that occurred
downtown were a couple of hours of inconvenience for those of us who live on the block, we closed our doors and minded our own business as a few
demonstrators burned a bus, breaking some windows on the Camino Real Hotel and the PFP retaliated with some pepper spray bombs, and that was about the
extent of it.
The next Manifest is planned for this Saturday when Obrador is due to come to town to encourage his following, it would be interesting to see who that
would be, at this point I wonder if he can round up more than a few hormone raging kids, maybe he will, I donno, but alas, I will be long gone. I
leave for Mexico City on Friday night.
[Edited on 11-24-2006 by Eli]
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Eli
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Villadelfin, The good news is; Over the years, I have seen the CFE post utilizied to advertise everything from a garage sale to a spay and nueturing
your animal day to even a play, they are a handy place to staple a sign and are commonly used as such, one person can cover a lot of them in a few
hours time, it has no bearing on who or how many support AMLO in Baja.
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villadelfin
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Thank you Eli.
Will you be in DF long? How isolated are the protests there nowadays. It looked from photos that AMLO's inauguration was very well attended
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Eli
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Villadelfin, I will just be in a suburb of the big D.F. visiting a dear friend for a few days and fly home on Tuesday.
I know, by our B.C.S. standards, 100,000 is a staggering amount of people. By D.F. standards, it represents what % of the population of the city? I am
sure someone #'s smarter than me can come up with the exact amount.
I cannot denie AMLO's popularity or even the validity of why the party has come to exisit. I find myself in the off the wall anti party position,
first because I just plain don't trust the promises of ANY politician and 2nd because I cannot support anyone who validates physical force as a means
to propogate their version of how they will govern.
I, like most folks, gravate to birds of a feather, therefore I am speaking for a small piece of a big pie, and there are after all many slices in this
pie. Still, the people I know who have no use for AMLO are of middle of the road folks similiar in views and a life style like my own. From that
group of few, here in Oaxaca and in Mexico City too, there were many in the begginging who supported Obrador as the champion of the poor, but they
like me can not support his means to an end. That, in the end, even though we might agree on need for reform, still, not that way, not via violence
and disruption of every day poor peoples lives; The same people one is proposing to champion? No, I cannnot agree with the tatics he has used.
Sorry, I will try and step off the soap box now, I just put out more than anyone asked for, jeje, geez, talk about a sore spot with me, I guess I
should stay clear of this subject and politics in general.
[Edited on 11-23-2006 by Eli]
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Paula
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Sara, you are one of my best sources for news of how things are going in Oaxaca. A paragraph from you is worth 1000 from any newspaper, as they
distort and sensationalize to make a "good" story, and you report what you see with your eyes and your heart.
I was supportive of Lopez Obrador early on, as I know that many people in southern Mexico felt left out in the cold by Fox, and too many suffer in
poverty there. I think he may have received more votes than Calderon, but the recount is done, and he should step aside and offer to work with those
in power if he really cares for his supporters and his country.
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Baja Bernie
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Sara
Very well said and I would be happy to chime in but 'The Baja Runner' just came by and stole all of my soapboxes.
Perhaps he will make a speed run to you with a few boxes so that you may continue to keep us informed.
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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MrBillM
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Dos Mas
Well, Mexico is going to have TWO Presidents and now our Kooky neighbor to the North is going to have TWO COUNTRIES. Canuckia is
considering legislation to declare Quebec a Nation within Canuckia to forestall the Government in Quebec from declaring themselves an
Independent nation.
Fools to the Left of me, Fools to the Right.
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Iflyfish
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And fools below too Bill,
I would like to see Oregon, Washington and British Columbia untite into a great country of The Pacific Northwest, eh? Excuse me would be our motto.
Hockey would be our game. Salmon our national mascot. Pot our major cash crop and microbreweries on every corner. Did I fail to mention an expresso
machine in every home!
Iflyfish when not fermenting revolution
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Iflyfish
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Ah, ha!!!! I just graduated to Nomad with that post!!! Yea, Viva The Pacific Northwest!
Iflyfish when I am not celebrating my Nomad status
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Eli
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All here in Oaxaca are batting down the hatches, waiting for this latest storm of Obrador to pass. I still say that even in the worst of times Oaxaca
is a wonder of a place to be, I am so glad for the time I have been able to spend here this year. As I pack, I am already dreaming of when I can come
back, hopefully Next July to a City freed of it's present strife.
O.k., I am packing up, that includes putting the soap boxes away. Hasta entonces, Sarita
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villadelfin
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Mayor of La Paz declares AMLO legitimate
AMLO was in La Paz yesterday drumming up support for his self presidency. In front of a crowd of supporters 1500 strong (made up in large part by his
entourage) he admitted that the bank account that people can make donations to has not been established yet because he is having trouble with the
banks. Notably, the Mayor of La Paz was present and pledged the city's support of the legitimate president.
And Lopez O's presence in La Paz would explain the proliferation of AMLO banners put up recently on the power poles all over town.
[Edited on 11-24-2006 by villadelfin]
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Paula
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Les,
Just to be clear as I don't know which party the mayor of La Paz is with, does he consider Lopez Obrador or Calderon to be the legitimate president?
I assume he means Calderon?
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