For those of you who are not up to speed about the upcoming Mexican presidential elections, it is time to wake up and realize what is unfolding. An
extreme leftwing candidate is on the rise, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and he is scaring the bejesus out of the Establishment.
His popularity is gaining fast, he is a great speaker, his followers love him, and we regret to inform you that his politics and policies put him
squarely in the same league as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. The guy is currently the leftist third-party ? Democratic Revolution Party ? mayor of
Mexico City, and opinion polls show him to be the leading candidate for the July 2006 presidential elections.
The Establishment is quaking in their boots with terror. The ?Establishment? includes all of the following: President Vicente Fox; both major Mexican
political parties ? the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the National Action Party (PAN); the U.S. Government; the banking and financial
markets; U.S. investors; the international oil industry; many in the Mexican media; and just about anyone else with a stake in the current system.
What are they so afraid of? For starters, a recent demonstration in Lopez Obrador?s favor in the main plaza in Mexico City attracted 1.2 million
people, which included 300 organizations and 40 unions. The dude is a flat-out populist, and there are plenty of disenchanted poor people in this
country who are fed up with everything. The guy is charismatic, he mobilizes people at the drop of a hat, and this kind of thing could destabilize
Mexico.
Worse, this cat thoroughly understands that world politics these days are all about oil. Mexico?s number one industry is Pemex, Mexican Petroleum,
and Lopez Obrador has all types of big plans about just what should be done with this resource.
Furthermore, a few years back he led a mob of demonstrators that seized control of Pemex oilfields in the south of Mexico. And anyone with a track
record of seizing control of oilfields can be expected to pull off any number of other stunts as well.
For Americans, the biggest fear is that he might expropriate foreign investments. Given Lopez Obrador?s hostile attitude towards the U.S., this is
not such a farfetched worry.
The bigwigs in Mexico City are currently scrambling to do anything and everything they can to prevent him from running for president. So, they are
trying to prosecute him for a past act of corruption, on charges that indeed are probably legitimate. But since he is the elected mayor of Mexico
City he has immunity from criminal prosecution.
Just recently the Mexican Congress voted to strip the mayor of his immunity, so that he can be prosecuted. Of course the real motivation is to throw
him in jail to prevent him from running for president.
The problem is that this strategy is blowing up in their face. Unfortunately, all this gives the appearance that the government is inventing bogus
criminal charges against a potential presidential candidate ? even thought the accusations are probably true. Instead of stopping him, the
prosecution is making him even more popular. The massive demonstration in Mexico City was largely because his followers think corrupt authorities who
oppose democracy are framing him.
If you haven?t heard too much about this in the U.S. news, it is because virtually everybody, including the press, wishes that this guy would just go
away. Responsible people in power are trying to downplay the problem in order to avoid fueling his popularity.
On the day the 1.2 million people filled the downtown square in Mexico City, President Fox talked about the Pope and said nothing at all about the
demonstration. The message was clear: ignore the guy and we?ll quietly get rid of him behind the scenes.
Even the world press seems to agree with this strategy. A million man march on Mexico City was not even the lead story in many Mexican news outlets,
and the Los Angeles Times gave the story one paragraph in its international ?In Brief? section.
Neither Mexico nor the U.S. really wants the world to know that a Fidel Castro type is gaining popularity in this country. Everyone is politely
looking the other way, while they hope for Lopez Obrador to be eliminated, somehow someway, before anyone finds out about him.
Whatever ? if they don?t get rid of him or even if they do ? the 2006 election year in Mexico promises to be a doozy.aldosalato - 5-2-2005 at 05:13 PM
I do not like Lopez Obrador and will not vote for him but I do think that it will not be the end of the world and that Mexico will keep growing and
reforming itslef for the better even with "el PejePresidente".
I put money after my words and will keep investing my little nest capital in Mexico as a safer bet than US or Europe.
[Edited on 5-3-2005 by aldosalato]JESSE - 5-2-2005 at 07:05 PM
I think el "peje" is an idiot, but heck, i am into anything that shakes the current way of doing things.Dave - 5-3-2005 at 12:41 PM
This article may be the one that will get Conroy deported. Oso - 7-7-2005 at 08:29 AM
Wouldn't be the first time Mexico had a "leftist" prez. Cuahutemoc Card##as' daddy Lazaro was about as far left as you can get. Gringos as old as
Neal may recall that Lazaro nationalized the foreign oil holdings and created Pemex. Whatever else said about him, he is generally regarded as the
ONLY Mexican president to give a damn about the common people and not just filling his pocket (not that he left office poor- nobody does).
We used to picnic at his former "casa chica". A nice but simple little cabin at a place called Cruz Blanca in the mountains above the D.F. on the
road to Toluca. It's part of the Desierto de Los Leones national park now.
Hey anon
jrbaja - 7-7-2005 at 08:46 AM
Did you know that you are illegally copying chit from the gringo gazoot? And that Nancy will be on you for it!
I think the best thing that could happen is what Dave said. And good riddance!
She doesn't speak Spanish, she is an opinionated wanker, and her magazine doesn't even burn well. It does however make a great bird cage liner.Bruce R Leech - 7-7-2005 at 09:23 AM
even birds wont poop on that thing.rpleger - 7-7-2005 at 10:10 AM
it's about time the people got something back from the government.
Richard,
neilmac - 7-7-2005 at 12:52 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by rpleger
it's about time the people got something back from the government.
You can't ever get anything from the government, unless it steals it from someone else first.... and takes its cut, of course.
Better to be an 'honest' thief and steal it yourself.
Neilrpleger - 7-7-2005 at 03:49 PM
neilmac
Better the people than the oligarchy and the connected.
After 22 years of investing in Mexico (and making a lot of money)------
Barry A. - 8-7-2005 at 09:41 AM
I have liquidated all my holdings in Mexico as of 6 months ago after finally losing faith that Mexico can actually bring itself closer to a
"free-market ecomomy"-------the future for Mexico is grim, IMHO, and the Mexican's have nobody to blame but themselves. They (the masses) just do not
"get it", and certainly the politicos are just out for themselves. I thought that Vincente Fox was a breath of fresh air, but his hands are tied by
the 1000's of folks that the "masses" keep putting in office. You cannot get anything done when the President is going one way (mostly the right
way), and almost everybody else is running the other direction.
I give up on Mexico.Bajame - 8-7-2005 at 11:30 AM
In the 70's my now deceased husband invested $25,000, he was getting some info for awhile telling him that his investment was in good hands and this
guy was sending all the paper work to prove it. Then he heard nothing so he tried to contact the guy and found out that he took everyone's money and
went to Spain. All we got back was, SORRY! Tried for years to find out more but nada. Be carefull! Neal Johns - 8-7-2005 at 02:52 PM
Gringos as old as Neal ?
Good thing I don't read the Political Forum, Oso!
Barry A
Baja Bernie - 8-8-2005 at 06:29 PM
Wouldn't surprise me if Obrador wins that he will re-nationalize the banks and most of the other stuff the government auctioned off (except those
things taken over by the top Mexican family's)within the first 6 months of his rule.
I sure would not be in big banks in the U.S. because they could take a real hit.
One thing going for Mexico--it does remain basically consistant and leftist.Oso - 8-8-2005 at 07:30 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Neal Johns
Gringos as old as Neal ?
Good thing I don't read the Political Forum, Oso!
Well, you just did, Aridologist Emeritus!Dave - 8-8-2005 at 08:18 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Baja Bernie
Wouldn't surprise me if Obrador wins that he will re-nationalize the banks and most of the other stuff the government auctioned off (except those
things taken over by the top Mexican family's)within the first 6 months of his rule.
Bernie, If Obrador wins he will be in the same pickle as Fox, only worse. No mandate, no power base. Even the Zapatistas won't follow him. He
couldn't nationalize a taco stand.
And those "top Mexican families", they run the country, not the politicians.
Dave
Baja Bernie - 8-10-2005 at 07:44 AM
You mean sorta like here in the United States. Take a close look at the Federal Reserve and who runs this private corporation. One of the guys
(Volker) is now hanging folks at the UN and they do need hanging--but I would prefer someone like you to be doing the job.
I think that if he wins the PRI will, again, go for nationalizing a bunch of stuff--watch out Jesse.Dave - 8-10-2005 at 08:06 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Baja Bernie
I think that if he wins the PRI will, again, go for nationalizing a bunch of stuff--watch out Jesse.
I think you mean the PRD.
Anyway, Mexico elects presidents by popular vote. Obrador could lose every state but still win if most of Mexico City votes for him. Which means he
would govern as a populist with no political power to nationalize anything.
This discussion is purely academic. The PRI will regain the presidency. I'll wager serious money on it.
[Edited on 8-10-2005 by Dave]
Dave
Baja Bernie - 8-10-2005 at 09:30 AM
I agree, the votes have already been cast and the boxes only need to be taken from the warehouses.
