Supporters of Mexican leftist begin massing

MSNBC.com ^ | July 12, 2006 | Associated Press

[StJacques]

Presidential election protests will call for ballot-by-ballot recount

MONTERREY, Mexico - Supporters of leftist presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador headed to Mexico City on Wednesday, leaving mountain towns and sprawling industrial cities to demand a ballot-by-ballot recount.

Protesters gathered outside the country’s 300 electoral districts before heading to the capital, where a mass rally is planned for Sunday to denounce official results showing conservative Felipe Calderon as the apparent winner of the July 2 election.

Carrying signs that read “Vote by vote! No to electoral fraud!” and wearing yellow, the color of Lopez Obrador’s Democratic Revolution Party, dozens of the candidate’s most fervent supporters began a 60-mile walk from his home state of Tabasco.

The protesters, many of whom joined Lopez Obrador in 1995 during months of protests over his loss of the governor’s race in Tabasco state, will travel the last 370 miles of their journey to Mexico City by bus, organizers said.

Lopez Obrador has filed legal appeals challenging the nearly 244,000-vote advantage Calderon had after an official tally of the more than 41 million votes cast. His party has submitted dozens of boxes stuffed with videos, campaign propaganda and other alleged proof of election misconduct.

Throughout his political career, Lopez Obrador has used street protests to pressure the government and the courts. . . .

[StJacques]

The big story here will be the numbers and from what I read in the article, they do not look to be particularly big.

Lopez Obrador and the PRD are going to try to pull off an illusion. They are organizing a number of "protest marches" across the country that likely will only be very small in numbers attending, because his support is really only concentrated in and around Mexico City and the southern states, and announce to everyone that they are "marching to the capital" to converge in a scene of mass indignation with the government for its handling of the counting of the vote in the July 2 election.

However; what is really going on here is that Lopez Obrador and the PRD will be able to wield a lot of muscle in the Mexico City's Federal District and the adjoining state of "Mexico" (there is a state with the national name that surrounds the Federal District capital) and turn out their people there while announcing to the world that people have come "from all over Mexico" to show their indignation with the government. As I said, this is a game of illusion as this is presented to the outside world.

What is not an illusion is the way in which Lopez Obrador is trying to intimidate the federal electoral tribunal in Mexico to give him his vote recount and, I am sure we can all expect, that if he doesn't get a win there (he won't, the counting was fair and Calderon will win a recount) then he will seek to have the election "annulled" -- which is possible under Mexican law -- and the presidential vote held all over again.

And if Lopez Obrador and the Mexican left do not get what they want they are threatening to tear the whole country apart. In a press conference yesterday, Lopez Obrador would not commit himself to accepting the decision of the electoral court if things do not go his way. This could get really dangerous.

[dead]

How do you say "Sore Loserman" in Spanish?

[dead]

Hombre dolorido del perdedor!

[StJacques]

A Mexican post-election ping for you all.

I'm tracking this on the Mexican web sites and I'm not going to have time to translate anything before 5:00 p.m. Central, but look for a post from me later today that will summarize what is going on in the Mexican news sites, because there is a lot going on today. The PRI is denouncing Lopez Obrador and supporting Calderon's election, editorial opinion is clearly going against AMLO, and international opinion is also lining up against him.

But this guy is just so radical and so dangerous that all of that combined may not matter.

[princess leah]

a few gas bombs would break up the crowds!

[MOTR Newbie]

"El Goremano"

[Brilliant]

The violent leftwing revolution is beginning.

[StJacques]

"Hombre dolorido del perdedor!

Not bad dead. But you need that little inverted exclamation point up front of the sentence to finish it.

¡Hombre dolorido del perdedor!

:)

[LurkLongley]

Lopez Obrador!

[StJacques]

It very well could get ugly Brilliant. I hope not, but there are no moral checks on the conscience of the Left. The implications are disquieting to say the least.

[navyguy]

All hands standby for violent riots and pointless property destruction.

Ten... nine... eight...

[Mikey_1962]

Soy Un perdedor,
I am loser baby,
So why dontcha kill me!

-Beck

[wildcatf4f3]

"but we've got the Maxim gun"

[Brilliant]

I don't think it's going to change the result of their election. It might be a cross-roads for Mexico. It might teach them that the leftwing doesn't really want democracy.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

The left only embarrasses itself by trying to intimidate the federal electoral tribunal. If gives us a window into the kind of President Obrador would be. If the congress failed to pass his agenda, would he use intimidation as Hugo Chavez has done in Venezuela? If Mexico is truly a republic, it will not bend to the masses (that happen to be in the minority). Mexico has had several revolutions, and most of them did little to help the country, except for independence from Spain and later from the French. They don't need another one.

[taillightchaser]

Can't be much of a rally since most of them are in the U.S.A. getting free educations and medical care.

[Truth29]

Could this be the lead up to a coup attempt?

[CFC__VRWC]

But this guy is just so radical and so dangerous that all of that combined may not matter.

I wonder how many buses and planes full of ANSWER and MoveOn "activists" are making their way to Mexico City right about now? And which one will Cindy Sheehan be on?

[StJacques]

"Could this be the lead up to a coup attempt?"

The Mexican Army, such as it is, will not side with Lopez Obrador. They take their orders from the civilian government. Ever since the Mexican Revolution of 1911 the Mexican Army has been greatly reduced as a factor in Mexican political life and they do not resemble the influential players that the military has been in countries like El Salvador, Chile, Argentina, Peru, etc.

This could be the lead up to true chaos however. I'm not kidding about that. I still think the forces of order will prevail but this is a pressure cooker on the fire right now.

[kesg]

Thanks for these updates.

[mjolnir]

Do you think ObraGore's actions will (or already have) cut him out of having any voice in the new administration like Calderon had promised?

[StJacques]

"Do you think ObraGore's actions will (or already have) cut him out of having any voice in the new administration like Calderon had promised?"

I haven't seen any statement from Calderon or the PAN to that effect, but it would seem that yes, Lopez Obrador's political future is over if he doesn't get the presidency, which is another way of saying it is over.

[BunnySlippers]

I think the only thing that will happen is that more and more people will see that Obrador is a cry baby (just like Gore, BTW).

I don't see anything major.

[NYC Republican]

How do you say "Sore Loserman" in Spanish?

LOL!!!

[Dead Dog]

Pinochet new what to do with massing commies.

[Junior]

Great. What's it going to be like when we have a state like Venezuela or Cuba right next door?

[BunnySlippers]

1,000 lawyers ...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aHl9DO3Jz_Ho

The court said in a statement it received notice yesterday Lopez Obrador presented challenges in 225 out of 300 electoral districts and Calderon is challenging 129 districts.

The National Action Party submitted challenges calling for the annulment of about 500 polling places as a defense against Lopez Obrador's court case, Nava, who's heading up a team of about a 1,000 lawyers working on the challenges, said in a news conference last night.

Calderon's grounds for the annulments ranged from polling stations being installed in the wrong place to the alleged illegal substitution of voting station workers, Nava said.

[cherry]

"The violent leftwing revolution is beginning"

well, two things.....one, it could cement all the other people against the leftist or, OTOH, we might find ourselves building that wall on the Rio Grande faster than we thought....

[StJacques]

Oh my goodness, it's getting worse!

Evidently Lopez Obrador's PRD organization in the Mexican state of Tabasco has kidnapped a PAN official. PAN has gone befor the PGR (General Procurator of the Republic) demanding that they take action against the PRD to secure his release. They are describing this as "violence" by the PRD and they are holding AMLO responsible.

This is in Spanish at:

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/361904.html

This is one step short of revolutionary violence on the part of Lopez Obrador and the PRD. If they kill the PAN official things may just spin out of control.

I'm still a little too busy to stop and translate, but I may get some free time in about an hour to put up an early update. I'll keep you all posted.

[headsonpikes]

Hombre dolorido del perdedor!

Hombre pendejo for short.

[MattinNJ]

Aye. Franco too. Kill 'em dead.

Cuba had a Franco/Pinochet but he died during the Bay of Pigs with JFK's knife in his back. Castro and Che' were quaking in their boots until it became evident the US Carriers would not launch.

For all those about to flame me for supporting Pinochet and Franco, I would like to point out that the alternative is Castro. Easy call.

[mjolnir]

You have got to be kidding! They really are showing their true colors.

At least it's out in the open... I wonder if any of his supporters are having second thoughts about the jackass they voted for?

[sgtbono2002]

I was wondering if Al Gore was coaching the loser.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Carumba! Get on those refrieds and make it a party.

[California Patriot]

This is no joke.

[RasterMaster]

"Supporters of Mexican leftist begin massing"

Target rich environment!

[MEGoody]

And if Lopez Obrador and the Mexican left do not get what they want they are threatening to tear the whole country apart.

Which wouldn't be difficult. Mexico is falling apart as it is.

[chilepepper]

besides, the Mexican Army is to busy running drugs into the Southern US...

the most important thing i've seen in this thread is the suggestion that PRI is siding with PAN against Lopez Obrador. they are the king maker in all of this, methinks... AMLO will get nowhere if wasn't able to bring PRI over to his side.

[Kitten Festival]

The Mexican bloggers are beating the crap out of Obragore, photoshopping him for a loser, making him look like a clown, wrecking his site, it's the funniest thing you ever saw! See the fun they are having at this pathetic leftist fool's expense on this link here.

[monkeywrench]

Kidnapping! Geesh...Thanks for the update. Appreciate all you do. :)

[StJacques]

In fact, the PRI has had several of its Governors and other newly-elected officials call upon Lopez Obrador to drop his election challenge and the PRI is also purging some of its own leaders for assisting in the organizing of Lopez Obrador's demonstration this past Sunday.

If you can read Spanish the purge is explained at this link.

[chilepepper]

gracias for the link -- very interesting.

[Jeff Chandler]

Supporters of Mexican leftist begin massing

Like grunion ready to spawn?

[California Patriot]

Excellent.

[WOSG]

The real question is the response of the Mexican people.

Obrador only got 35% of the vote, Calderon a little bit more. Most mexicans are probably going to want Obrador to STFU and move on.

Depending on how they behave, and depending on the PRI approach, this could go a long way to destroying the PRD. I hope. There is no need for a recount. The vote was honest and the margin was not close at all. So this is just about the frantic left discrediting an election they dont like.
Nuts.

If I were Calderon, I would be calling the PRI and working towards a PRI/PAN alliance that freezes PRD out of the Govt, letting PRD know that they are blowing it.

[hispanarepublicana]

Wait a sec......the liberal party in Tabasco has kidnapped an official of the conservative party on THIS CONTINENT and it isn't/wasn't in BREAKING NEWS?

[livius]

On top of that, according to the El Universal article, he was kidnapped by a mob led by Obragore's brother and the local PRD candidate!

[livius]

It doesn't matter how few people show up. The press (with very few exceptions) is going to make it look like all of Mexico turned out.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

This is no joke.

Perhaps not.
But princess leah's comment "...a few gas bombs would break up the crowds!" certainly is.
That is what I was responding to.

[ApplegateRanch]

The Mexican Army, such as it is, will not side with Lopez Obrador. They take their orders from the civilian government. Ever since the Mexican Revolution of 1911 the Mexican Army has been greatly reduced as a factor in Mexican political life and they do not resemble the influential players that the military has been in countries like El Salvador, Chile, Argentina, Peru, etc.

That accounts for the army, but which side are the drug cartels & cops on?