Mexico's Moment of Truth

Washington Post ^ | August 16, 2006 | Washington Post

[StJacques]

Will a fair vote stand?

IN THE 6 1/2 weeks since he narrowly lost Mexico's presidential election, Andrés Manuel López Obrador has turned the nation's politics into a public spectacle. A fiery populist with a messianic streak, Mr. López Obrador has led thousands of his supporters to pitch tent cities in downtown Mexico City, occupying the Zocalo, its main square, and a two-mile stretch of the Paseo De La Reforma, one of its major boulevards. He has denounced the election as a fraud and the product of a vast conspiracy, without furnishing even remotely convincing proof. Now, after a partial recount has apparently failed to yield any significant shift in his favor, he threatens to paralyze Mexico with a campaign of civil disobedience "for years, if that is what circumstances warrant. . . ."

[StJacques]

I loved the following from the last paragraph of the editorial ". . . One hopeful sign [that Mexico may overcome this crisis] is that lately Mr. López Obrador's crowds have dwindled in the streets of Mexico City. That may mean that even his partisans have begun to recognize that Mexico's continuing progress toward democracy is more important than one man's unbridled ambition."

We'll see. I have found a very good editorial in La Crónica de Hoy I want to translate for the board, but I'm going to be a little busy with work this afternoon and I may not get to post it until around 6 or 7 p.m. But look for it around then.

[theDentist]

You think he'd have learned from Al Gore's lesson...

[StJacques]

A Mex-Elex ping for you all.

As I mentioned in my "Comments" section above, I am hoping to get enough free time to translate a really nice editorial I found in the Mexico City newspaper La Crónica de Hoy, but I won't be able to get around to that until much later this afternoon.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

I guess every country has to put up with its democrats!!

[JimSEA]

Andrés Manuel López Obrador . . . [a] fiery populist with a messianic streak

Isn't it about time for Hugo to weigh in on this election. The last revolution was one of the bloodiest in history with the campesinos being the ultimate losers.

[roaddog727]

"You think he'd have learned from Al Gore's lesson..."

He did. Hence his continued denial of the truth to the detriment of all involved.

[GeronL]

we can wait. I think. =o)

[xcamel]

No mention that with Felix now under arrest (MX #1 drug lord) that ObraGore has lost his biggest funding source....

[epluribus_2]

The Left has such a massive cognitive failure when faced with the reality that a majority of good, well-meaning, intelligent, people may not like socialism and might even be conservative. Brain burn followed by endless in-denial protests...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Hugo probably knows if he opens his mouth, its the kiss of death for Obrador.

[rovenstinez]

This afternoon the Coalition for the Welfare of All People is deciding to move from passive resistance to open disobedience.

[GeronL]

It could lead to an armed clash between federal and local-state authorities.

[StJacques]

Hugo Chavez is directly associated with Lopez Obrador's campaign. Earlier this year the Mexican government expelled Venezuelan Ambassador Vladimir Villegas, who has been described as "a known guerrilla inciter," and who effectively became a Chavez political organizer working in Mexico for Lopez Obrador. Funding is also an issue and that has been more difficult to prove, but Lopez Obrador's campaign has been investigated by the Procurator General of the Republic for receiving money from Venezuelan sources.

[StJacques]

I just found that on the El Universal web site. There are only minutes at a time when I'm free to come here and/or read up on the situation, but I'm going to wait for the aftermath of that debate to see if I can post a conclusion to it. That really is dangerous talk in the Zocalo today.

And if anyone can read Spanish there is a very short article on this discussion -- on possibly moving from "passive civil resistance" to "open disobedience" -- publicly taking place among Lopez Obrador supporters today in Mexico City at:

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/369173.html

  

[Sashasasha]

Sounds like the usual sore loser lefties to me.

[kidd]

Thanks for the translations. I've only been able to follow this through your work. There is almost no word of this (except this article) from the American MSM.

[StJacques]

Thank you kidd. If it's alright with you, I'll put you on the ping list for those translations I post.

[kidd]

Yes, please add me to your ping list.

[A CA Guy]

Didn't the communist challenger state "MEYAMO ES MUD"?

[vpintheak]

Proof? Like leftist pukes need it! If they tried to find proof they would see that communism has always failed in every way except making people miserable. And socialism is the seductive half step towards communism.

[bboop]

Plz add me to your list. What I read seemed to be -- we will do civil disobedience/ not paying taxes, if ... what? There is not a recount?

[JimSEA]

Thanks, now I understand a lot more.

[A CA Guy]

He's a communist, which makes him a very liberal democrat by our standards.

[mexmish]

Would you give us the link to the La Crónica article for those who read Spanish?

[StJacques]

Ok, you're on the ping list.

The PRD spokesman said that one of the options for "civil disobedience" they are considering -- he did not describe others -- is a refusal to pay taxes, which he justified saying "in our case it would be civil disobedience, businessmen who do it call it 'fiscal evasion'." And the implied, but not stated, solution is to hold the nationwide hand recount of all ballots of the presidential election, though almost everyone understands that is not going to happen now.

[StJacques]

"Would you give us the link to the La Crónica article for those who read Spanish?"

http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=256347

  

[GeronL]

wow. what a mess. If this gets violent there will a massive movement north.

[Shuttle Shucker]

If ObraGore's followers agreed to avoid LEECHING off of taxpayers in exchange for getting to avoid paying [their miniscule share of] taxes, wouldn't the rest of the country be far better off? I mean ObraGore's the one who has pushed this "new" social security for the elderly idea on Mexico, for example.

[Toddsterpatriot]

If this gets violent there will a massive movement north.

How would we notice?