Posted on 06/13/2008 10:02:52 PM PDT by Niteflyr
WASHINGTON — Public opinion in Mexico has turned sharply against the United States over the past decade, and many in America's southern neighbor now hold strongly negative views of President Bush and the candidates vying to replace him, a public opinion survey released Thursday revealed.
A Pew Global Attitudes Survey of citizens in Mexico and 23 other countries found that 47 percent of Mexicans have a positive view of the United States, down from 68 percent a decade ago. Nearly half of that decline — 9 percentage points — came since last year, when an anti-immigrant backlash in America inflamed some residents of Mexico.
The survey did not attempt to question Mexicans about their motivations behind their beliefs, but the negative mood is clearly focused on American political leaders.
Just 16 percent of Mexicans have confidence in President Bush, a former border state governor who professes great affection for Mexico. Only 29 percent of Mexicans have confidence in Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, and 19 percent respond favorably to Republican contender John McCain.
"The cynicism about the United States runs pretty deeply" in Mexico, said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center. "They know us fairly well, and they probably have doubts."
The findings were part of a comprehensive survey of world attitudes on various political and economic topics. More than 24,000 people were interviewed on six continents.
While other nations' views of the U.S. soured after the Iraq invasion in 2003, the decline in Mexican support for America has come more recently, amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and a crackdown by the Bush administration on undocumented workers.
Among all the countries surveyed, Mexico was more skeptical of the two candidates for president than any outside the Muslim world. The only nations that were more dubious of Obama than Mexico were Pakistan (10 percent), Turkey (20 percent) and Jordan (22 percent).
Only Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia were more hostile to McCain.
Just 37 percent of Mexican citizens think that the new president will change U.S. foreign policy for the better, the survey said — one of the most pessimistic assessments in the world.
Dang!! My night in ruined. I am so disappointed (/sarc)
Good!
Now stay on your side of the border...comprende?
And is there some reason I should care what some Third World Toilet like Mexico thinks?
If they're so disappointed they can go back to their country of origin.
Oh, I get it -- they like our money however they don't like us!
Hasn't stopped them from flooding into this country tho has it? One would have thought that the sharp negative turn of Mexicans’ opinions of America woulds have led to lower illegal immigration. Instead in the past 10 years, we have had more illegal immigrants from Mexico than at any other time.
Sigh.
I guess they just dont like our objections to their over-running our country.We should just let’em in let’em in.Guess they will just have to dislike us more.Disheartening/s
As long as they view them from their side of the border.
Frankly, I couldn’t care less how Mexicans view us or our country!!
Darn! I didn't think so.
vaudine
You wouldn’t expect a favorable view of any GOP candidate but Obama’s negatives are interesting and even surprising.
Funny. They should be kneeling at the feet of Bush and McCain.
You'd sure think so....geez....
Maybe they want Geraldo to run for POTUS?
Now now Wikipedia lists Mexico as an upper middle income country .... probably because of the 14 odd billion remittances our mexican gardners, dishwashers, and vegtable pickers send back.
Mexico's economy would cave in on itself if it weren't for wire transfers from the US...and they think OUR economy depends on THEM...
If they consider us to be enemies, they should immediately build a 15 foot high block wall with no breaks from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and guard their border so no enemies from the north can get in. Just prudent action to protect Mexico's sovereignty, you know.
Are we supposed to give a sh*t or what? Do people in Houston really care about this?
Like the rest of the world, it all comes down to a matter of respect.
Our border is a sieve, our criminal justice system is a joke, and our politicians succumb to the slightest of pressure.
WE DON’T CARE! STAY HOME AND YOU WON’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEM!
Yeah...but that's another thread...:o)
How unfortunate that our neighbors to the south in the Nirvana that is Mexico view our leaders negatively.
Perhaps they should focus on their own leaders who milk the country out of billions of dollars, and at the end of their term in office, take off for Europe and live the life of Reilly ..... while their subjects, their meal ticket, try to survive in the cesspool that is today's Mexico.
Thousands of troops in Tijuana, trying to maintain law & order ... kidnappings, running gun battles, extortion, assassinations ... and they view OUR leaders negatively?????
The same people that chanted OSAMA, OSAMA at a soccer game against the USA?
Well, I know that this will come as a terrible shock to them, but I don't think too highly of them either!
Why don’t they channel some of that hostility at their own countries centuries of corrupt 3rd world leadership where it belongs, instead of always blaming their poverty and miserable existence on all us white yankee gringos up here. How the hell is anyone supposed to buy the argument that this is all because if they only had the southwest of the united states to call their own, everything would be awesome. NO it wouldn’t. It would be only a bigger 3rd world POS ruled by drug lords and criminals.
Its a frickin embarassment that they share a border with the most prosperous country on the planet, but they can’t get their @#$^ together. 40% of their economy is based on their nationalized oil company and another 40% is based on the billions people send back from working abroad.
Finally! Common ground!
Not to worry. As soon as the traitors in DC pass amnesty you can elect your own crooks! You won't need ours any more!
Yes that is the chant and yes that is how it would/may/will be....
No one with a right mind pays attention to those idiots. I wanted to say somthing stronger but I can't without breaking some rules.
And yet they are polled on the intricacies of foreign policy, and foreign politicians. And just to show how idiotic the pollsters are, they polled Mexicans asking about how American politicians will change American government policies to benefit Mexicans.
Lies, damn lies, and statistics.
If Mexicans don't like us they can solve the problem by staying in Mexico. It won't hurt my feelings.
Talk about ungrateful, Bush fought harder for the Mexican government and it's illegal aliens than any other domestic issue in his Presidency.
Ungrateful isn't strong enough to describe that sort of mindset...
Tough
What other domestic issue did Bush fight as hard for?
Well, I view Mexican leaders negatively. They’re in no position to criticize this country.
Take heart, FReepers. Only six more months of “our image in the world” polls.
How come nobody ever polls me to see what I think of foreign leaders, like Obama, and their countries?
Ingrates! You’d think they’d be happy the USA doesn’t shoot spies and enemy invaders anymore.
Well, about 95% of Americans think Mexico is a corrupt, lawless, sh*thole, so I guess were even.
Tax cuts.
LLS
This is a bad thing? If they don’t like us maybe they will stay home and quit starting fires in California!
G.W. & John McCain is the only one who actually gives a damn what the Mexicans think.
Personally I wouldn’t give you a leaky soccer ball for the whole country or its people.
And we don’t like your politicians either.
On the other hand, our pols and our senior police commanders, for the most part, can go about their business without having to worry about getting kidnapped, shot or blown up. I mean, as more than a theoretical consideration.
I agree with the Mexicans. Our leaders suck. (For, among other things, failing to build a fence to keep out illegal Mexicans.)
Oh, how distressing.
Meanwhile, Americans view the liars in the press negatively, even more negatively than Mexicans view American poloitical leaders. In fact, there’s talk of kicking so-called journalists into the gutter, and we can smell tar cooking up and chicken feather futures are rising in the market.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.