Posted on 11/07/2008 7:40:06 AM PST by 3AngelaD
MEXICO CITY Following President-elect Barack Obama’s triumph in the U.S. elections, the Mexican government hopes to enter a new stage in the country’s relations with its northern neighbour. But it will be no easy task, especially considering that Obama has said he is interested in renegotiating NAFTA in order to improve its labour and environmental standards. He also voted for the 2006 Secure Fence Act...although since then he has softened his support for the barrier.
As soon as Obama’s victory was confirmed, Mexican President Felipe Calderón invited him to visit the country in the near future....the conservative Calderón also expressed his desire to begin a "new phase" of bilateral relations.
The election of the Democratic Party candidate opens up "new horizons" for Mexico, but a dose of realism is necessary, because any possible change "will come gradually and will take time," Graciela Pérez, a professor at the Autonomous Metropolitan University, told IPS.
Mexico is separated from the United States by a 3,200-kilometre border, and trade between the two countries amounts to more than one billion dollars a day...Some seven million undocumented Mexican immigrants live in the United States, and more and more make it into that country every day, despite the fence...
In Pérez’s view, Obama’s "sensible and straightforward" attitude could make it easier to bring about a change in U.S. relations with Mexico...relations have been distant and cold since Mexico refused to support the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq...There is also constant friction over the United States’ use of police force to persecute immigrants.
Pérez believes that Obama’s stance against NAFTA and his support of the border fence will be further tempered once he takes office, and that he could shift to "new formulas" through negotiations with the Mexican government...
On the issue of immigration, Obamaa called for keeping the U.S. border heavily secured and requiring employers who hire foreign workers to observe tougher enforcement laws. However, he also said such strong measures would be adopted in the framework of a "comprehensive immigration reform" that would also include "bringing 12 million unauthorised immigrants (the vast majority Mexican) out of the shadows..."
In other words he’d like to see beheadings in hometown USA.
FREE RAMOS AND COMPEAN!
If he sees “new horizons” for Mex/USA relations, they must be horizons where you don’t see a fence or any other barriers, legally, or otherwise. This new “optimism” can only be based on a more subservient American position in this whole issue.(Which, as you’ll remember, never even got a hearing in the Presidential debates, and never would be returned to, once the market meltdown happened./
CO, NV, NM all used to be red, but due to the Latino vote, have all become blue. They will become more blue every election cycle and more states will become more blue because of them. Demographics will likely be the end of the repub party.
I am so happy to see so many countries reaching out to us. It sure feels good! And with everyone loving us, there will be no more wars, so we don’t need any defense.
Add to that a chicken in every pot, a car full of gasoline in every garage of our free houses... how come we haven’t done this sooner?
I think we should all quit our jobs now that the government is going to take care of us all. What more could we ever want?
Here’s our hand - put money in it. :D
They already had eight years of having President Jorge Arbusto as their lapdog. Now they will have four years of having Barrack “El Terresito” Obama. Meanwhile our borders will still be wideopen.
ping
“”Persecution” of illegal immigrants!”
Shhhhh....now, you can’t call them that! They are ‘trusted travelers’
AMERICA - the gift that keeps giving!!!!!
I’d like to bring them out of the shadows and back into the bright light of Mexico!
Um, why the future tense?
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.