Mexican mayor's populism worries elite

[Say_What]

If Obrador wins the Mexican presidential election, it will be a big blow to the Bushistas. And then there's Chile--the front runner there, Michelle Bachelet, is also a socialist. This will be an interesting year for more LatAm integration and a bad year for TortureBoy and his war criminal cronies in Washington.

<clips>

MEXICO CITY -- Political, church and business elite are expressing concerns that Latin America's rising tide of charismatic leftists may soon sweep into Mexico.

The warnings are clearly aimed at Mexico City's free-spending mayor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who leads the polls for the 2006 presidential race.

''Here come the messiahs who offer the Earth and the sky . . . populists with magic recipes for everything,'' President Vicente Fox said recently. ''In the end, they are only cheating people and taking money away from hardworking people.''

But the mayor insists he's just focusing on ''social justice, helping the poor.''

''The little that is given to the poor, they always call that populism or paternalism, and the large amounts handed out to the rich, that's development and bailout programs. That's an old trick,'' Lopez Obrador said.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-mex27.html

[applegrove]

1. Populism happens in responce to bad government. The Elites

obviously got sold a bill of goods by some possy of manipulators "we can control the population with propaganda while you implement all your elite dreams".

Look for a growing populost movement the world over. In fact you can categorize all the countries in the world into three categories:

1) Democracies that are about to dumpt their leaders who supported Bush - or will refuse to elect anyone neocon (Britain, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Mexico).

2) Strongmen or elite run nations whose leaders are friends of Bush and whose people now want democracy and regime change

3) Poland

[ElectroPrincess]

7. Whew! I'm so glad that you didn't forget Poland. /eom

[Renew Deal]

2. It does seem that there are leftists making gains in Latin America

Venezuala, Uraguay (IIRC) and others. Has something changed or are poor people just tired of getting burned?

[arcos]

3. Another thread about it from last week...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1339777

[Judi Lynn]

4. There's a lot of heat around this mayor, isn't there?

A quick look around google turns up a host of VERY slanted articles attacking him already. Looks like he really has the rabid conservatives out to get him as soon as possible. They are even writing anti-Lopez Obrador articles for American readers, already.

It would seem they believe he can definitely beat their best candidates, if they are already trying to destroy his rep.

Wouldn't it be a shame if _Bush (America's Torture Fan)losdt his already broken-in and broken down Vicente Fox to do his bidding? It would be more than _Bush could take, having a President next door telling him to take a hike.



Maybe it's not too late for _Bush to learn he's got to get along, and actually use diplomacy and respect for others, WITHOUT trying to kill everyone who doesn't like his childish country kleptomania, and his murderous streak.

Buena Suerte a Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

[Say_What]

8. Mexico's El Universal today

has an article about how they might try to eliminate Obrador from the presidential race--but not without problems. The vote comes this week--something worth watching...

<clips>
Poltically polarized and lacking a clear national manifesto, the Institiutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) will decide this week on which way to vote concerning Mexico City Mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador's legal immunity.

It's a tricky situation for the party who once ruled the nation uninterruptedly for 71 years.

On the one hand, voting in favor of stripping the mayor's legal immunity would disbar López Obrador from contesting in the 2006 presidential elections, and thereby would eliminate (according to latest opinion polls) the favorite candidate from the race. The mayor carries the yellow colors of the opposition Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).

However, the consequences of isolating López Obrador from next year's elections could set off serious civil unrest and undermine Mexico's credibility as a democratic state, according to PRI Deputy Carlos Jiménez Macías.

"The upcoming vote has split the party in two," said Jiménez. "Both sides feel very strongly on the matter and it's become a very delicate issue within party circles."

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=9960&tabla=miami

[fob]

13. Didn't bush* run on getting a hemisphrectomy because Latin American

countries were all in the Western Hemisphere, way back in 1999? What ever happened to that? Seems like the only thing he's done to further that is to poach the Chilean SS crisis as a plan to implement here!

Oh wait, there was that Venezuelan Coup, threats to Cuba, Ignoring Haiti, bring back Orlando Bosch and John Negroponte, his remark about "blacks in Brazil?", and, well nevermind. I guess I DO know why LatAm is moving Left.


NOTE: Hemisphrectomy is used on purpose, it IS bush* we're talking about afterall.

[cire4]

5. It's the domino effect all over again....

First it was Venezuela
Then it was Uruguay
Now its Bolivia and Ecuador
Next it will be Mexico and Chile

I guess the people of Latin America are coming to the realization that the right-wing, corporate controlled, US-backed, "Presidents" have done more harm than good to their living situation...

[Say_What]

9. You forgot Brazil... LatAm's largest economy and Argentina... n/t

[Wright Patman]

6. Populism literally just means

"of the people" so it should naturally occur everywhere, especially in so-called "Christian" countries.

But I see no chance of it ever catching on here. Our "Christians" are actually the "prison bitches" of the corporate kleptocracy which will always rule America if they have to kill off the entire customer base to do so.

Our media throughout my lifetime has tried to associated the two terms "populist" and "demagogue" and has rained down opprobrium on anyone who is suspected of such leanings.

On the other hand, in a neat trick which could only happen in America, the same media has convinced the booboisie that they must vote GOP to take back America from the "elites." Unbelievable. Beam me up, as the "populist" Ohio Rep. James Traficante (now in the federal pen) liked to say in his one-minute speeches on C-SPAN.

[UncleSepp]

12. Booboisie? LOL!

*cleans coffee off monitor* Love it. Just love it.

[StaggerLee]

10. I would like to nominate for greatest

This is an important story concerning our neighbors to the south.

[Say_What]

11. Great--go for it... meanwhile a few days ago Chile

called for a more flexible OAS, whose presidential election is coming up in June in Fort Lauderdale. Predictably, the USSA is supporting RW Salvadoran, Francisco Flores.

<clips>

Chilean leader calls for more flexible OAS

Chile's socialist president has called for a radical overhaul of the Organisation of American States, saying the most important regional organisation in the Americas must be “faster, more responsive and more flexible”.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Ricardo Lagos also urged the US to develop more active diplomacy in the region.

His comments come just over a week before a fiercely contested election for the post of OAS secretary-general pits a Chilean frontrunner against a rival candidate backed by Washington. The OAS represents 34 states and traditionally has been close to Washington.

Chile's candidate, José Miguel Insulza, is backed by the bigger South American countries including Brazil, as well as some smaller Caribbean states whose numbers could determine the outcome.

The US, however, is supporting Francisco Flores, the rightwing former president of El Salvador, whose government was one of the few in the region to send troops to support the allied occupation of Iraq. Canada favours Luis Derbez, the Mexican foreign minister.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/e08dc7e6-9eff-11d9-82f0-00000e2511c8.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Long time LatAm DU readers :hi: tell me that Bogota's El Tiempo had an article recently that said that the Chilean right (i.e. Levin party) was so worried about Levin's chances that it was contemplating running a rightwing woman against Michelle and Alvear. She is the current mayor of Concepcion, a city in the south once known for its communist leanings. Her name is so Chilean (not), Jacqueline van Rysselberghe.
------------------
(Por eso en la Alianza por Chile no faltan las voces que reclaman que el candidato renuncie para dejarle el lugar a la alcaldesa de Concepción, Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, pues consideran que "una mujer podría arrebatarle el discurso tanto a Alvear como a Bachellet".)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like Obrador in Mexico, Michelle Bachelet is the front runner for president in Chile--an election that will guarantee ulcers for Uncle Sam.

[Trish1168]

14. I'm jealous. When do we get to worry our own elite?

We need to work hard to get people to realize they're drinking the kool aide!!

I hope Obrador wins!!!