Mexico conservative claims tight election win

[rmnunez]

The unanimous ruling by the 7 tribunal judges confirmed the presidential election was the closest in Mexico's history, with Calderon leading Lopez Obrador by only 0.56 percentage points. While the tribunal's decision cannot be appealed, Lopez Obrador, a popular former Mexico City mayor, has insisted he would continue to lead street protests against what he claims was massive fraud that robbed him of victory. In their ruling the judges did recognize there had been some irregularities in the electoral process but said they did not affect what was on the whole a free and fair election. Fox got rapped on the knuckles, with the judges saying he had threatened the integrity of the electoral process by showing public support for Calderon during campaigning. The post-election controversy, which has dominated political life in Mexico for two months, came to a boil Friday when 155 legislators from Lopez Obrador's Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) prevented Fox from delivering his annual state of the nation address at a joint session of Congress. Instead, Fox was forced to broadcast his speech on television. Lopez Obrador has demanded that the election be annulled and indicated he might form a parallel government. His supporters have rejected the idea of talks with Calderon. Since July 31, Lopez Obrador and his backers have staged a protest camp-in on Mexico City's central Zocalo Square and on a major thoroughfare, disrupting traffic and business. Business leaders associated with the PAN say the protest caused losses estimated at 364 million dollars and 5,000 jobs. Authorities in the PRD-run city have done nothing to dislodge the protesters, and on Monday, Fox rejected suggestions that he might use the army to remove them. An opinion poll out on Monday indicated 71% of Mexicans disapproved of Lopez Obrador's protests and civil disobedience, while just 23% supported them. Calderon, who will take office December 1, insists he won the vote fairly, and most international observers deemed the election free and fair. Calderon declared winner of Mexico's presidential vote

In a nutshell; there was undue influence from the incumbent, but not enough to make the elections void and most people think its time to move on.

[rmnunez]

Mexico's leftist presidential candidate Lopez Obrador said Wednesday that he will not recognize Felipe Calderon as president-elect. Send this page to a friend

Worse, the lefty loser's party plans to disrupt the swearing-in ceremony.

On the criticism from Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has described Calderon as a ‘spurious’ president and says that he (AMLO) will be proclaimed president in a special convention at the Zocalo on the 16th, Calderon reminded his opponent that “in Mexico the presidency is determined in free elections conducted under law and by the institutions”. To the PRD’s assertion they would not allow Calderon to take office as president, he merely indicated he would respect the views of all whether they were adverse or not. In his first interview after news of the Trife’s determination, Calderon said “It is clear to me it the collective will of all Mexicans and not the desire of a single party or some person, that determines who shall govern the nation. Thus I will take office December 1st and govern for all Mexicans.” México, D.F.

Yes, these popular conventions in encampments are not the duly institutionalized and constitutionally legitimized procedure for presidential elections, the president is supposed to be the one who gets more votes in a national election. This was done and Calderon won.

[rmnunez]

AMLO rejected the Trife’s determination and he who “seeks to hold himself out as the president wihout being a legitimate and democratic representative”. He described Calderon’s designation as president-elect “an attempt against the constitution and democracy” finding “many Mexicans should resume popular sovereignty and abolish once and for all the corrupt and priviledged regime that rules the nation.” In a mass rally at the Zocalo, AMLO said “this decision we undertake with the conviction that, upon recovering sovereignty, the people will be free to choose what institutions they needed to protect their fundamental right.”

Like critical lefty’s elsewhere, AMLO perceives of some conspiracy which has seized control of the levers of power to manipulate things for their profit.

The Tabascan politician found “the magistrates at the Trife submitted themselves and lacked the dignity and courage to act like free men instead opting to validate the electoral fraud.” In this way, he said “the popular will and constitutional order were violated” and added that “both Calderon and the Trife both rejected a complete recount to deny him his legitimate victory.” He blamed this conduct on a “minority which has taken over the institutions and hold them hostage for its own benefit and to the detriment of the majority.” AMLO stated “I will never deal with the political mafia and white-collar criminals, I will never submit to the classists and racists.”

The lefty loser is ridiculous calling for some alternative government, the proper procedure is in an election, not by popular conventions.

Repeatedly AMLO said “to hell with the institutions” and reasserted his National Democratic Convention to be held September 16th, would form a legitimate government needed to re-establish the Republic and its constitutional order.” AMLO anticipated his adversaries’ “plan to legitmize the spurious president; trips abroad and recognition from foreign governments, then business and industry leaders will confirm their support and handkissing, likewise mass media will be subordinated and offer Calderon special interviews and broadcasts as they always have done.”

Unfortunately the whole city is made to suffer for the lefty loser’s intransigence:

He announced the civil resistance would continue and told people not to gripe as he assured followers “our adversary will have a hard time coopting or buying support from his coalition’s leaders which are the true representatives of the people.” In the rain, AMLO said “his trategy to change the nation would start with a revolution of consciousness, of mentality, where there would be an atmosphere of dignity because this regime is rotten.” He emphasized nobody should beel bad because the ones who should feel shame are the ‘haves’, hipocrites who said they’d change the nation, but instead made poverty worse.” México, D.F.

[rcne]

Doesn't Obrador still control Mexico city? I can see where his conspiracy theorist supporters could drag this out for an extended period of time in such an urban center.

The election is over, verified and now official, time to move on with the transfer of power.

[rcne]

Calderon is holding out the olive branch, and I'm sure offering his opponent and opponents party incentives to let it go and find some type of unification in government. If Obrador keeps his unsubstantiated claims rhetoric, more and more of his supporters will drift from active support until he and a small group of his supporters are all that is left of his place in the party.

Mexico winner makes unity appeal Calderon said he wanted to use opposition proposals Governing party candidate Felipe Calderon has called for unity with his defeated rival, after being formally declared Mexico's president-elect. He said the country had to be united to defeat its real enemies - poverty, crime and unemployment. But his opponent Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost by less than 1%, alleged widespread fraud, and still refuses to accept defeat. Mr Calderon will take office on 1 December for a single six-year term. "I want to again express my recognition of my adversaries," said Mr Calderon in a televised address on Tuesday evening. "Their proposals, the most worthwhile ones, which are the most legitimate and representative, will be incorporated into my government programme.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Mexico winner makes unity appeal

[rmnunez]

Calderon's earliest call upon victory, was for national unity. I remember this seemed an exageration at the time, but he has repeated this again many times. He has invited the 'opposition', sought imput from the other 'also rans' has suggested an integrated cabinet with secretariats for rival contenders. AMLO's reaction from the outset has been one of complete intransigence, he will not talk to anyone outside his closely knit body of supporters and their imput appears minimal. AMLO has identified everyone involved in one way or another as part of this conspiracy against him; the electoral authority and its court, the foreign observers and those from political parties (including his own), the volunteers who staffed the polling stations, broadcasters in mass media, government functionaries, industrialists and bankers, plus, of course, Fox himself with the entire governmental apparatus -are all in a plot to deny the Mexican popular will.

AMLO does control the capital, or did. The PRD has ruled Mexico City since the PRI allowed elections a dozen years ago. Cuauhtemoc Cardenas the prior PRD presidential contender, whose election was also allegedly 'stolen' (though more credibly) was mayor first. AMLO won the municipal election in 2000 and stepped down to postulate his candidacy setting up his successor and securing municipal support for the effort. AMLO campaigned predominantly in the Capital where his lousy mayoralty fostered corruption and poverty and enhanced his constituency. Mexico City has higher levels of insecurity, poverty, illiteracy, corruption, drug use and crime than the rest of the country. In places where the PAN more easily prevailed, better local governments (usually from the PAN) have improved outlooks so "first the poor" (AMLO's campaign motto) isn't as imperiously popular. AMLO and the PRD foster the needs which make them popular.

[rmnunez]

Calderón, a 44-year-old lawyer from President Vicente Fox´s PAN party, plans to add 60 billion pesos (US$5.5 billion) of spending in his first year to broaden access to health care, housing subsidies and other handouts for the poor, Ernesto Cordero, who´s in charge of public policy in Calderón´s transition team, said in an interview. Those policies were more closely identified during the campaign with second-place finisher Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 52, whose challenges to the outcome of the July 2 vote resulted in Tuesday´s court ruling. Calderón´s move toward López Obrador´s causes means some of his own campaign initiatives, such as opening the state oil monopoly to private investment, may have to wait. "We have to be patient," Cordero said. "Calderon will have to incorporate themes of López Obrador´s platform because everyone is demanding it," said Soledad Loaeza, a political science professor at Colegio de México in Mexico City and author of a book on the history of Calderón´s party. The electoral court said Tuesday Calderón won by 233,831 of 41.6 million votes cast, or 0.6%. He takes office Dec. 1. The closest-ever election in Mexico was also the cleanest, according to international observers such as Robert Pastor at the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Election Management for American University. That assessment was all the more ironic given the chaos that resulted. López Obrador´s more than 200 claims of ballot stuffing and other fraud were thrown out by the court. Calderón adjudged winner by tribunal - El Universal - Mexico News

So Calderon calls for reconciliation, invites lefty losers to join his cabinet and incorporates priorities identified in AMLO’s campaign. Unfortunately the lefty loser remains intractable, he organized encampments along the main avenues of the capital, impugned the elections and then the election authority’s determination, brings claims against his own party’s observers, rejects the election court’s sentence, calls for some sort of popular constitutional convention, denounces all efforts by Calderon to engage his party’s leadership, stages demonstrations against the president in his state of the nation speech, has agitators hurl eggs and bottles at the magistrates confirming Calderon’s victory. They plan to demonstrate against Fox in the independence day celebrations and who knows how they are going to handle the military in the traditional parade which will wind its way through their encampments. On December 1st Calderon is supposed to get sworn-in and AMLO has promised to do everything within his means to prevent that.

[rmnunez]

The BBC says Calderon will have to walk a tightrope:

AMLO, as leader of the PRD, he has brought thousands of people out onto the capital's streets claiming he was robbed of the presidency by fraud. The potency of a long term Lopez Obrador opposition is hard to gauge. He has spoken of setting up his own government. It would not have executive power, of course. But, depending on its form, it could be a focal point for disgruntled Mexicans. It might try to disrupt successive Calderon initiatives, literally by blocking roads. Much of this could be dismissed as stunts, but if it goes on and gains traction with a frustrated public, then all the sniping could start to sap the confidence and energy of a new administration. To his credit, Mr Calderon has been shrewd enough to recognise the potential for trouble. That is why in the past few weeks he has subtly adapted his rhetoric. He speaks less now about privatising companies and opening up the country's oil industry and more about the social deficiencies ingrained in the country. Above all, he has promised to tackle the country's poverty which sees one-in-five Mexicans not eat properly through lack of money. Mr Lopez Obrador promised to put millions of Mexicans back to work with huge public works programmes building houses and railways. Mr Calderon has not gone that far down the road of social adjustment. But for the sake of peace and progress he may have to swallow hard and trim some of his more free market, conservative ambitions, whilst at the same time drag this habitually under-performing country into the brutal realities of a globalised world. BBC NEWS | Americas | Tightrope awaits Mexico's Calderon

I heard Calderon in an interview a couple of days ago and remember his comment to the effect Mexicans needed to realize their struggle isn't against each other rather than against the whole world in a competitive market.

He has extended olive branches to the lefty loser, seems willing to compromise. Definitely seems more engaged with the legislature, has suggested allocating cabinet posts depending on the number of supportive legislators the appointee offers.

The PAN alone cannot accomplish much in the legislature without support from other parties as they barely control a third of the seats, but if the lefty loser's remains as staunchly opposed to anything other than his own appointment its unlikely the PAN will accomplish anything with the PRD and instead will work with the PRI to bring about much-needed reforms.

[Nono]

Quote by: James K. Galbraith Felipe Calderón has been named president of Mexico, by a court, much as George Bush was named President of the United States, by a court. But did he win the election? We do not know. The court's decision does not establish this, any more than the Bush v Gore case established that Bush won his first election - which, as we now know, he did not. In both cases, the truth could have been known in time. But it was not. And that is because one side - in the legal struggle, the winning side - refused and resisted a full recount of the votes. In both cases, we can be sure that if plaintiff and defendant had been reversed, the decisions would have been unanimous the other way. If Bush had been for it and Gore against, the US supreme court would have voted 9-0 for a full recount in Florida. If Lopez Obrador had led the count by a minute fraction, and if it were Calderón charging irregularities and fraud, then the Mexican electoral court would have recounted all the votes.

Rest here: Out for the Count

[brien]

Quote by: rmnunez That's one way of seeing things Zee, but others differ. Many, some even here, have postulated Mexican development would help diminish massive migration. Whether Mexico developes and how, depends on who wins. Corruption is a serious problem and hampers adequate development, whether Mr. "Clean Hands" or the candidate promising to help the poor with massive public works projects is the next president will make a difference. My concern is that Calderon will ultimately be confirmed, Lopez Obrador will have exhausted recourse and then likely will stage demonstrations. In the capital, where he was mayor, he has a much higher following than nationwide and things will get tense. Lopez Obrador can actually seige the national government and with his buddy Ebrad as successor in City Hall this means municipal law enforcement will be held back and the Federales will have to use force. That will happen next week unless the lefty accepts his defeat and goes off to sulk with his famous predecessor Cuauhtemoc Cardenas (another PRD loser whose victory was allegedly "stolen").

I have silently followed the election results in Mexico but perhaps I have a jaded viewpoint because I think Mexico's government is as "crooked as a dog's hind leg." ( Not that the US is any different, it just isn't as openly crooked) I understand Obrador has vowed to form a street government if Claderon continues to insist upon his clear mandate in the voting process. My concern is that this will split Mexico into two factions, probably along leftist and underrclass lines as opposed to Capitalist and upper class lines, not unlike what happen in Cuba with Castro.

Mexico, imo, is a extremely rich country both in resources and culture that simply needs to conduct itself in a legal and fair manner that addresses the concerns of ALL of its people. There is absolutely no intelligent reason the people of Mexico can't become a respected world power. It seems to me they merely shoot themselves in the foot with regard to corruption in the Mexican society. If Calderon doesn't find a way to bring the Obrador suupporters into his camp, I think Mexico is in for a rough ride over the next decade in trying to figure out a national identity that includes all of its citizens.

My simple analysis is probably very cursory, but I see civil war brewing if Calderon doesn't work to reunite the country by including the supporters of Obrador in his government.

[rmnunez]

brien, though there is a lot of fairly open corruption in Mexico, this is diminishing. For over 70 years the same party controlled all levels of government. They designated and removed presidents, governors, mayors and members of the legislature. In this sort of setting patronage jobs filled the functionary ranks and political hacks had impunity to supplement their income with corrupt practices. After Fox got elected the PRI lost its exclusive control, with people from different rival parties monitoring things corrupt practices were reduced, especialy at higher levels. Fox and conservatives are strongly opposed to corruption and made erradicating this an early priority, but residual PRI-party influence, entrenched practices and politics in the legislature helped prevent as much progress as was sought. All sorts of institutions to protect against corrupt practices, special courts and prosecutors, enhanced criminal liability and campaigns to promote honesty among the citizenry are all helping to reduce the problem. But corruption is still much more commonplace in Mexico. The extensive history of single-party rule and its tolerance for such practices for decades has accustomed ordinary citizens to solve problems with the authorities through "mordidas".

AMLO does seek to foster a rich/poor clash and has campaigned on the notion there is a huge mass of disenfranchised and impoverished people unfairly deprived resources by corrupt rulers, but this is an old story that has a lot more to do with Fox's predecessors than with the conservative party. Though the elections did yield AMLO majorities in poorer places and Calderon prevailed in more affluent ones, it wasn't a very stark difference. In most polling stations the votes split close to the national average which would mean at most polling stations where Calderon prevailed (the more affluent places) he got just 2 or 3 more votes than AMLO, likewise for the lefty loser in polling stations where he won.

[rmnunez]

We nearly had a coup!
Apparently AMLO convened a meeting prior to the president’s state of the nation speech September 1st. The issue in discussion was whether AMLO would march to the legislature and address the assembly there. AMLO wanted to go and confront the president with about 35 thousand followers still encamped in the Zocalo. At a meeting with 15 of the top lefty loser politicos including PRD national leader Leonel Cota Montaño, Worker’s Party president Alberto Anaya, citizen network bosses Manuel Camacho Solís and Ricardo Monreal, election campaign coordinator Jesús Ortega Martínez, PRD spokesman Gerardo Fernández Noroña; PRD general secretary Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo and the PRD’s representative in the IFE Horacio Duarte Olivares, as well as Mexico City mayor-elect Marcelo Ebrard and former Mexican ambassador to the EU Porfirio Muñoz Ledo. By a vote of 8 to 7 it was decided not to march on the legislature, those opposed included Manuel Camacho, Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, Ricardo Monreal, Marcelo Ebrard and Jesús Ortega. They reasoned it was too risky for the marchers (the military had surrounded the legislature).

AMLO perdió votación; quería ir a San Lázaro - El Universal - Elecciones

[brien]

Quote by: rmnunez We nearly had a coup! Apparently AMLO convened a meeting prior to the president’s state of the nation speech September 1st. The issue in discussion was whether AMLO would march to the legislature and address the assembly there. AMLO wanted to go and confront the president with about 35 thousand followers still encamped in the Zocalo. At a meeting with 15 of the top lefty loser politicos including PRD national leader Leonel Cota Montaño, Worker’s Party president Alberto Anaya, citizen network bosses Manuel Camacho Solís and Ricardo Monreal, election campaign coordinator Jesús Ortega Martínez, PRD spokesman Gerardo Fernández Noroña; PRD general secretary Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo and the PRD’s representative in the IFE Horacio Duarte Olivares, as well as Mexico City mayor-elect Marcelo Ebrard and former Mexican ambassador to the EU Porfirio Muñoz Ledo. By a vote of 8 to 7 it was decided not to march on the legislature, those opposed included Manuel Camacho, Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, Ricardo Monreal, Marcelo Ebrard and Jesús Ortega. They reasoned it was too risky for the marchers (the military had surrounded the legislature). AMLO perdió votación; quería ir a San Lázaro - El Universal - Elecciones

I thought this was iminent because the socialists are so very disatisfied and threatened a "street government" if they aren't recognized as the winners of the election. It seems as though the situation is becomming increasing radicalized by the day. I think the situation is bad and getting worse because I see the socialists as almost being intractable in their demands.

[rmnunez]

The Zocalo as it now apprears, the National Palace would be to the right, municipal offices are behind the photographer.

The Zocalo encampment, in the background the National Palace decorated for the independence day event.

Reforma Avenue with its encampments.

[rmnunez]

AMLO is really upset the IFE plans to incinerate the ballots. “We maintain our call for a complete recount” he told his Zocalo assembly. The Tabascan said that although the elections were over, the only possibility of dialogue was with a complete recount. “We still have the opportunity, a citizen commission could be formed to undertake the recount” he said in his speech. “This is the only chance for an agreement with us, if not, they are dreaming if they think we will recognize a spurious government” he asserted.

When the IFE incinerates the ballots AMLO becomes effectively irrelevant. I also think there could be problems with secrecy in balloting implicated in recording, documenting, storing, scanning, microfiching or otherwising preserving the ballots.

AMLO reiterated his invitations to attend the National Democratic Convention to install the legitimate government”. He then solemly read from a parchment the awards in recognition Convention participants shall receive.

I wonder what the chit entitles its holder to, it looked liked something suitable for framing, nice ribon, I’ll see if I can find one online.

Tomorrow at 11 AMLO will establish his position regarding the events anticipated the 15th and 16th of September. Condena AMLO intención de quemar paquetes electorales - El Universal - Elecciones

I’ve already mentioned the grito. On the 15th, first Encinas will harangue the crowd and give an intempestuous yell from the back of the Zocalo to rally the crowd of lefty losers. After Presidential Security reaches the National Palace, installs appurtenances and escorts dignataries and other officials, the presidential entourage will arrive with Fox and greet those in attendance. Then the president steps out to the balcony to cheer Mexico. What will the mood below be like? If they hurl insults it might be unpleasant, but protocol calls for this and the president is celebrating his fairwell grito.

If Fox gets through the event unharmed and the crowd moderates, things will go well the next day for the parade, Popular Convention and AMLO’s proclamation with those awards. After the grito the military will finish taking down the encampments which could interfere with the parade. The perredistas will cooperate with the authorities and clear the necessary area, they will have front rows for the traditional parade.

On the 16th at about 9 AM the military squares off from the Zocalo along the perredista encampments along Reforma. The lefty losers and assorted hanger-ons will regroup, assess their losses and hurry to the Zocalo for AMLO’s Popular Convention which could gather as many as half a million in the main square. Here AMLO will be made president by popular acclaim. This will be the moment perredista politicos will show their mettle. But its just another stage in that calvary Mexico’s lefty loser is taking the country through.

While AMLO maintains resistance against the president-elect, differences in the heart of his party are becoming evident, El Pais reported. The Spanish daily said the PRD’s involvement in the recent ratification of legislation for congressional reform meant the party would engage the institutional structure and was a bad sign for the leftist López Obrador. Indication was made perredista legislators had begun working on legislative agreements with PAN and PRI colleagues. “Some legislators maintain these agreements don’t imply distancing from AMLO’s civil resistance movement, but the differences in the heart of the party are becoming evident” the periodical reported. In addition, the paper found another example of cracks in the PRD that Michoacan governor, Lázaro Cárdenas (son of the PRD’s founder), and Chiapan state governor Juan Sabines, also in the PRD, have recognized Calderón as the presidential successor. “Lázaro is the son of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, the PRD’s founder and moral leader, whose distancing from Lopez Obrador cannot be concealed” the daily said. Likewise it was reported with Convergencia’s socialdemocrats who’ve engaged the institutional aparatus and recognized Calderon but are still providing support for the encampments along Reforma, and though the Worker’s Party legislators haven’t reconized Calderon officially, they are working with the PAN and others in the new congress and with the executive. El Pais also reported the leftist coalition was considering dismantling encampments in the capital’s centre as supporters attendance had fallen and there were morale problems. The encampments provoked discussions among the parties where some found the political costs in holding out too high.

The Convention will improve AMLO’s numbers, but he’s not drawing earlier crowds. There are cracks in the Coalition, people are getting tired of this posturing, it’s a long haul to December 1st and campers haven't been working for about 40 days. Two weeks later what remains of the most hard-core and better supported lefty-losers and assorteds will take action to prevent Calderon’s swearing-in at the legislature on December 1st.

Mexican authour Jorge Volpi, in an editorial remarked how “among those of us who at some point sympathised with AMLO and his cause, amazement never ceases at the accumulated mistakes he has made the past few weeks.” He found “the former candidate is about to waste all his political capital” and said “Lopez Obrador, who has dedicated himself to defending the poor seems ready to sacrifice them.” “Even if we hypothesize he was, in his view, victim of a fraud, his confrontational strategy has taken him to a dead-end“ Volpi commented. In his opinion, “AMLO doesn’t want to lose the presidency as Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas did in fraudulent 1988 elections, and this is what has motivated his recent actions.” The authour said “he doesn’t want what is best for the country, nor in the interest of the most marginalized for which he has always fought, just not to become another Cuauhtémoc” he emphasized. Volpi insisted AMLO’s tactics were mistaken and he should reconsider his methods. He cannot continue to betray the 15 million who voted for him just to placate ghosts of Cardenas and resurrect Marcos.” The authour indicated how rather than in the Zocalo, through televised conferences López Obrador could better offer daily views on Calderon’s performance. La coalición de AMLO presenta fisuras: El País - El Universal - Elecciones

[rmnunez]

Lefty Loser Cedes Zocalo and Renews Convention Invitation

AMLO called on the masses gathered for his Assembly today to “celebrate the grito for Mexican independence at the capital’s Zocalo and anticipated they will allow the traditional military parade the following day as programmed by Defense.

An odd reference to archaic hacendados:

Regarding the events on September 15th, at night, the Tabascan politician indicated that “(in the Zocalo) we will celebrate that historical date which has a lot to do with what we are living today, not just for independence, but for justice, because Hidalgo did not agree with slavery, nor in the system which prevailed for landowners (hacendados).”

They will "step aside":

López Obrador proposed to the Assembly they celebrate in the Zocalo and “make room or step aside ("nos hacemos a un lado") so adequate preparations for the military parade can be undertaken, once this is over to return and concentrate in the Zocalo anew for the Democratic National Convention.”

The siege is over, encampments to be removed:

Admonishing the military:

"We will allow the Mexican armed forces carry out the military parade as programmed by Defence. We have said we are respecful of this institution fundamental to national sovereignty and its defense. However, I’ve also maintained the military must never be used to make up for definciencies in corrupt regimes nor to repress the people struggling for justice, peace and democracy", López Obrador stipulated. In this regard he added that, “the military institution is a branch of the government and their obligation is to defend all Mexicans, they cannot be disguised as police, any aggression from the Federal Police will be taken as an attack by the military upon the people. Let this be clear, and of course the EMP (Presidential Security) which is organized under Defence, is included.”

Three Obstacles to overcome:

Speaking at the Zocalo AMLO told the assembled crowds that “to achieve our goal of a new nation, we need to overcome 3 obstacles; not to fall to violence, not sell ourselves out and try and break through the media’s control of the flow of information.”

Avoiding attack:

Relating to that first obstacle, he said the movement needed to avoid attack, battery, assault, agression, harrassement (acoso) and maintain itself within the bounds of a peaceful civil resistance.

No sell-outs:

Relating to the second obstacle, he noted “there have been attempts to buy-out and co-opt members, I don’t think they can get a hold of them, most resist with determination and dignity.”

Media converage:

Relating to the third obstacle, he indicated some media refused to convey certain information. “Maybe it doesn’t help, but La Jornada and Monitor Radio have been the only ones disseminating daily these Assemblies and we don’t pay them, they see these events as news.”

Prognosticating attendance:

At the outset AMLO reiterated the goals they sought at the Convention and the anticipated attendance of half a million accredited delegates. http://www.jornada.unam.mx:8080/amlo...sfile-militar/

[Zeebadee]

Calderon, Obrador, who cares? What difference will it make to the U.S.? Not a damn bit. We are many years from a responsible Mexican nation that is willing and able to take care of their own. Mexico is a fairy tale nation, it's not a real country, It exists as it is only because it has been able to sluff it's poor off onto U.S. taxpayers, and at the same time, capitalizes on the money that these same poor send back to the mother state. Mexico is nothing more than a parasitic nation willing to send their own people into the gulag in order to reap the profits of that people's exploitation.

All of Nunez's posts of "progress" and "free elections" ring hollow when confronted with the simple fact that the Mexican government hasn't yet found a way to take responsibility for their own societies' social obligations. As long as Mexican politicians are willing and able to shift the burden of the social costs of a national economy onto someone else, I'll continue to say, "Mexican election? Yeah, well, whatever."

[rmnunez]

Maybe you can distill a more accurate economic picture of Mexico with some data; http://www.amcham.com.mx/ingles/noticias/index.php. If you are into macroeconomic indicators you will see Mexico’s are generally good, a bit lower than in the US, about haf to a third less than exhorbitant Chinese levels, higher than the Latin American average and better than any developing economy. I see Mexico’s economy at an intermediate juncture as its own market is fueling growth independently of US economic performance.

I don’t think improvements in the Mexican economy will have substantial impact on immigration. Today Mexicans who go to work in the US are paid on average 6 times more than they’d make in Mexico doing the same thing. It would take monumental economic improvements in Mexico. We’d need to see income rise to near US levels and this would require multiplying GDP by more than 10, before the attraction of earning 6 times as much loses its appeal. Maybe if there were a concerted effort in the US to pay undocumenteds less…