WP: Kidnapping Mexican Democracy

[BrentWill4U]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/26/AR2006072601497_pf.html

Kidnapping Mexican Democracy

By Enrique Krauze
Thursday, July 27, 2006; A25

....

Most troubling of all is that López Obrador has called for demonstrations all over the country "in support of democracy" -- the same democracy whose institutions he has impugned. Even though he insists that the marches will be "peaceful" and "won't get out of hand," he knows very well that in the atmosphere he has created, violent actions might be initiated by either side. It isn't hard to gauge his intentions. He's made them very plain, and since he's a man of his word, he must be believed: "I'll go as far as the people want me to go."

Apparently, however, "the people" are not the 27,034,972 Mexicans of all classes who didn't vote for him; they're not even the 14,756,350 citizens who supported him at the polls. "The people," or "the nation," will be those sectors of the population that López Obrador is able to get out into the country's streets and plazas in coming days and weeks -- those who see him as he sees himself, as the Mexican messiah. And who will interpret the wishes of this "people," a repository of natural and divine law rather than of the petty laws written by men? The charismatic leader who incarnates Truth, Reason, History and Virtue, the leader who will save Mexico from oppression, inequality, injustice and poverty, who will "purify national life": Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

This is a film the world has seen many times. The seed of dictatorship has been planted. Impermeable to objective truth, a messiah who has proclaimed himself "indestructible" and publicly (and seriously) compared himself to Jesus, seeks to kidnap Mexican democracy. If the ransom he demands (strict obedience by the Federal Electoral Tribunal to his will) is not paid, he is prepared to set the country aflame.

But in a democracy (and Mexico today is a democracy, although its long history does much to contradict that) it isn't blazing torches, insurrectional assemblies or enlightened leaders who decide: It's the vote of the people, the rule of law and institutions.

Enrique Krauze is the author of "Mexico: Biography of Power" and editor of Letras Libres magazine. This article was translated from Spanish by Natasha Wimmer.

[blm]

1. Is this the view you support? You don't seem to say.

I personally don't trust any vote count where the exit polls are different from the vote tallies - there needs to be greater scrutiny, not less, just as it would be if the tally and the exit polls were reversed - BushInc would be all over demanding a recount or a revote.

[oc2002]

2. the whole op-ed piece is just trying to smear Obrador.

And is very poorly done at that. The quy wants a recount, that make him a criminal?

[patdem]

3. In the Ukraine it is called he Orange Revolution and PROVES democracy

works..in Mexico it is Kidnapping democracy? I call hypocrisy!

[BrentWill4U]

4. In the Ukraine..

You had an actual case of voter fraud where the guy who "lost" was poisoned. In Mexico, according to ALL outside observers, you had an orderly and fair election.

[bullimiami]

5. brent put down the cup of koolaid.

in the ukraine the us govt and its agencies and they media who serve it wanted to oust a pro-russian candidate.
was yushchenko poisoned? i dont know if he was or by whom.
what the election dirty? probably so. maybe on both sides.
the orange revolution was engineered by the cia, pro-american ngo's and the neocons.
it was not a spontaneous popular uprising like many have pretended it to be. there is ample evidence.

this same group has friends in mexico. they have meddled in that election and they dont care who got more votes, they dont want amlo and thats that. there is plenty of evidence of fraud. \
I dont know who ALL the outside observers you claim were but you might want to go back and do some reading because your contention and the facts are on a collision course.

bushco doesnt believe in democracy, they are a crime syndicate and support whoever plays ball. theocrat, fascist, dictator, elected or not.

[gula]

6. YES to all these points.

It always amazes me how stories such as the "spontaneous" orange revolution live on long after they have been proven false.

[bemildred]

7. There are qute a number of outside observers that think it was stolen. nt