NY Times to Obrador: "Go Home, You Crazy Lefist!"

[davidbikman]

The New York Times, the Associated Press and Reuters have been gunning for Felipe Calderon, Mexico's rightist presidential candidate, with all the fervor of people with big things to protect. Declaring a winner even before Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute has certified the extremely close count (Calderon is said to have won by six-tenths of one percent, within the margin of error for a vote count of more than 41 million), the slurs against his opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, just keep coming and coming. Obrador, who has committed the apparently cardinal sin of promising "to shift government spending toward welfare programs and public works," is calling his supporters to the streets today, in what the media seem intent on characterizing as a threat to democracy and public order:

Mr. López Obrador's decision to hold a rally on Saturday suggested that the leftist candidate would use huge street demonstrations to put public pressure on the court to grant his request. He has a history of using marches to protest what he has considered fraudulent elections that did not go his way. He also used large demonstrations to beat back an attempt to knock him off the ballot with a legal challenge last year.

And another AP story warns that "he protests could mark a turning point in what has so far been a peaceful campaign to succeed Vicente Fox." Obrador is repeatedly described as a "leftist" while Calderon is "already looking presidential." Obrador has "refused to concede defeat," has "came in second," and is said to be using his "trump card" when he "appeals to the massesto help him overturn his narrow defeat."

None of the stories even bother to deny Obrador's claims of widespread election fraud, probably because anyone who knows anything about Mexican politics knows how likely it is, and also elide the fact that it is not to "the masses" to which he is requesting a recount, but the Federal Electoral Institute, which, again, has not declared a winner.

It bears repeating: as far as the government of Mexico is concerned, it does not yet have a new president, a fact deliberately and loudly ignored by the New York Times and the other news organizations hell bent on ensuring that Obrador returns to the bleeding-heart socialist ghetto from which he sprung.

* * Always Read More at Times/WaPo Watch * *

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. And I keep saying how funny it is

Lopez Obrador ain't a commie or a lefty.. he sprang from the PRI... but don't let history fool these folks. He is a moderate, with some major problems... that said, what did you expect?

In fact, this reminds me more and more of 1910 and Diaz versus Francisco I Madero... and we all know how that party ended... at least those of us who are studnets of history

[windy252]

2. k&r. Man, this is depressing. n/t

[acmavm]

3. The New York Times buried some pretty damning stories about the

bush** administration in order 'not to influence' the 2004 (and 2000) elections.

Calderon is the bush** administration's boy. They want him in. And they sent in Choice Point to ensure it.

This is why no matter what the NYT does from not until the day Hell freezes over I will always think of them as a worthless rag.

[mod mom]

13. Exactly, What did the NYT do after 2000 and 2004 elections?

They bear some responsibility for the monster they helped create.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

4. Sounds eerily reminiscent of comments that were made by

members of the corporate media in November and December of 2000 here in the "bastion of democracy". Some things never change.....

[EFerrari]

12. Yes! It always comes home. Our government has been practicing

in Nicaragua, El Salvdor, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Argentina, Venezuela.

Why would we think that practice would never come home?

[bullimiami]

5. virtually every story i see reeks of prejudice and cronyism.

tagging him as 'leftist', no acknowledgement of the irregularities, telling him to concede so he wont hurt his chances in the 2012 election.

we have read and heard it all before. Criminal governments rigging elections and crony media backing them.

[EFerrari]

11. "Crazy leftist" is the favorite tar used on candidates who don't have

corporate interests etched on their hearts.

It's ugly.

[burythehatchet]

6. Manufacturing Consent n./t

[The Witch]

7. He has a history of holding marches.

So the millions of people who show up aren't at all involved.

I think these people are actually so used to governing by the few that they consdier anything that actually gains public support to be manipulation. They look down on us unwashed masses THAT freaking much.

[Botany]

8. From RFK Jr.'s rolling stone article

The Washington Post immediately dismissed allegations of fraud as ''conspiracy theories,''(1) and The New York Times declared that ''there is no evidence of vote theft or errors on a large scale.''(2)

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen

The thugs that took power in the coup of 2000 understand that control of the press and manipulation
of the message is key to keeping their ill gotten power. And so we have choice point, fox news, and
planted stories in the "liberal press."

Who really thinks that a country with as many poor and working class people as Mexico would
vote for a rich conservative?

[autorank]

9. K&R. They can't go against orthodoxy. All elections that go "our" way

are fair and those that the left, as it were, wins are exceptions. There was no fraud in Mexico, oh sure, and there's no pollution in Los Angeles. Imagine a political leader using public demonstrations to make a point. Their example -

"He also used large demonstrations to beat back an attempt to knock him off the ballot with a legal challenge last year."

Well, he gained an equal share of votes at least, so I guess he had a point, now didn't he. This is more of the press pattern of simply saying the most illogical things and expecting us to buy it. If Obrador had to have demonstrations to get on the ballot, doesn't that show a rigged system.

The American press is part of the larger civil war in this society: fascist control and their bought-and-paid for minions versus everybody else. You see divisions within the same organization , media is no exception.

Excellent post.

[Kurovski]

10. K&R.

It never ends.

Corporate, imperialist fascism on the march. Or something like that. It's always there, and now it REALLY means business.

[EFerrari]

14. Forgive bad manners, david, and welcome to DU.

I'm glad you posted this. It inspired me to submit a piece to The Nation comparing the current state of our elections to an election that started a massacre in Central America. I hope no one in Mexico gets hurt over this.