Former Mexico City mayor gets presidential nomination of leftist party

[Judi Lynn]

September 20, 2005

Former Mexico City mayor gets presidential nomination of leftist party

MEXICO CITY Former Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been named the de-facto presidential nominee of Mexico's leftist Democratic Revolution Party.

That's after he ran unopposed in the P-R-D's presidential primary.

The charismatic and popular Lopez Obrador will be formally sworn in as the party's nominee sometime in November. But he apparently won't have access to the party's campaign funds until the swearing-in ceremony.

Lopez Obrador's only rival -- P-R-D founder Cuauhtemoc (koo-OW'-tay-mahk) Cardenas -- withdrew from the primary but has refused to rule out a possible run in the 2006 elections for a smaller party. Such a move would probably take votes away from Lopez Obrador.
(snip/)

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3871645&nav=1TjD

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. oh boy the fun will now begin

really begin

[sadiesworld]

2. He may want to befriend Hugo.

I think he's gonna need friends.

[Up2Late]

3. Why the HELL is it that, every time the media refers to a non-RW candidate

south of the Mexican border, they refer to them as a "Leftist." That's almost like if they referred to every RW, anti-regulation "free-market capitalist" as a Fascist!

They are Liberals DAMMIT. Just like us. Calling the Liberal Candidate a "leftist," Hell, they might as well call him a Communist for all that "leftist" implies.

[arcos]

4. Because he is leftist, he is NOT a liberal...

"Liberals" are right wing in most countries, the US is one of the few where the word "liberal" is left of center.

The Partido de la Revolución Democrática has always considered itself a left wing party, and the appropiate word to call his candidate is "leftist". If you ask around in Latin America (and Europe too), liberals are usually right wingers who support free market economies and privatization of public services.

[BayCityProgressive]

5. ha

sounds like liberals here too.

[arcos]

8. Sadly, you're right...

The US "center" is so far to the right, that "liberals" is what you have as center left.

[Up2Late]

15. So what would you say is the non (U.S.) Republican Definition of Liberal?

I mean, to them, anything even close to a centrist is a "liberal Left winger."

So what do you, and the rest of the world apparently, consider the actions of a Liberal Party?:shrug:

[arcos]

16. They're usually sort of moderate or libertarian leaning...

Like someone said on this thread, they're similar to New Labour in the UK, or the DLC, but with a libertarian bent. They usually are to the left on social and political issues... abortion, gay rights, separation and church and state, electoral reform, but to the right on economic issues: they support free trade, privatization and deregulation, etc.

There's even a Liberal International, made up of liberal parties around the world. They are mostly center right parties. http://www.liberal-international.org/

[burrowowl]

13. To paraphrase Gore Vidal:

America (U$ of A) has 2 count them 2 rightwings. And that is ALL, ALL! period (.).
Liberals in Europe or Mexico are center right tending to FAR RIGHT! Far right are most Dems, especially the DLC, and Extreme Far right are the Repukes: Corporate/Fascists ALL!

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. what you gave is a definiton for new labour who are

either slightly left of center, or just plain center...

Or a definition of the DLC.. but the Partido de la Revolucion Democratica is far to the left of any American Mainstream Party... and has always been there

[arcos]

9. Right...

They could be considered socialists by American standards, and the far right would certainly call them communists. And certainly "leftist" by any standard.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. He is leftist

In mexico he is known as a member of the Izquierda Mexicana, that means the Mexican Left, and they are far to the left of most American Democrats.

the center in the US is quite to the right of most countries and the political polarization in the US is actually quite narrow....

[NuttyFluffers]

18. y'know, i like your RW, anti-regulation, 'free-market' capitalist umbrella

fascist. fascist... has a nice ring to it.

yes, i think i will use it from now on. i think you might have started something here. fascist... fascist... yes, very good.

:7

[TroubleMan]

10. From all I've read about him, he seems to be a good guy, and will win.

His politics are like "Hugo Chavez-lite," not quite as good as Chavez is, but he's of the same political bent and demeanor. He's a guy the bushes will hate.

I think he's already way ahead in the polls.

[UpInArms]

11. I think Obrador is awesome and I hope for him to win the election

here's a link to some excerpt of the text of his speech before the Congress in April

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2005/4/7/18351/79942

excerpt:

Next it was López Obrador’s turn. He took the podium and commented to the gathered congressmen, beaming a smile: “You’re going to have to make a desafuero for attorney Vega Memije for violating the rules.”

Here are some excerpts from his speech...

And then he lashed into the speech of his political life, decrying “the falsehood of these charges… I have not violated the law… and it has never been my intention to cause damage or harm anyone.” He reviewed the facts of the case against him, the sloppiness of the attorney general’s office and a judge that issued an order on behalf of a supposed landowner who did not even own the 200 square meters to be used for a hospital access road, the fact that he never built the hospital road, and other irregularities in the accusations: “This case is plagued by falsehoods,” said the Mexico City governor and leading presidential aspirant for 2006. “I would ask you, where was the damage or the harm? We are speaking of 200 square meters of land there and an attempt to create a street to a hospital. The damage and the harm is being done by those who accuse me.”

“They don’t judge me for violating a law, but for the way I think and what that represents for the future of Mexico,” he said, launching into the political underpinnings of today’s proceedings. “There are two competing projects at stake: One on behalf of globalization, the other on behalf of the nation. They don’t like that I give support to the most humble and forgotten people and they don’t want that applied at a national level. This is what is at the core of the matter.”

He attacked “those who think they are masters of this country, the leaders of the PRI and the PAN parties, who want to sell our petroleum and electric industries, who have put our financial institutions into bankruptcy, who have created a nation plagued with inequality. They have delivered this country into the hands of the greediest minority. They want to tax food and medicines but they exempt their protectors from paying taxes. They have ruined the productive capacity of this country and obligated millions of Mexicans to go to the United States to earn a living.”

“They are afraid,” said López Obrador, “that the people will choose a true change. Theirs is a cowardly fear.”

“I accuse President Vicente Fox Quesada of dishonorable acts with the proposition of tying up the national institutions to fight a political battle,” he said, the accused turning prosecutor.

...more...

[Fountain79]

12. He's got an uphill battle

The PRI seems to be regaining ground from what I keep hearing from my family in Mexico. Which infuriates me. Even the PAN friendly state of Nuevo Leon elected a PRI governor several years back. The PRD at least from what I have seen appears to be very much the distant "third party" of Mexico.

[burrowowl]

14. Go Lopez Obrador, GO!

Viva Los Insurgentes de ahora!
A hell of a lot of people demostrated because Foxy-Bu$hy wanted to try him for a bogus charge to eleiminate him from elections! The ZOCALA overflowed!
The US of A America has to relearn taking to the streets!
Mexico is also a United States (Estados Unidos de Mexico, the U$ of A is reallly the only country that does not a real name.

[Fountain79]

17. POI

It's actually Estados Unidos Mexicanos. Very few Mexicans will draw their name from that and will just stick with Mexico. We are the United States of America and refer to ourselves as Americans. In my mind it makes about as much sense as referring to someone as Mexican.