Attack brands Mexican candidate ‘a Chávez’

[Judi Lynn]

Attack brands Mexican candidate ‘a Chávez’
By Adam Thomson in Mexico City
Published: April 24 2006 17:58 | Last updated: April 24 2006 17:58

A top aide of Felipe Calderón, Mexico’s centre-right presidential candidate, has launched a ferocious attack on Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the leftwing front-runner, as part of a campaign to associate him with economic chaos and a disdain for democratic institutions.

“It is not clear that he is convinced of the need to maintain economic stability of the country,” Ernesto Cordero, Mr Calderón’s chief economic adviser, told the FT. “There is a lot of evidence to suggest that Lopez Obrador is not a Lula but a Chávez,” he added, referring to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, and Hugo Chávez, the radical Venezuelan president.

With the first of two televised debates between the main candidates due on Tuesday – Mr López Obrador has said he will only take part in the second debate scheduled for June 6 – Mr Calderón’s campaign organisers have vowed to keep up their attacks.

Mexico’s Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) has ordered them to withdraw one of their television commercials, which attempts to associate Mr López Obrador and his Democratic Revolution party (PRD), with Mr Chávez.
(snip/...)

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/9442a492-d3b0-11da-b2f3-0000779e2340.html

[Zorra]

1. If someone branded me a Chavez, I'd take that as a compliment

of the highest order.

Almost like if someone branded me a Jefferson.

Viva Lopez Obrador!

BTW, Calderon is a Bu*h supported fascist.

[bemildred]

6. Yeah, pretty stupid "attack". nt

[donsu]

17. me too, I'm rooting for Obrador

nt

[rman]

2. Yes, one more leader on the side of the people

What's that nonsense about economic stability? The economy of Venezuela is the fastest growing in the region, if not on the planet.

[gratuitous]

13. Searching for economic stability?

Chavez has bought back something like 75% of Venezuela's foreign-owned debt. Now the wealth that Venezuela generates will be used in the country for its own citizens instead of being funneled into the overstuffed pockets of a few. THAT's what scares the socks off the oligarchy, a more equitable distribution of wealth.

[Stockholm]

3. Childish behaviour

Then what is Calderón - Bush light?

Then someone is a nazi and then someone is an anti-semite etc. etc.

[xchrom]

4. ooooh! take that you, you CHAVEZ!

:eyes:

[GeorgeGist]

5. And of course as all Mexican immigrants will tell you...

Mexico is a such bastion of economic stability that they just couldn't afford to stay.

[Bridget Burke]

7. Here's a Mexican demonstration for Lopez Obrador...

His enemies set up politically motivated charges against him. Thousands protested to support him & the case was dropped:



The "he's like Chavez" campaign was actually started a few weeks ago. I don't think that upsets the Mexican people. Last I heard, he was the front-runner. Let's hope there's no replay of the 1988 election, when the Presidency was stolen from an earlier PRD candidate.

[OKthatsIT]

11. I hope he wins...maybe we should send him money

He could be the answer to our 'border problem', you know

[1932]

8. IIRC, in one of his books, Richard Gott says that when people call Chavez

a Castro, they don't understand that Castro is a hero to the poor and that it actually helps Chavez increase his popularity among the voting poor.

I hope that's what happens with Calderon calling Obrador a Chavez. I can imagine the IFE demanding that commerical withdrawn on the grounds that it was actually helping Obrador.

[IndianaGreen]

9. It is only a matter of time before Condi Rice warns Mexicans

on the perils of voting for Obrador.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. "Hugo Chávez, the radical Venezuelan president".....

...they never miss an opportunity to vilify Chavez, do they?

I'm surprises that the NeoCon propaganda machine hasn't attempted to connect Chavez with the "yellowcake to Iraq" story. Some on this board would probably believe it, too.

[fshrink]

12. Well, it could be way worse. They could get a bush. nt

[leesa]

14. Funny. Chavez has stabilized his country's economy for the first time

in decades and is basically the King of democracy having the vast support of his people and having been elected by large margins several times now.

[ronnie624]

15. Typical right-wing lies and distortions.

It's all they have. Who, after all, would vote for them if they spoke truth?

[PATRICK]

16. When slurs don't work

When the elite with pretensions of knowing what's best forget to lay the groundwork they can be very out of their element when thinking that branding someone with being like a populist hero who has survived the US imperialists and enriched his people with success just may not play well among the masses.

Weirdly in our country, our out of touch elites spare no effort to lay the groundwork of deception and
"branding" among a populace already disengaged from political reality. Yet I wager these same crafty foxes advise their latino compatriots to use the slurs without benefit of receptive ears. These same type of insulting fiascos doomed them in the early RW media years from ever having a legitimate plurality in the US. The best they have here is an extremely damaged public consciousness that enables the fraud they know is necessary. Yet they still really believe people should be convinced by their superior ideas.

In the US we just have a more swindled and disengaged majority with more bewildering levels of propaganda that succeeds more by insult itself than what the insults or reality actually mean. That level of absurdity is hard for another country to emulate. Those arrogant Bushies who seek to own the Latin airways are more concerned with the money than the art of lie warfare. The locals must settle for being blinder and simpler in their RW sneers and attacks, imitating their Yankee betters. As silly and terrible as it is, it is a breath of fresh air compared to the US media forums.

[radwriter0555]

18. Well, to those of us with intellect, being called a Chavez is a compliment

by all definitions!

I'd be very proud to be called a Chavez.