Monday, August 15, 2011

Gay wedding No. 1000 in Mexico City

Mexican national José Carlos Gómez and the Dutch Tjarda Olaf Helias became the 1000th gay couple to legally wed in Mexico City.

I don't know about yours, but neither one of those thousand has made my own marriage feel threatened in the slightest.

Mexico 2012 Poll Numbers

Be sure to check out El Universal's newest Buendía & Laredo poll on likely 2012 contenders here.

As expected, Enrique Peña Nieto way ahead, and wins every line-up, though at 48 percent he is down 4 percent from May.


AMLO´s World: A highly recommended interview

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) made an interview with La Jornada that I highly recommend to be read in it entirety. This is AMLO´s world, and AMLO at his worst:  Absolute no self-criticism for anything he has done; blaming everyone else for his problems; playing the victim beyond the point of absurdity; and a frightening authoritarian and Manichean view of politics, where those who don't agree with him are either, on the left, "traitors" for not obeying his commands, or, for everyone else, belonging to the "Power mafia."

Among the most inane statements: He launched his absurd "Legitimate presidency" because he knew that the PRD would "turn their back on us." After having incurred millions in fines for its encampments and demonstrations on behalf of AMLO throughout the summer and fall of 2006, the PRD finally realized they could not continue like this for the entire six-year presidency of Calderón.

Yet in AMLO's world, the fact that the party dared to disagree with his strategy and not follow every command of his, makes them "traitors." Now, following the growth of his MORENA movement, which in October will officially become a "Political Association," AMLO feels vindicated, and lets it show.

Why Silvano Aureoles and the PRD may win in Michoacán

Here are what seems to me to be two very important factors why Silvano Aureoles may still pull off a win in Michoacán in November: As opposed to in 2007, when only Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas campaigned for Leonel Godoy, Senator Aureoles is backed by AMLO and his Morena movement, as witnessed by their common appearance this Friday. Then, on Sunday Cárdenas as well appeared together with Aureoles.

Given the continued popularity of Cárdenas and AMLO with much of the party base, at the very least this will likely drive up turnout, and help Aureoles secure his victory in what will be in any event an extraordinary and quite likely tight race.