Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Peña Nieto's cowardice

It is eminently rational, as Gancho noted, that when you're the 20-point front runner who is moreover prone to disaster in unscripted situations, you might want to limit your appearances as much as you can.

But it is hardly courageous of you. It is cowardice, and it deprives citizens from their democratic right to know and question their candidates.

* Peña Nieto cancels participating in a debate at the radio show of Carmen Aristegui, even though he had, quite stunningly, just this Sunday proclaimed to be the candidate "most interested in contrasting ideas." The train wreck of a PAN candidate, Josefina Vázquez Mota, was hardly any more courageous: She would only participate if Peña Nieto did (!).

* Peña Nieto had just days earlier canceled a promised appearance at the Iberoamericana university planned for today. Don't want to risk any tough questions from those pesky students, do we!
* He also cancelled appearing at a second university, whose name escapes me right now.

All this bodes very ill for the man unfortunately very likely to become Mexico's president: Neither the inept PAN candidate trying to run away from 12 mediocre years in power, or AMLO, who far too late and at least six years late is trying to present a more conciliatory image, is likely to be able to catch up.

But it does not mean it is impossible, even with only 9 weeks left to go.