Barrales: Make a fuss, and ye shall receive

Here is an example of a practice I abhor but that seems to be ever more utilized these days:

Alejandra Barrales was just presented as a senator candidate for the left for Mexico City, by Marcelo Ebrard himself. Independent of Barrales' qualifications, this leaves me with a bad taste in the mouth.

Why? Because this is simply rewarding Barrales for not having been a democrat and accepted her loss in the poll that decided the left's mayor candidate for Mexico city 2012. She clearly, utterly lost the poll, but threw a fit about it, and according to some rumors even threatened a separate run on the PANAL label, refusing to accept the validity of the poll and insinuating, without offering any shred of evidence, that she was the victim of foul play. To make her shut up and prevent a break on the left, it now appears, she was simply awarded a senate seat - which I am far from certain she is particularly well prepared for.

In short: It pays to act not only like a stubborn child but even anti democratically and refuse to accept your loss, because the further you push your protests, the more likely it is you will be rewarded with a consolation price.

This is truly a logic of diminishing returns for political parties, as it will only encourage similar behavior in the future.

Watch live: Winner of poll to be left's Mexico City mayor candidate

Here's the live stream. Everything indicates it will be Miguel Mancera, after Alejandra Barrales cancelled her appearance and claimed "irregularities" in the poll to decide the left's candidate for Mexico city mayor 2012.

Ebrard, mano dura

Marcelo Ebrard is capable of showing quite a bit of resolve when needed: As we wait for the three polls that  will decide the left's candidate for mayor of Mexico City, Ebrard had forbidden any member of his government to make any declarations in favor or against any candidate, so as not to risk a fracture on the left.

It seems Tourism Minister Alejandro Rojas couldn't keep his mouth shut - he stupidly proclaimed that Miguel Mancera would be the candidate - and Ebrard promptly fired him.

Now that's what I call mano dura. Yet the damage may already be done: It may not be enough to keep Alejandra Barrales from expanding her protests, and possibly fracture the left.

Alejandra Barrales, for the nth time, says she wants to be mayor of Mexico City

Alejandra Barrales, apparently to the chagrin of Marcelo Ebrard, just the occasion of her second informe of her activities to express for the umpteenth time her "aspiration" to be mayor. Yes, we know - she has been expressing this for a long time. In my opinion, a far better, and much more qualified, candidate is Senator Carlos Navarrete. I'd love to see another woman as mayor (though certainly not another Rosario Robles), but I really don't see Barrales having done a whole lot that warrants her candidacy.

Alejandra Barrales declares her candidacy for Mexico City... of sorts.

Alejandra Barrales, the flight attendant-cum-leader of the legislative assembly in the federal district (ALDF), announced during her report on the activities of the ALDF that she had "an aspiration, an aspiration that many of those here share with me; you know very well, because you know me, that I will work incessantly to achieve this aspiration." While likely the entire crowd took the message to be her declaration for candidacy, she then meekly added, "my aspiration is that in this city we can guarantee the right of every citizen to happiness." If Barrales didn't have the guts to take it all out - the field for candidates is getting quite crowded already - consider it at the very least a feeler, from a very likely candidate who is moreover one of AMLO's favorites for the position as chief of Mexico City. 


Barrales, a member of the more radical Izquierda Social faction of the PRD,  has held a range of public positions, from secretary general of the union of airline attendants (ASSA) to federal deputy to secretary of tourism in Ebrard's government to president of the PRD in Mexico City to now head of the ALDF. She has hardly excelled in any of these positions.