AMLO's farce in Mexico State: Yeidckol Polevnsky would decline for Encinas

While Alejandro Encinas has repeatedly denied the possibility of being the candidate of the left in Mexico State, for the very simple reason that he does not meet the residency requirement of actually having lived in the state for quite some time, he apparently is having a change of heart these days, following rumors of heavy pressure from AMLO given the postulation of Yeidckol Polevnsky as his candidate, which has led to a rebellion among AMLO´s own ranks. It is hard to see that this will succeed, and moreover, this also would depend on whether the PRD wants him as its candidate: As Jesús Ortega, head of the PRD, succinctly stated regarding the candidacies: "it is not a matter of appearances for worshipers;  it is a democratic decision of party members." In other words, even if Encinas should magically find out that he still is eligible, his nomination is still not a shoe-in

Even so: Consider this. Yeidckol Polevnsky just declared  she would not hesitate to decline and back his bid. So when AMLO's "she's the one" handpicked candidate declares that she would immediately decline should another, and better, candidate appear, what does that say about her candidacy?

I am hard pressed to think of a more stark admission of her sub par qualities as a candidate.

Mexico in a nutshell: Don't drink and drive, unless it's for a real party!

I'm on my way to Mexico for the holidays, and one article in today's Milenio on a common practicise during this season I think captures a slice of mexicanidad to the fullest. The use of alcoholometers is getting increasingly widespread, given the admittedly very real problem. Yet the Secretariat of Public Security announced that program would be temporarily suspended on two of the biggest drinking nights of the year, Dec. 25 or Jan. 1 - so yes, on the two nights when we are likely to see the most drinking and driving, the program has officially been declared suspended...  so happy holidays, and salud!

Madero backs alliance with PRD in Mexico State

Not a surprise, but now official: The newly elected national president of the Partido Acción Nacional, Gustavo Madero, declared he is fully supporting an alliance with the PRD in Mexico City to stop the PRI, noting that AMLO´s incessant attacks and campaigning against a PAN-PRD alliance "definitely favors the PRI."

I cannot see how one can argue against that.

A boost for Marcelo Ebrard: Best Mayor in the World award

Welcome news for Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard: The NGO City Mayors, following a long process of voting among a wide list of nominees, has announced that Ebrard finally received the award as Best Mayor in the World. The foundation characterized Ebrard as "a liberal reformer and pragmatist who has never shied away from challenging Mexico’s orthodoxy. He has championed women’s and minorities rights and has become an outspoken and internationally respected advocate on environmental issues."

This sounds to me just like what Mexico needs for president in 2012.

El Universal poll of preferences for president 2012

A poll for El Universal on presidential and party preferences can be found here.

Nothing surprising:

- Enrique Peña Nieto is far ahead when ranked against any other candidate, though he certainly does not hold a majority - from 39.4 to 41.7
- AMLO is still the candidate with highest name recognition, yet with a very high level of rejection from the electorate - indeed, the one of only two possible candidates for which the level of rejection surpasses that of  approval - 49.2 to 44.5 percent. The other? Juan Molinar Horcasitas, the hapless minister of communications, with 64.2 rejection to 23.6 approval

The PRD's "G-8" group: A gift to Enrique Peña Nieto that just keeps on giving

G-8 is the name of eight factions in the PRD adamantly opposed to the current leadership of Jesús Ortega and his social-democratic Nueva Izquierda faction, which together with his allies Alianza Democrática Nacional and Foro Nuevo Sol have majority control of the party. Yet this does not matter to the "radicals" of the G-8, who repeatedly has demonstrated an utter lack of ability or willingness to accept the results of  votes or elections that do not favor them, resorting instead to coercioan and outright physical aggression to get their will through.

Now, the G-8, which are ultra-loyal to Andrés Manuel López Obrador (though many for very pragmatic and opportunistic reasons), have declared they will not wait until March, when a new PRD leader will be elected, but will physically attack the PRD headquarters where Ortega's office is located, and moreover seek to have Ortega kicked out of the PRD altogether, and also to have the secretary general of the PRD, Hortensia Aragón, removed.

What is one to make of these tactics? They certainly reveal a segment of the party that is simply unwilling to accept any defeats, yet far to willing to resort to violence. They are profoundly anti-democratic at heart. Ortega refers to them as reminiscent of the brownshirts of Nazi Germany, and the comparison is sadly not far off.

The most important of the G-8 group is the infamous Izquierda Democrática Nacional (IDN), created by René Bejerano, who remains its leader though he himself was kicked out/renounced from the PRD after the dollar-stuffing scandals of 2004. Ortega has accused Bejarano of being behind the latest offensive, as well as other lopezobradoristas such as Gerardo Fernández Noroña, and Mario Di Costanzo, and notably Mexico State governor Enrique Peña Nieto.

What is clear is that Dolores Padierna wants to be become the next PRD president, which will surely doom the party given her abysmal public image. Moreover, given that Mexican voters are long fed up with the intolerance and violence of the more radical elements of the PRD-AMLO backers, and above all of the incessant infighting of the party, the current debacle will certainly have only one sure winner: Peña Nieto.

Guerrero gubernatorial elections: AMLO (conditionally) backs Ángel Aguirre

A highly significant event in Guerrero: The candidacy of Ángel Aguirre received a highly significant endorsement when Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who still attracts sizable support among the PRD mass base, came out backing the PRD-PT-Convergencia candidate - of sorts, at least.

Following what was euphemistically termed a "public vote" - the mechanism practiced by AMLO where he "asks," in a highly plebiscitarian fashion whether his supports backs his proposal, and where a sufficiently loud "Yes!" counts as affirmation, AMLO in a mass meeting in Guerrero state capital Chilpancingo said he would back Ángel Aguirre, if Aguirre signed on to AMLO's "Ten Basic Compromises," essentially extending the AMLO-era social programs when he was Mexico City mayor, to Guerrero.

This is very much a moot point: Marclo Ebrard, who has continued and developed much AMLO's programs and created a range of new ones, has already appeared with Aguirre where the candidate has promised to take Ebrards social programs to Guerrero. Moreover, Aguirre has also said he opposes the building of the La Parota dam, a huge hydroelectric power project, given the low compensation for people affected by the construction. AMLO's backing of Aguirre is as such "conditioned" on his continued rejection of this project. So why do it in the first place? Given that Aguirre is not running in coalition with the PAN - anathema to AMLO - there is no obvious reason why he wouldn't back Aguirre, yet to me the very public "I'll back you if you do this" declaration is principally meant as AMLO staking out "ownership" of Aguirre as "his" candidate as well.