PRI's scandal-ridden national president Humberto Moreira Valdés called openly for an alliance with the discredited SNTE teachers union and its "president-for-life" Elba Esther Gordillo.
Gordillo and her PANAL party might contribute 2-3 percent to the PRI's 2012 candidate.
Enrique Peña Nieto, to be sure, is also in favor.
So much, of course, for the "new PRI."
On a different note, yet another PRI elite calling for Moreira to step down as PRI president: Former Governor Miguel Alemán Velasco of Veracruz (the son of the former president), and still quite a big shot in the party.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
AMLO's faction in the PRD sabotages internal party election
As expected, things went very wrong in the PRD's internal election this weekend. The count was cancelled in five states - Mexico City, Chiapas, Zacatecas, Oaxaca and Veracruz - all key states for the party.
Having cried fraud for more than two weeks ahead of the contest, the discredited Dolores Padierna and her internal party faction IDN as expected managed to sabotage the election, and blamed Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard for the disturbances. In several states, thugs loyal to the IDN resorted to violence against its party opponents, such as in Durango, where the infamous Cecilio Campos led groups armed with lead pipes that attacked their fellow party members.
If there ever was a case of the pot calling the kettle black, this is it: IDN and Padierna actively tried to
derail the process in order to make Marcelo Ebrard look bad. It his hard to understand this logic of "destroying your own party to save it" from a rational point of view, but from that of the IDN, who support the bid of Ebrard's rival Andrés Manuel López Obrador to become the presidential candidate of the left, it makes perfect sense to make the PRD, now led primarily by the social-democratic Nueva Izquierda faction close to Ebrard, look bad.
The party will likely make another attempt next weekend to hold elections in the remaining states.
Having cried fraud for more than two weeks ahead of the contest, the discredited Dolores Padierna and her internal party faction IDN as expected managed to sabotage the election, and blamed Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard for the disturbances. In several states, thugs loyal to the IDN resorted to violence against its party opponents, such as in Durango, where the infamous Cecilio Campos led groups armed with lead pipes that attacked their fellow party members.
If there ever was a case of the pot calling the kettle black, this is it: IDN and Padierna actively tried to
derail the process in order to make Marcelo Ebrard look bad. It his hard to understand this logic of "destroying your own party to save it" from a rational point of view, but from that of the IDN, who support the bid of Ebrard's rival Andrés Manuel López Obrador to become the presidential candidate of the left, it makes perfect sense to make the PRD, now led primarily by the social-democratic Nueva Izquierda faction close to Ebrard, look bad.
The party will likely make another attempt next weekend to hold elections in the remaining states.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
PRD internal election tomorrow: Fearing the worst
The PRD had sought to postpone its internal elections - for its national congress, council, and state councils - until after the Michoacán elections, but following a complaint to Mexico's electoral tribunal by Carlos Sotelo, a PRD senator who seems intent on sabotaging his own party, the tribunal ordered the PRD to hold elections, to take place this Sunday.
Why I fear for the worst, a) The leader of the IDN faction, constantly involved in scandals, has persistently hurled accusations left and right, without offering not even the slightest of proof, that the elections will be fraudulent, including holding a "sit-in" encampment protest outside the PRD's buildings. Just what the party needs after for years trying to shed the bellicose, intransigent, aggressive image after the 2006 protests, which led it it having the highest disapproval/rejection rate of any party among Mexico's voters.
Why I hope for the best: At least the party's top executive leadership - its National Executive Committee- will not be elected. That should take away quite a bit from what its at stake. The party already has a president (of the social democratic left), and a secretary general (of the clientelist movement-inspired IDN), who continues its uneasy, schizophrenic cohabitación where the party is fundamentally divided over its future direction, including even whether to be a party at all, or a personalistic movement-party.
Why I fear for the worst b) Let's not forget that the PRD will also, likely in November, choose its 2012 presidential candidate. While this will be decided by a citizen poll, clearly having control of the party structure matters immensely.
Whatever one's ideology, the existence of a well-functioning and solid center-left party is of the absolute highest importance to the functioning of electoral democracy. Even those who wish the PRD the worst (and this assessment is often fueled by its constant internal wrangling and fights) should ask themselves the question: What if there was not a party like the PRD in Mexico to absorb and channel the demands for a leftwing agenda - how would these grievances be vented and expressed? It wouldn't be pretty.
Why I fear for the worst, a) The leader of the IDN faction, constantly involved in scandals, has persistently hurled accusations left and right, without offering not even the slightest of proof, that the elections will be fraudulent, including holding a "sit-in" encampment protest outside the PRD's buildings. Just what the party needs after for years trying to shed the bellicose, intransigent, aggressive image after the 2006 protests, which led it it having the highest disapproval/rejection rate of any party among Mexico's voters.
Why I hope for the best: At least the party's top executive leadership - its National Executive Committee- will not be elected. That should take away quite a bit from what its at stake. The party already has a president (of the social democratic left), and a secretary general (of the clientelist movement-inspired IDN), who continues its uneasy, schizophrenic cohabitación where the party is fundamentally divided over its future direction, including even whether to be a party at all, or a personalistic movement-party.
Why I fear for the worst b) Let's not forget that the PRD will also, likely in November, choose its 2012 presidential candidate. While this will be decided by a citizen poll, clearly having control of the party structure matters immensely.
Whatever one's ideology, the existence of a well-functioning and solid center-left party is of the absolute highest importance to the functioning of electoral democracy. Even those who wish the PRD the worst (and this assessment is often fueled by its constant internal wrangling and fights) should ask themselves the question: What if there was not a party like the PRD in Mexico to absorb and channel the demands for a leftwing agenda - how would these grievances be vented and expressed? It wouldn't be pretty.
Friday, October 21, 2011
A bit of gossip on a likely 2018 contender: Rafael Moreno Valle
From Templo Mayor, the political "gossip" column in the Reforma newspaper:
On a more serious note, here is a very critical Proceso article (open access) on Moreno Valle, pointing out his very strained relationship with the media - critical media, that is.
I am on of those who saw his election to Puebla governor a major qualitative leap forward, given the end of the PRI reign and specifically that of pederast/rapist-protector Mario Marín, a man I still dream of seeing thrown in prison if only Moreno Valle could summon the courage. Yet with antics like this, it is hard to have even the slightest amount of appreciation of the Puebla governor, who dreams of being PAN's 2018 candidate.
QUÉ QUISQUILLOSO resultó el poblano Rafael Moreno Valle. EN SU VISITA a Tehuacán dejó muy mala impresión entre los organizadores de la tradicional matanza de chivos. Y ES QUE el gobernador primero no quería bailar, pese a que es la tradición. Luego su equipo exigió que no le dieran fruta ni comida cruda y, además, les advirtió que no tenía pensado realizar el típico brindis a pico de botella. DIJERON que Moreno Valle sí probaría el famoso mole de caderas, que se prepara precisamente en esta fiesta, pero sólo sin jitomate. Y, PARA REMATAR, su gente preguntó si el chivo desprendía olores intensos, a lo que los matanceros contestaron que sí, que normalmente los chivos huelen... ¡a chivo! ENTONCES los colaboradores del mandatario solicitaron que le pusieran algo a los animales porque a Moreno Valle le disgusta el mal olor. Pues les hubiera dado una rociada de su perfume, caray.This is simply priceless.
On a more serious note, here is a very critical Proceso article (open access) on Moreno Valle, pointing out his very strained relationship with the media - critical media, that is.
I am on of those who saw his election to Puebla governor a major qualitative leap forward, given the end of the PRI reign and specifically that of pederast/rapist-protector Mario Marín, a man I still dream of seeing thrown in prison if only Moreno Valle could summon the courage. Yet with antics like this, it is hard to have even the slightest amount of appreciation of the Puebla governor, who dreams of being PAN's 2018 candidate.
Manlio Fabio Beltrones: NO to privatization of PEMEX
In what can be regarded a pretty direct reply to Enrique Peña Nieto's recent call for opening up the national oil company PEMEX to private capital, here is Manlio Fabio Beltrones, still a contender for PRI's 2012 nomination: It should develop, yes, but "without even a drop of oil passing into private and even less, foreign
hands"
The somewhat antiquated nationalistic bluster aside - nobody is suggesting selling off PEMEX, but rather opening up for private investments in areas where it has little capacity, such as deep-see non-horizontal drilling - it is notable that Beltrones chose to jump right on top of this one to distance himself from Peña Nieto. Will we really have a genuine fight over the 2012 PRI candidacy, or is Beltrones merely trying to extract a higher price for declining?
hands"
The somewhat antiquated nationalistic bluster aside - nobody is suggesting selling off PEMEX, but rather opening up for private investments in areas where it has little capacity, such as deep-see non-horizontal drilling - it is notable that Beltrones chose to jump right on top of this one to distance himself from Peña Nieto. Will we really have a genuine fight over the 2012 PRI candidacy, or is Beltrones merely trying to extract a higher price for declining?
Governor candidate debate held in Michoacán - no knock outs
The three candidates to be governor of Michoacán held their first and only debate yesterday. I haven't gone through full footage yet (available here), but it appears that none of the candidates landed any knock-out blow.
The most pathetic moment appears to be PRI's Fausto Vallejo Figueroa's comments that he is already thinking about what to ask the next president for (in his judgment, Enrique Peña Nieto) for, in other words launching a "vote for me because I'll be on better terms with the national president" argument.
It hardly inspires too much confidence in his own plans, which very vague and banal: "recover the well being," "reconciliation," and so forth
Luisa María Calderón, the president's sister, proposed fusing the state attorney general with the secretariat of public security, to create a unified Secretary of Justice.
Silvano Aureoles Conejo, of the PRD, proposed a secretariat of citizen participation, and to strengthen the state Auditor's office.
The most pathetic moment appears to be PRI's Fausto Vallejo Figueroa's comments that he is already thinking about what to ask the next president for (in his judgment, Enrique Peña Nieto) for, in other words launching a "vote for me because I'll be on better terms with the national president" argument.
It hardly inspires too much confidence in his own plans, which very vague and banal: "recover the well being," "reconciliation," and so forth
Luisa María Calderón, the president's sister, proposed fusing the state attorney general with the secretariat of public security, to create a unified Secretary of Justice.
Silvano Aureoles Conejo, of the PRD, proposed a secretariat of citizen participation, and to strengthen the state Auditor's office.
AMLO offers truce with Mexican media
Quite notably, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) met for almost an hour with the Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Radio y Televisión (CIRT), or the Mexican chamber of the TV and radio industry.
AMLO emphasized that he was not looking for revenge, only equitable treatment for the 2012 contest, and that he would not withdraw concessions or expropriate any media.
AMLO has had hostile relations with CIRT for years, and for good reasons: The media conglomerates were behind much 'swift-boat'-style propaganda in 2006, and have rallied behind Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI. Yet given that AMLO until very recently directly signaled CIRT as part of the "power mafia," the peace pipe proposal does ring a tad hollow.
AMLO emphasized that he was not looking for revenge, only equitable treatment for the 2012 contest, and that he would not withdraw concessions or expropriate any media.
AMLO has had hostile relations with CIRT for years, and for good reasons: The media conglomerates were behind much 'swift-boat'-style propaganda in 2006, and have rallied behind Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI. Yet given that AMLO until very recently directly signaled CIRT as part of the "power mafia," the peace pipe proposal does ring a tad hollow.
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