What will the "radicals" say? AMLO disowns own manifest

A rather surreal event on the campaign trail: AMLO's big manifest for his campaign is his Alternative Project for the Nation, which essentially functions as his campaign program though it is very broad and vague and essentially express desired goals rather than means how to achieve it. In any case, it is a much-touted program - it was launched in 2004, then updated and presented again just last year in a huge gathering at the National Auditorium. This was his personal manifest - it has nothing to do with the PRD and the left's own campaign platform, which is a considerably more detailed and concrete document.

Then this happens: AMLO was meeting with representatives from COPARMEX, or the powerful Mexican employers organization, in order to smooth things out (he's been meeting with business leaders at least since 2010, finally following the advice of the PRD, which asked him to do so in 2005). One of the businessmen complained against some of the criticism directed at them in the manifest.

AMLO's response: He said he didn't really write it, only the introduction (!). That is, he disowns the project he has been touting for the last seven years, saying someone else wrote it.

1) What does he really stand for, then?
2) What will his North Korea-praising "radical" allies of the Workers Party respond to this kowtowing to the business sectors?

Bartlett - he of the 1988 "fall of the system" - for Senate

PRD was founded on the back of the July 6, 1988 fraud. One man greatly responsible for the election outcome was Interior Secretary Manuel Bartlett, who then also doubled as head of the commission organizing the election (if there ever was a fitting fox-guarding-the-hen house analogy, that's the one). Now, however, in an irony of ironies - I really don't know how to express this - AMLO's Morena movement is putting forth Bartlett to head its senator formula from Puebla.

That's right. The man responsible for the 1988 fraud that soon gave birth to the PRD, will now run as its candidate.

Are there no limits to how opportunistic AMLO will be in order to draw in votes? One graphic from El Economista puts a humerous spin on it:

El Economista

It is not a wholly perfect joke, though: While Bartlett his here seen putting on a PRD banner, it is, as Senator Carlos Navarrete made it very clear, AMLO's Morena that is pushing Bartlett, not the PRD.

Navarrete also said he would not move a finger to help Bartlett. Nor would anyone with a modicum of dignity on the Mexican left.


More from El Universal.

AMLO like you ain't seen him yet

You may or may not know that AMLO is an avid baseball fan... and, as the picture from Milenio shows, he still plays the game when he can.

Milenio

Greg for Senate? Maybe not such a great idea

Gregorio "Greg" Sánchez,  has not been convicted of any crime. Yet given the opposition from his own party against his candidacy - he is on both the Senate PR list, as well as the Senate district candidate - PRD should look again at this candidacy.

- His successor as mayor of Benito Júarez, Julián Ricalde Magaña, recently warned against his candidacy, saying that he could be barred from running - like he was when he ran for governor in 2010 (and spent months in prison).

- Now the Quintana Roo PRD branch threatens a boycott should he be a candidate.

It seems that this time the national PRD should listen to its state party branch. Greg really seems to come with far too much baggage.

Mexico 2012, Poll of polls!

A big tip of the hat to The Economist, which has some very wise words on opinion polling in Mexico and constructive ideas on how to reward accurate pollsters here, and moreover offers a great link to readers: A poll of polls for Mexico, by ADN Político.

Check it out here.

AMLO rising in new poll numbers from Ipsos-Bimsa

From the polling company Ipsos-Bimsa:

"Calderón promises to respect the outcome of the U.S. election."

Imagine the headline, "Calderón to respect the outcome of the 2012 U.S. election," or perhaps better yet,  "Calderón  promises not to intervene in the 2012 U.S. election."

It reads quite strange - why on earth would anyone not recognize the election outcome in the United States? And why would Calderón feel obliged to say so?

But flip it around: "Biden offers not to intervene in the election," one actual headline referring to the recent meeting U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden had with Mexico's three presidential contenders.

Why does the latter headline read far less strange than the former?