Given that Fabiola Alanís Sámano stepped down in order to compete for the PRD's gubernatorial candidacy, the state council of the PRD's Michoacán branch voted to elect national deputy Víctor Báez Ceja its new president. Báez represents the internal group Movimiento de Unidad Cardenista founded by Michoacán's current governor, Leonel Godoy, and was as such very much the "chosen one."
The outgoing president Fabiola Alanís Sámano is considered an ardent supporter of AMLO, but it is far from clear that she has the backing of Godoy to be his successor as governor.
Other strong candidates: Antonio Soto Sánchez, Enrique Bautista, and Raúl Morón Orozco. I personally could think of no better candidate than Antonio Soto.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Quote of the day from Xóchitl Gálvez
Xóchitl Gálvez, on tour in Mexico State to promote the PRD-PAN alliance:
"If Enrique Peña Nieto came to fuck me over when I was the candidate for governor in Hidalgo, then I am coming here to do the same: He can go fuck himself."
AMLO interview with La Jornada: It doesn't get clearer than this
La Jornada has an interview with Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) in today's newspaper, and I strongly recommend it to be read in its entirety, as it outlines in crystal clear terms AMLO's conception of politics and of how to bring about change in Mexico.
An excerpt, roughly translated:
Gradual improvement, reforming and proposing laws, searching for compromise with other parties - AMLO may reject it, but for any government on the planet worthy of being called a democracy, this is what the political process is all about.
An excerpt, roughly translated:
"We believe that the key is the transformation of the country. That it makes no sense to maintain the status quo. I argue that politics is about making history, and in a country like ours it is crucial to strive for true change. The reality is that Mexico is in the hands of a few, a mafia of power responsible for the current national tragedy; that there is, strictly speaking, no democracy, and that as long as one maintains this regime of domination will be no possibilities for the vast majority of Mexicans. There will be no justice, welfare, peace and tranquility for the country."
LJ: But the PRD leadership emphasizes that one has gained political space?
"The leaders of the 'left,' and I will put it in quotation marks, be it councilors, mayors, governors, legislators, they accommodate and for them it is a way of live. So as not to be too inconsiderate: It is also a political conception; they think that they can gradually improve the situation of the country."
"They assume the role of parliamentarians, present points of agreement, participate in commissions. They travel abroad and attend all the forums, although this implies yielding to the 30 mobsters who have seized all powers, who control the television and almost all media. And the PRI and PAN are using them according to what suits them."
Gradual improvement, reforming and proposing laws, searching for compromise with other parties - AMLO may reject it, but for any government on the planet worthy of being called a democracy, this is what the political process is all about.
Ignorance and Cowardice: Hugo Valdemar and the sorrow state of Mexican high clergy
Found guilty by the Federal Electoral Tribunal (IFE) in having broken Mexican law, Hugo Valdemar, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Mexico, said he would impugn IFE's resolution, yet in the process exposing himself again as an ignoramus and a coward.
* Ignorant, for demanding "complete freedom of expression," when the issue at stake is rather that Valdemar has repeatedly referred to the PRD as a "fascist" party and called on the faithful to vote against it.
* Cowardly, for on the one hand claiming freedom of expression, but in the next breath declare that IFE misread him and that he didn't really say the things IFE documented he had said.
What a pitifully sorrow intellectual and moral state of the high clergy of the Archdiocese of Mexico - Hugo Valdemar, and his boss and protector of pederasts, Norberto Rivera.
If only there were a Samuel Ruiz or Raúl Vera to take the place of these reactionaries, who make pope Ratzinger look like a liberal.
* Ignorant, for demanding "complete freedom of expression," when the issue at stake is rather that Valdemar has repeatedly referred to the PRD as a "fascist" party and called on the faithful to vote against it.
* Cowardly, for on the one hand claiming freedom of expression, but in the next breath declare that IFE misread him and that he didn't really say the things IFE documented he had said.
What a pitifully sorrow intellectual and moral state of the high clergy of the Archdiocese of Mexico - Hugo Valdemar, and his boss and protector of pederasts, Norberto Rivera.
If only there were a Samuel Ruiz or Raúl Vera to take the place of these reactionaries, who make pope Ratzinger look like a liberal.
More on Calderón's statment; Gustavo Madero bactracks
Regarding Calderón's statement that the party had to look for the best possible candidate for 2012, whether a member or not, I asked, does Calderón have a particular non-PAN candidate in mind?
Writing in today's El Universal Denise Maerker, who I find to be a very sensible journalist and columnist, ask very much the same question, and notably claims that Calderón's declaration was "not an innocent suggestion."
She list three possible reasons for Calderón's comment on 2012:
- He doesn't think PAN has any winning candidate
- He is thinking of a possible alliance with the PRD
- He is playing a game, trying to cover up who his real preferred candidate is
Note as well that PAN appears backtrack on its seeming endorsement of Calderóns comment/proposal; party president Gustavo Madero said that it is in any case "99.99 percent sure" that PAN's 2012 candidate will be a party member" (though former president Vicente Fox backs what Calderón appeared to suggest).
We'll see.
Writing in today's El Universal Denise Maerker, who I find to be a very sensible journalist and columnist, ask very much the same question, and notably claims that Calderón's declaration was "not an innocent suggestion."
She list three possible reasons for Calderón's comment on 2012:
- He doesn't think PAN has any winning candidate
- He is thinking of a possible alliance with the PRD
- He is playing a game, trying to cover up who his real preferred candidate is
Note as well that PAN appears backtrack on its seeming endorsement of Calderóns comment/proposal; party president Gustavo Madero said that it is in any case "99.99 percent sure" that PAN's 2012 candidate will be a party member" (though former president Vicente Fox backs what Calderón appeared to suggest).
We'll see.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Fewer christians, more cristianos in Mexico
The percentage of what Mexicans call cristianos, meaning everything from mainstream protestant christians to evangelicals and snake-charming pentecostals, is rising:
Twenty years ago, the percentage of non-catholic christians was 4.9; this figure has now risen to 7.6 percent, according to INEGI figures, apparently to the detriment of the catholics, who now make out 83.9 as compared to 89.7 in 1980. That is at least the gist in this interesting El Universal article on the subject: They are simply better at the recruitment of new followers (or invest more man power: There are now almost two non-catholic pastors for every catholic priest, or around 21,000 to 40,000, according to the interior ministry).
From what I gather, this development also applies to other countries in Latin America, particularly in Central America, though I have also anecdotal evidence from Argentina: When I was doing field work for my doctoral dissertation there, my ninety-something old neighbor in Barrio Norte (where I happened to live in an apartment that belonged to the Guevara family) for months insisted on 1) helping me clean my kitchen, although she had never set foot inside, and 2) talking about her evangelical church, which I occasionally endured as she would now and then keep my interest by throwing in a Che (whom she referred to as el asesino) anecdote.
Twenty years ago, the percentage of non-catholic christians was 4.9; this figure has now risen to 7.6 percent, according to INEGI figures, apparently to the detriment of the catholics, who now make out 83.9 as compared to 89.7 in 1980. That is at least the gist in this interesting El Universal article on the subject: They are simply better at the recruitment of new followers (or invest more man power: There are now almost two non-catholic pastors for every catholic priest, or around 21,000 to 40,000, according to the interior ministry).
From what I gather, this development also applies to other countries in Latin America, particularly in Central America, though I have also anecdotal evidence from Argentina: When I was doing field work for my doctoral dissertation there, my ninety-something old neighbor in Barrio Norte (where I happened to live in an apartment that belonged to the Guevara family) for months insisted on 1) helping me clean my kitchen, although she had never set foot inside, and 2) talking about her evangelical church, which I occasionally endured as she would now and then keep my interest by throwing in a Che (whom she referred to as el asesino) anecdote.
Calderón comment makes front pages: PAN open for non-party presidential candidate
It's quite a feat: Calderón made the front pages of La Jornada, Milenio, and El Universal today. The reason was this statement:
Yet notable it is, regardless of how one looks at it, in particular with Gustavo Madero, the PAN's national leader, soon thereafter declaring that he will push for the party to change its internal rules so as to "open it up to the citizenry."
After Ernesto Cordero basically shot himself in the foot with his idiotic recent comment on how-to-survive-on-6000-pesos, does Calderón have a particular non-PAN candidate in mind?
“From now on, I respectfully suggested that we all devote ourselves to see, in every electoral district, in every state, and in every elected office, who truly, a party member or not, can answert to the attribute of being the the best, because what is at stake is nothing less than the future of the country, and not only the future of the government of PAN."One should not jump to the conclusion that PAN has decided to go for a non-party presidential candidate for the 2012 contest, and the declaration was really made in the general context of Calderón giving the "go!" for the 2012 presidential context.
Yet notable it is, regardless of how one looks at it, in particular with Gustavo Madero, the PAN's national leader, soon thereafter declaring that he will push for the party to change its internal rules so as to "open it up to the citizenry."
After Ernesto Cordero basically shot himself in the foot with his idiotic recent comment on how-to-survive-on-6000-pesos, does Calderón have a particular non-PAN candidate in mind?
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