Before Captain Ed jumps in and achives a monopolist position on blogging coverage of another North American election, I thought I'd get my feet in the agua by linking to an opinion column by Mary Anastasia O'Grady (how's that for a name?)in today's WSJ on this summer's presidential race in Mexico. Old or New Mexico--Voters Will Choose in July:
In a Tuesday morning interview at his campaign headquarters in the south of this sprawling metropolis, National Action Party (PAN) presidential candidate Felipe Calderon explained to me his vision for Mexico's next six years. In a word it is all about "competition."
Contrast this with the campaign proposals of his main competitor, Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who wants to keep failed businesses from going bankrupt and to replace machines with people as a way to create jobs, and you've captured the essence of Mexico's 2006 presidential campaign.
With five months to go until the July election, the choice for voters is already crystal clear: traditional, authoritarian Latin populism or further progress toward modern, classical liberal democracy. It is a struggle that has been underway since the mid-1980s when Mexico first began to open its closed economy, but this campaign brings the 20-year debate into sharp focus.
So far, my sources inside Mexico haven't been able to provide any blockbuster information that could alter the course of the election. But there's still plenty of time for developments on that front. Given the political history of our southern neighbor, I gotta think there's a story or two out there on corruption, graft, and abuse of power.
Hasta la vista, Eddie.
No comments:
Post a Comment