Tired of grading student essays?
Tired of wasting lovely May mornings grading final papers when you should be playing fetch with your dog?
Let SAGrader do the dirty work for you.
Year: 2005
Remaining Fox reform agenda
As part of the meeting between PRD leaders and Secretary of State Creel, PRD leaders agreed to help push for an extraordinary legislative session, in part to address voting and judicial reform. How quickly the PAN’s allies change. A month ago, the PAN was working hand-in-hand with the PRI to desafero Lopez Obrador, Now, the PAN is working with the PRD to get more time to negotiate its legislative agenda.
Lest the PAN begin counting their chickens, the PRI has warned that the PAN needs the PRI to pass their legislative agenda. Since the PRI is stil the majority in Congress, they claim their votes will be necessary to get an extended session.
More fingerpointing and accusations following desafuero fallout
Shortly before his meeting with Lopez Obrador, Fox received a briefing from the Attorney General’s office on the case against AMLO.
In the meantime, the head of the Supreme Court says that the AMLO case will remain open as long as some of the interested parties have legal options. According to the article, since a reform in 1995 has allowed the Supreme Court to resolve disputes between the branches of government, the Court has resolved 761 disputes and 111 remain to be resolved.
In other news, some leaders of the PRI continue to criticize Fox’s decision in the desafuero case. A PRI senator even claims that Madrazo forced PRI Deputies to go along with the desafuero due to a behind-the-scenes political arrangement with former president Salinas. Bartlett has also been criticizing Madrazo for pressuring the Deputies. Some are saying that it was an abuse of Madrazo’s power as President of the PRI, and that he has a conflict of interest since he wants to be the party’s candidate.
Some think that Creel will be the PAN candidate and that Madrazo will be the PRI candidate. I wouldn’t put my money on Madrazo, yet. I think there are probably enough of his party unhappy with him to block his candidacy, but a small number of power brokers within the party may be able to impose him yet.
Traveled all the way to Los Pinos, and didn’t even get a picture
Yesterday afternoon, Lopez Obrador met with President Fox in the Mexican White House, Los Pinos. The meeting lasted less than 20 minutes, and there was no photo-op.
La Jornada serves up the usual reporting flair:
…la atmósfera era francamente surrealista. Amenazaba lluvia, se aparecieron los pescados, una señora se entercó en no mover su auto y éste quedó atrapado detrás de las vallas metálicas y, desde alguno de los juegos mecánicos de la Feria de Chapultepec, llegaba ininterrumpida y tétrica, la música de la película Halloween.
The atmosphere was frankly surreal. It threatened rain; fish appeared (4 guys dressed as fish to promote the consumption of more fish; a car was stuck in the crush of the crowd; and from the rollercoasters of Central Park, you could hear the music from the movie Halloween.
Image outside the Fox-AMLO meeting. Note the fish. From La Jornada.
Several old and young AMLO groupies were also in attendance.
Fox’s office made no official statement regarding the meeting, and Fox left immediately in helicopter for his home state for the weekend.
According to AMLO’s press conference after the meeting, he was pleased with the results. The topics they discussed? Importance of Fox’s desafuero decision, decline of crime in the DF, extension of the Seguro Popular to the DF, and an invitation for Fox to attend the inauguration of various public works in the DF in coming months. AMLO broached the subject of a national pact for clean elections i 2006, but Fox said there were already institutions in place to guarantee clean elections.
Negotiating a political pact
From left to right: Pablo Gómez Alvarez (Diputados, PRD), Guadalupe Acosta Naranjo (Sec. Gen, PRD), Leonel Cota Montaño (Pres. PRD), Santiago Creel Miranda (Sec. of State, PAN) y Jesús Ortega Martínez (Senado, PRD). Original photo in La Jornada.
Thanks to Brian, for the fast photoshop.
Yesterday, Secretary of State Creel (and wanna-be future Presidential candidate) met with leaders of the PRD to discuss the upcoming presidential elections. Fox and Lopez Obrador are probably meeting as I write this.
Historical re-enactment, Mexican style
Despite the hype in the U.S., Cinco de Mayo is one of the less celebrated national holidays in Mexico. Independence Day and the Day of the Revolution are considered more important.
But, to some Mexicans, the victory over the French on the Cinco de Mayo is worth re-enacting. Hundreds participated in the festivities today.
Cinco de Mayo re-enactment from El Universal
Fox, the Government of Change….of opinion
By El Licenciado, Garcí in El Financiero.
Fox’s campaign was the “Alliance for Change” and he calls his government, the “Government of Change.” TV ads and highway billboards promote government projects saying “El Gobierno de Cambio cumple”; the government of change fulfills its word.
Mexico has another change problem. As anyone who has visited knows, vendors, stores, and restaurants rarely have change. Want to buy a $.75 soda with a $5 bill? Want to pay for a $4 taxi ride with a $10 bill? You’re out of luck because everyone is out of change.
So my favorite joke when vendors or stores tell me that they don’t have change for my purchase is “Right. What Mexico lacks is change, right? In more ways than one, huh?” They seem to get a kick out of that, or they just humor the poor gringa.
The Economist on Mexico
The Economist has an update on AMLO in Mexico. The article mentions that now Lopez Obrador will need to run on a positive platform, rather than a martyr struggling against injustice. True, true.
The U.S./U.K. press has made a lot of noise about AMLO’s populist past. But something I read in the print edition of La Jornada rang truer for me. Someone recently asked AMLO about his political stance and he replied that his radical days were over: “Now I am a politician of the Center.” Here’s the link.
I’d say he’s still left of center, but at least he understands the need to moderate his position and rhetoric. Maybe he learned from Lula. Or maybe he realizes that moderating his position, promising not to punish opponents, and keeping a lid on the disatisfaction of his supporters are the factors that helped save his skin.
Pity link
Munger is worried about his place in the TTLB Ecosystem. Maybe this will help.
What happens now?
Yesterday, an announcement was made that they would not press charges against AMLO because the penalties are not clear in the law. However, some legal analysts believe the decision does not automatically close the case, nor does it automatically restore his mojo fuero.
Most troubling is the decision by the owners of the disputed property to pursue their case. Promoters international Santa Fe has 15 days from today to file another injunction, and their lawyers say that they will continue to pursue the case until the land is returned or they are paid its value. I suspect they will get their land or be paid off.
Lopez Obrador will remain the mayor of the DF until mid-June, when he will step down to begin his pre-campaign for the PRD nomination for President. In the meantime, he is calling for a national agreement or pact among all the political parties and actors that the 2006 elections will be free, fair, and transparent, including campaign finance. Fox has indicated that such an agreement is not necessary since Mexico has a strong independent electoral agency.
Here’s a brief timeline of the last year of desafuero events.
I hate to say that I told you so….
But, I told you so.
This afternoon, the Attorney General’s office dropped the charges against Lopez Obrador. Citing the argument used by AMLO’s lawyers, the AG’s office claimed the penalties for disobeying a court order are not clear, though they still hold him responsible for the conflict.
ALMO interpreted the decision as a victory for the people.
The owner of the disputed land still plans to sue to receive compensation for the appropriation.
Goody. Now, maybe I can get some interviews done.
Score 1 for Dr. Dion. I should really be paid to predict these things.
Fox and AMLO to meet face to face this Friday
According to Lopez Obrador, the change of heart by President Fox last week was not the result of some secret negotiation. They have yet to meet, but plan to do so this Friday. Lopez Obrador says that they should take advantage of the truce to be prudent and conciliatory.
According to Fox, the AMLO desafuero issue is resolved. The new AG will review the file and decide what to do. But, Fox maintains that last week’s announcement about the change in the AG’s office was necessary to ensure that the 2006 elections are considered open and democratic.
When Fox and AMLO meet on Friday, they will be alone, unlike earlier meetings where each brought political backup. Fox is trying to downplay the meeting, saying it will be just another work meeting to discuss policy, including public safety and the Seguro Popular.
Political doublespeak
In a press conference yesterday, Secretary of State Creel made clear that he does not intend to leave the cabinet, despite suggestions by the President’s spokesperson to the contrary. This exchange followed:
La Jornada: -Cuándo dice usted que los tiempos del gobierno sólo los fija el Presidente, ¿está descalificando al vocero de la Presidencia de la República?
Creel: -Por eso lo dije de esa manera, con toda intencionalidad, porque de esto solamente habla el Presidente de la República, y nadie más, en función de los tiempos al interior del gobierno.
“No, I’m not contradicting the President’s spokesman; I’m just saying something different.”
Come. on.
The good news is, however, that Creel will push for an extended legislative session. They were going to decide on an extraordinary session today. This is good because it means that many of the people that I want to interview will stay in town that much longer. It is all about me, and my research, after all.
Oh where, oh where has his fuero gone?
Yesterday (or day before yesterday), PRIista legislators were wondering how they could give Lopez Obrador his fuero back. This after PRI leader Enrique Jackson publicly said they should restore AMLO’s immunity.
As with most legal questions in Mexico (including mundane things like whether the prohibition against tinted windows applies to all cars in the DF or just those registered here), legal experts do not agree on when or how AMLO would recover his immunity. Some think he gets it back as soon as the AG’s office decides not to prosecute the Encino case; others think it will take an act of Congress.
Actors’ strike declared illegal; cast member of Los Simpson let go
According to an article in La Jornada, the Secretary of Labor has declared illegal a strike by actors who dub foreign television shows. One of the cast members of Los Simpson was fired after working for the agency for 15 years. The actor also dubbed roles on He-Man and Transformers.
Los Simpson are much beloved in Mexico, though little understood, I think. The voices are good, but very different from their English equivalents. I’ve actually been to a party where Mexicans debated whether Los Simpsons was better in English or Spanish.
New U.S. social security poll
Paul lists some interesting poll results at the Public Brewery.
It doesn’t surprise me that many are skeptical of Bush’s social security privatization. I have family members who are devout Republicans who disagree with the Shrub on this one.
Dangerous work, if you can get it
At a recent Congress, the Director of UNESCO highlighted increasing violence against reporters. In 2004-05, 70 have died.
Reporters without Borders cite the war on terror as the cause of many deaths. 51 by their count.
Updated 5/4: In a follow-up article, Colombia is the most dangerous country in the Americas for reporters. In Mexico, the national press is fairly secure, but regional and local reporters risk danger from drug cartels and mafiasos.
Presidential candidate nomination news
The election of the PRD’s 2006 candidate will be September 18. They also expanded the size of the CEN (governing body).
The PAN is also considering when they will elect their presidential candidate.
More about Sunday’s Labor Day activities
The independent labor unions rejected Fox’s proposed labor law revisions and privatization of the energy (petro & electricity) sector.
The official unions had their own ceremony.
In the official executive ceremony, workers and employers expressed support for Fox’s new stance on AMLO.
On Saturday, plans for a new teachers’ union in the D.F. were announced. The teachers plan to leave the SNTE, and would eventually like to form a Federation of independent teachers unions.