Lopez-Obrador is my President
Main square in Mexico city during the presidential election protest July-August 2006.
I find it an interesting comment on indifference. The presidential election in Mexico last summer was a much contested one. The supposed winner Felipe Calderón won by 0.58 percentage points. Many Mexicans were upset & denounced it as fraudulent. But, unlike American Democrats, in Mexico being upset doesn’t mean being bitter & whining about injustice for 4 years. In Mexico it means heading to the streets, by the millions. It means setting up a tent city in the capitol for months. Neil and I were in Mexico City in August to see, the opposition candidate Manuel López Obrador, and his supporters organizing mass protests, marches, and civil disobedience. We made linoleum prints with the artists in the camps who were protesting full-time the evident fraud in their democracy.
“In our democracy, every vote is important!”
The campaign of the “Legitimate Government” continues today. López Obrador was in our city, San Cristobal, on Friday organzing and campaigning for himself as the rightful winner & what he calls the “Cabinet of Denounciation.” After his loss was officially declared in September his supporters proclaimed him the “Legitimate President.” López Obrador established a parallel government and shadow cabinet.
Rally of “Legitimate Government” supporters in San Cristobal.
It seems that in the US we are so removed from revolution. We are complacent. Hitting the streets to effect change is not even an option. Conversely, Mexico has held onto it’s history of revolutionary roots. I’m not sure if López Obrador is the true winner or not. It seems that no one will ever know. But, what impresses me is that individual Mexican citizens are still connected to politics. They vote. They believe in democracy & think that their votes are important. They think that who is in power at the top will effect them personally in their lives. To me, it is a refreshing contrast from the indifference of the average American eligible voter. ¡Viva Mexico!
June 13th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
you know, I think the reason people in the US are disconnected from politics is that they don’t feel affected by it. Bush’s approval rating is what, 32%? But no one’s marching on the street to get out of iraq or impeach the guy because, as much as we all dislike him, we don’t feel the effects of his policies. Long term I’m sure we will, when Social Security hits the fan, full disclosure about Abu-Ghraib and Guantamo are leaked, and you and I are paying off the national debt, but for now, everything’s just gravy. Our problems are hypothetical. Contrast that to Mexico, where the majority of the population has been living in the dirt for years. Their problems are more immediate.
I like your blog, Kate, even though I’m unused to calling you “Kate.” Isn’t Tom a thoughtful guy?