MALO again tries to ignore the people - Mexican Election Post #23

Tonight the President of the Republic was prevented from giving his annual state of the nation speech to the Congress. PRD legislators blocked the podium so he could not offer his remarks. That is disgraceful.

The president commented that the country needs "requires harmony, not anarchy" but the PRDistas have not conception of that kind of tactics to build a nation. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador doesn't care about the rule of law he cares about the rule of the messiah (who he thinks he is).

Jorge Zermeño, the president of the lower House of Congress asked his colleagues to “be respectful so the president can come to the tribunal and express verbally what he has put in writing. I am calling on legislators to understand the responsibility we have to receive the president of the republic,and to hold an event that has a long tradition in this country.”

Fox had planned to say "In a democratic Mexico, the engine of change is citizens' votes, not vetoing institutions." He is right. According to reports, police had expected a large crowd in the zocalo. But those crowds did not appear. Instead the PRD legislators stormed the podium. This is similar to what they did a few months ago in a related issue. But any independent analyst can see that the MALO tactics are wearing thin on the public. That truth needs to be kept in view.

In about two weeks the second opportunity for the president to address the nation comes with the grito - which is coincident with Independence Day (September 16). Ideally the president and the president elect will do two things. First, they will figure out an altenative venue where Mr. Fox can deliver his address where the thugs of the PRD will not be able to impede this important function. Perhaps the Olympic stadium would be a good venue. The message should be something to the effect that no one in the country has the ability to disrupt the important functions of the nation. He should also talk about the need for the country to work on common issues and problems. In the last several weeks (as noted in the election post #22) polls suggest that the Mexican people are growing increasingly tired of MALOs antics. The winners of the election need to work on that feeling.

Second, the president and the president elect need to be sure not to allow MALO to create martyrs. MALO does not care whether some of his supporters are killed because when you are a messiah it does not matter whether some of your supporters are hurt in the process. The left will try to raise the spectre of 1968, 1988, and 1994. 1968 was the massacre at Tlatelolco a future Mexican president wanted to assure that the 1968 Olympics would not be disrupted. Luis Echeverria was the minister of the interior and the willing supporter of the president. According to some stories at the time the minister moved armed troops into a small area and ended up killing and hurting hundreds of protesters. MALO would like the same kind of confrontation. Calderon and Fox need to think creatively about how to accentuate their rightful position and to continue to move the Mexican people against these kind of demogogic tactics.