Mexico 2012

[politicus]

Does Mexico have a second round between the two "top dogs", if no one gets over 50%?

[politicus]

What is La Maestra?
The teacher union?

Not "what", but "who". "La Maestra" is Elba Esther Gordillo, who is, as you guessed, the head of the teacher's union (SNTE).

And you dislike her because?

[politicus]

It's official. I'm supporting AMLO. Not that it matters, but I thought someone had to know it.

Well, just to make it equally clear I truly hate Pena Nieto, but if I see one more poll like this, and I vote for him. And, unlike you, I am a Mexican citizen )

Lopez Obrador is a classical Latin American national socialist type. In Europe, Mussolini has taken that part of the political spectrum to the right: the closest ideological cousin of Lopez Obrador in recent Europe would, probably, be somebody like Berlusconi.  Lopez Obrador represents the old "classical" PRI - the Lopez Portillo kind. And, like Lopez Portillo he has a megalomaniac idea of his own self, which makes him especially bad (ideologically, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas might not be that different, but he is a much nicer person, not given to delusions of personal grandeur). 

So Vazquez Mota is the only decent (or half decent) candidate?

[politicus]

Central America is not an issue in Mexico: they only remember of its existence when some central american migrants get massacred en route to the US. Other than treatment of migrants (and an occasional hot ambasador's private affair w/ a Mexican pol), nobody ever even remembers those countries exist (well, I don't know, it may be different in Chiapas, I am talking Mexico at large). There are all the requisite free-trade agreements and such, of course, and periodic summits, etc., but those countries are so small, in comparison, nobody, really, is fully aware, whether they are there, or not (well, of course, people tend to know they have soccer teams, as one has to play those to get the spot in the World Cup). Talking about Guatemala on the campaign trail (again, outside of Chiapas) is, probably, as essential, as talking about gaelic football or a mosquito infestation somewhere in Africa: nobody cares.

The countries are small individually, but the regions total population is about 1/3 of Mexicos, so it seems odd that you totally disregard them.