Nutter wins Bolivia Election

[Cubby]

I have known about him since 2002. Here is a Wiki article for those of you who don't know about him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales

He is despised by the U.S. for opposing the Drug War.  A recent article (I can't remember if it was in the NY Times or online) said he is the frontrunner for the upcoming election, the third in 3 years I believe. In the 2002 one he came in second place.

Do you think he will be assassinated before the next Bolivian Election? Now that he has a chance at winning I am worried he will be because he has made public statements supporting nationalization of the oil and gas industries and he would be a leader somewhat in the mold of Hugo Chavez, but also like Nelson Mandela in that he'd be the first of Bolivia's oppressed natives to be President. He is seen as anti-American which historically is a dangerous position to take in South America.

As the post above shows, I've had a feeling for awhile that Evo might be seen as a serious threat by the Bush Administration. This would be due to his coca policies alone, if not that then any nationalization plans he might have.

Yay for Evo!!

Latin America's glorious left-wing trend continues! Hopefully Obrador extends it to Mexico next year.

[Cubby]

Latin America's glorious left-wing trend continues! Hopefully Obrador extends it to Mexico next year.

God forbid! Some of us actually live in Mexico!

AMLO is actually despised by the traditional Mexican left - he is a common PRI goon, who had a personality clash with the local party organization in Tabasco and decided that then newly-created PRD presented better opportunities. Despite his rants about the PRI, most of his closest aids were active in that party until quite recently. You can imagine the resentment of the traditional PRD types: it's not for nothing that the old man Cardenas makes sure that his whispered "endorsements" of AMLO sound as if they've been extracted under duress. In fact, PAN's Calderon, sensing a vulnerability here, has been sending not-too-subtle (and fairly successful, for a "rightwinger") feelers to some of the traditional PRD supporters.

In fact, he was anything but a leftist mayor of the capital city, unless you believe that freezing public transit projects in favor of highway construction is somehow "leftist".  His name is closely associated with exactly one major social program (a modest pension program for those over 70), which is dwarfed by the social programs introduced by the "rightist" panista federal government (housing subsidies for the poor, national insurance, etc.). Pretty much all other social handouts in the city have been very transparent wages: "you'd get this and that if and only if you are recorded as present at such and such rallies I organize".

The main problem with AMLO is not that he is leftist (I happen to know his Economics guru - he is well-educated and moderately competent, so I don't expect much of a change in this direction under him). The main problems are that he is a) horrendously corrupt, even by Mexican standards (though not for a personal gain - he is monkishly ascetic - but achieving political gains requires a lot of money, the result being that all his closest aides and their grandmothers have been implicated in nasty things left and right, though they keep their mouths shut about the boss) and b) probably, not entirely mentally healthy (he does exhibit a likely case of paranoia). Except for Obrador's personal ascetisism and paranoia , there is not much difference between him and PRI's Madrazo: both "twins" are ruthless old-time PRI goons from Tabasco. Both run on a de facto platform of "Corruption and Ruthlessness, masked as National-Socialism for Personal Benefit". If you care at all about Mexico, you wouldn't want any of them in power.

Well that dampened my enthusiasm. But if someone doesn't like Fox, and PRD/Obrador have the problems you mentioned, then isn't the only alternative the PRI? Just b/c someone doesn't like PAN doesn't mean they support the return of decades of corruption. Is PRD a good choice for liberals besides Obrador?