Yoshie wrote:
Obrador won't be as good as Evo, let alone Chavez, but he sounds like he might _possibly_ be to the left of Lula, and even if he is about the same as Lula, the country he may get to run is MEXICO, right next to the US of A, so he and his voters are worthy of our support.
I don't find these comparisons meaningful in an "actionable" way -- to use Rumsfeld's term. Latin America is not homogeneous, but only in too general a way for that homogeneity to make a difference at the practical political level. Mexico alone is an incredibly heterogeneous society with a complex history, very diverse geographically, demographically, ethnically, culturally -- you name it. And it becomes more complex and diverse each passing day. There are too many variables to control for. Whether or not his vision fits the concrete needs of Mexico's toiling masses in our times is something that can be debated. López Obrador personal manner is something else. Yes, he has an understated, shrewd, self-effacing presence, not uncommon among people in central and southern Mexico. But there's no doubt in my mind that, in terms of passion for the cause and personal courage, López Obrador is top of the line. That's why reading Louis Proyect call López Obrador "tepid" made me laugh so hard I almost fell off my chair. That's the funniest thing I've read... today -- hm, yes, just today, because yesterday I read David Barry's piece on lobsters and cockroaches in the Funny Times. I'll take Louis seriously when, using his unique personal approach, he wins an election (and effects some serious, radical social change) at a school board in the Upper West Side or in some small town in the Catskills. And I swear I'll repent and accept Trotsky as my personal savior as soon as I see Louis become the indisputable leader of the imminent communist revolution in the U.S. Julio
