Is Mexico going south?
Unworkable, they may be. But in Latin America, they are more popular than ever.
Along with the recent left turns of Venezuela, Chile and Bolivia, it appears now that the Sandinistas in Nicaragua are poised to make a comeback. And in the upcoming presidential elections in Mexico, polls show that leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador — the mayor of Mexico City — is slowly winning hearts, minds and votes.
Havana in 1959 was a playground for moneyed Americans one day and a meeting hall for proletariat workers the next. And for almost half a century now, the United States has been asking "What in the world happened?"
What happened was the people who were supposed to be paying attention fell asleep at the switch.
Mexico, however, remains a "swing nation" and a concern.
Andres Lopez Obrador's slogans have been "The good of all, but most of all, of the poor" and "We don't lick anyone's boots." He has pulled colorful stunts and delivered red-meat speeches to the provinces that have earned him the nickname "Amlo" (his initials). He is educated, sophisticated about electronic media and knows how to give a stem-winder speech. His symbol is the Aztec "rising sun." Now he is Mexico's own "rising son." He has bulldozed the homes of the rich and famous and provided services and goods to the poor. He believes bias is good, if it is in behalf of the underprivileged.
His campaign is as hot as his hometown of Tabasco.
The United States must start paying attention to the trends and feelings he's fostering — pay attention, or prepare to ask once again, "What in the world happened?"
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