Carlos Fuentes, Mexican Novelist: Catholicism was a factor driving voters to Calderon (Translation)

El Mercurio Newspaper (Chile) ^ | July 5, 2006 | Nathan Gardels (translated by self)

[StJacques]

According to the author, religion unites the country and the PAN representative appeared as the Catholic candidate.

Renowned Mexican author Carlos Fuentes is not surprised by the close result in last Sunday's elections, since he asserts that it is a product of a tendency that occurs throughout the world; that politicians are drawn the center.

In an interview given the day after the presidential election, the writer indicated that, though the country is divided, for the great majority the decisive factor was religion.

--What does it mean for Mexico that Felipe Calderón, the candidate of the right, wins the election (the result is not yet official) against leftist Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador by a very narrow margin?

"It means that the fear campaign against Lopez -- that he would take Mexico backwards -- worked. It means that President (Vicente) Fox is still popular in Mexico. That he was not a dead weight on Calderón. It means that Calderón has for now been seduced by the most right wing faction of his own party."

"Whoever wins this election, is going to have to move towards the center-left or center-right. Mexico is a normal democracy in which, like everywhere else, all politicians are pushed towards the center. Calderón's challenge now is that he must convince the half of the country, that voted against him, to let him govern."

--Why is the country so divided?

"During the 71 years prior to Fox, the PRI (Institutional Revolucionary Party) governed Mexico. The dark nature of its power, its revolutionary rhetoric, its heavy-handed imposition of political unity, hid Mexican reality. After which, during Fox's years, it has disappeared off the scene as a force, the country can show its true face: half of the country is on the left, the other half is on the right."

--Lopez Obrador wanted to do away with the NAFTA dispositions on corn and beans to help farmers and he wanted to renegotiate other areas of the treaty. Was this election a referendum on NAFTA and globalization?"

"Not at all. International issues were completely absent in this election. Lopez Obrador never mentioned the United States, Hugo Chávez or Brazilian President Lula. Calderón did not do so either. It was a purely internal election."

"The election was completely about the path the country should take in the future, on its direction. Although the country is deeply divided it did nothing more than choose to remain on the same path which Fox established."

"Catholicism was an incredibly important factor that impelled Calderón - since PAN (National Action Party) is a Catholic party - towards the edge of victory. Its victory is a triumph of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron of Mexico. She is the only certain reality in Mexico. She is everything in which people really believe."

"The Virgin transfers the social scales. The poorest Mexicans, Lopez Obrador's natural voters, trust in nothing more than in the Virgin. When Calderón presented himself as the Catholic candidate, he won. In California, 57% of Mexican immigrants voted for the Catholic Calderón."

--Will Lopez Obrador respect the election results?

"I believe that yes, he will. I have spoken with many people near him and they have convinced me that yes, he will. They are sad, but they accept the results."

--Is there some global lesson here? All the democracies (the U.S.A., Italy, Germany) are closely are divided in every national election. Why?"

"Ever since the end of the Cold War, the Soviet ghost no longer hangs over national elections, facilitating the formation of large majorities, the elections in all the democracies have been become more and more close. This means that people take into account other factors in their lives, like the quality of life, economic inequality, religion, the personality of leaders."

"Simple majorities or pluralities will incline at some moments a little towards the left or a little towards the right. In countries where the left wins, as for example Great Britain, the other half that did not vote for them pushes them towards conservatism."

"In reality, we know that we have seen the end of an ideology, when we see that this also happens in Mexico. It is pure politics."

"The Virgin of Guadalupe transfers the social scales. The poorest Mexicans, natural voters of Lopez Obrador, trust in nothing more than in the Virgin."

[CedarDave]

Will need a 3 point reversal for it to change to what the preliminary results were.

Red states must still need to be counted. < /sarc >

[StJacques]

Boy Dave, given your anxiety over the Mexican vote count, I'll bet you got an ulcer in November 2000. LOL!!!!

I promise I'll keep an eye on it for you and if I see anything out of the ordinary I'll ping you immediately.

[CedarDave]

I live in New Mexico and recall listening to radio coverage while driving back from a job in the Northwest over the Thanksgiving weekend. It was a wonder I didn't go off the road more than once as it was heartstopping.

[California Patriot]

It's a Hail Mary.

[CedarDave]

Can you translate these headlines for me? Thanks:

Aunque ganemos, debe contarse voto por voto: Cota Montaño

Minimiza PAN porcentajes que dan ventaja a AMLO

[StJacques]

"Los districtos electorales rojos deben todavía ser contados."

Si, los estados rojos todavia deben ser contados. ;)

I'm going to try to check out some more of the Mexican news sites. I'll get back to you with a recap of what I find.

[StJacques]

"Aunque ganemos, debe contarse voto por voto: Cota Montaño

Minimiza PAN porcentajes que dan ventaja a AMLO"

Translation:

"Even though we win, it is necessary to count vote by vote: Cota Montaño¹

It minimizes Pan's percentages and gives an advantage to AMLO"

You should take this as further evidence that the PRD knows they are going to lose the certification count. Cota Montaño is arguing, before the certified count is final, that the casillas should be unsealed for a hand recount of all 41 million ballots.

¹Leonel Cota Montaño is President of the PRD

[StJacques]

Dave,

I think the count is going Calderón's way. If you will check your post #15 above you will see that at 73.58% of all casillas counted, Lopez Obrador led by 2.31%. Now at 83.5% his lead has shrunk to 1.82% -- 36.55% to 34.73%. Remember Calderón is supposed to win this with about .4 of 1% of the total vote or a .004% margin.

[dsc]

"No matter where they are, the Left just cannot come to grips with that most basic human need to express faith."

That's only to be expected, when one reflects that leftism is of and from Satan.

[StJacques]

"That's only to be expected, when one reflects that leftism is of and from Satan."

You know as I read that I would have to say something like "dsc your tone is too strident, don't you realize that you will only be aggravating the tone of discourse to say such a think?"

The problem is that I agree with you. But, ssshhhhhhh! not in front of the children!

[StJacques]

Dave, are you keeping track of the count?

With 89.72% of all casillas counted, Obrador's lead is only 1.25%. It's going to swing 1.29% to Calderon by the time they reach 100% because the page says "y por tanto no marcan ninguna tendencia." (Translation: "and therefore they do not show any tendency [to change])

I'm keeping an eye on it for you Dave.

[bboop]

Thanks for posting this. Definitely Fuentes is a leftie and saddened by the masses' voting for Calderon, being 'swayed' by believers -- that is my read. I am pleaseed that Calderon won.

[CBLJN]

"His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
John 2:5"

____________________


Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to the Devil, ``Go away, Satan, because it is written: `You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only Him.' ''

[mtntop3]

Fuentes is a longtime, Marxist hack and literary pretender who is noteworthy for being a longtime parasite of Mexican society.

He makes his living by denigrating free societies and religious faith.
Needless to say, he has been a great admirer and hand-kisser of Fidel C.

[netmilsmom]

>>Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to the Devil, ``Go away, Satan, because it is written: `You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only Him.'<<

You know little about the Catholic teachings on Mary.
Don't listen to the rumors, read for yourself.

[dsc]

"You know as I read that I would have to say something like "dsc your tone is too strident, don't you realize that you will only be aggravating the tone of discourse to say such a think?"

Of course, that would presume that the left are entitled to civility, and that discourse with them is something to be desired.

[StJacques]

"Of course, that would presume that the left are entitled to civility, and that discourse with them is something to be desired."

Boy you don't take any prisoners do you? :)

[dsc]

Can't afford to feed them.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

please add me.

[Bangupjob]

I didn't catch the undercurrent of disdain myself. I liked what he said. Calderon came across as Catholic and Mexicans appreciated that. I watched the election from Tijuana and all the very poor people I met told me they too voted for Calderon - because he was religious and because they thought he'd get tough on crime.