Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Touring Oaxaca

Mexico’s “legitimate president” continues his slow stubborn visits to every municipality in Oaxaca governed by the traditional usos y costumbres. PRI flunkies dog Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) every kilometer of the way, intimidating potential audiences by taking photos of those who show up to hear him, while at the same time they impede news coverage.

Nevertheless, photos daily of AMLO kissing babies. How can he kiss so many? Dunno. But his face in the news photos reflects a passive acceptance of his fate: he signed on and swore to kiss babies and by gosh, that’s what he does. The adults in the photos stand almost out of camera range, shabby men and women who may fear being pictured in AMLO’s company. This journey to the voters, the first of its kind ever —no politicians visit poverty-stricken villages— was scheduled to last five days per week, two villages per day, for 40 days. Approximately. A month has passed.

Oaxaca will have 15 federal legislators in the next session of the LXI Legislature. Fourteen will represent the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and one the Acción Nacional (PAN). Four came into their seats by means of the plurinominal allocation; of those, three represent the PRI and one the PAN. Among the PRI will be Jorge Franco Vargas, El Chucky, who even in a PRI sweep wasn’t elected on his own. Most political talk following the nulo voto in Oaxaca focuses on how to oust both parties, but especially to lift the vampire curse of the PRI.

A reporter for Noticias interviewed AMLO in one of the most inane, but somehow interesting reports[1]. Or don’t you want to know what AMLO eats? He avoids processed foods. He avoids animal products from hormone and antibiotic-treated chicken, cows and pigs. He doesn’t eat junk food or drink Coca-cola. (If he did, he says, he would become like Agustín Carstens, the three hundred pound Mexican economist and current Secretary of Finance in the cabinet of Felipe Calderón.)

He reads over his notes before sleep at night, and again every morning. He doesn’t drink, because alcohol on his breath would offend. His second wife misses him, but supports “the struggle we have” although I’m not sure which struggle that refers to, if it’s specific or general. His wife doesn’t throw tantrums when he returns from these trips. His two year old son doesn’t really get it. His three adult children from his first marriage (he was widowed) remain steadfast.

So what is this, hearts and flowers? Does it read like a pump piece for politicians, leaving aside baby-kissing and also that at night he reads passages from the Bible? In the photos, AMLO doesn’t smile much; his expression remains serious and stubborn. I translate from Garcia Morales’ interview: “Money has never mattered very much to me; I have always seen it as means to satisfy basic needs, I don’t like cheap luxury; I don’t aspire to have cars of the latest model, I don’t aspire to own a residence, I have the basics… I have friends who have all that, it’s part of their work, of their offices…I want to clarify that I am not opposed to the man or woman…who within the law…acquires a patrimony. I am against wealth badly obtained, under the protection of public power. But I don’t aspire to (wealth), that’s not my principal proposition. So we live very modestly…the Legitimate Government receives an income of 50,000 pesos monthly[2] which takes care of my family…sympathizers deposit money into a bank account so that the Legitimate Government can function, we get from that the resources for expenses when we travel.”

AMLO’s second wife since 1996, Beatriz Gutierrez Muller worked with AMLO in Mexico City and graduated in Communications; she teaches Letras Ibéricas (Spanish literature) for the University Iberoamericana. AMLO speaks of her as being independent, she’s also a wage-earner.

In the Garcia Morales interview, AMLO sympathizes strongly with the poor. Soon to be ex- Senators Gabino Cué and and Salmon Jarra accompany him for the down and dirty —an indication that in 2010 AMLO hopes for a strong coalition to oust the PRI, and in 2012 another to beat the PAN. “(I feel) very well, very happy, I am doing what I like to do. Time and reality are showing us to be right; we foresaw everything that has happened. We are fine with our consciences, we are fighting for others, we have nothing to be ashamed of. There is a phrase that Sancho Panza used…It’s better to have good hopes than despicable possessions…”

Then he remarked on how badly Felipe Calderon has acted for Mexico. He’s quoted as saying, “Man does not live only for bread; he needs the basics to live, that is, income which permits the maintenance of the family, that they don’t lack food, that they have resources in case of illness, and money enough for the children to study. At the same time living with a tranquil spirit; we feel good with ourselves, with our consciences, with our neighbor. Living in harmony, in peace; being happy. There are people who can gain material things, but have nothing else, and I believe that in the people there exists much goodness, much generosity, but they lack basic necessities.”

Indeed. In Oaxaca 72% of the population lack medical services. Infant mortality since 2000 went up. The National Institute for Nutrition declared that 76.9% of the Oaxaca population is undernourished and only 10% are well fed. In 2005, the population in 337 municipalities suffered severe malnutrition. Of 100 municipalities named nationally as the worst off in Mexico, 45 are in Oaxaca, the majority indigenous, with curable illnesses, infections and parasites rampant among the children. 34% of children over age five don’t attend school. Things may get worse: in the agricultural sector where 51.39 % of the population works, federal investment fell from 3.03 % to 2.9% of funds available. The sale of maize suffers from foreign (USA) competition).

What should we make of this promised tour, shall we say tour de force ? That AMLO runs on spirituality? Or some sense of himself that causes him to quote from Don Quijote’s sidekick? That traveling with the senators he can play good guy while they do the heavy lifting? Or is it their task to make sure he doesn’t get shot? When I hear him speak in person, going back several years, he has been very much the same, always referring to “the poor first”, often droning in a passionless voice. Poverty was AMLO’s refrain before he spent a month in the mountains eating beans and tortillas. The serenity of a good conscience and a good life in a politician? He says, “I am neither a leader nor a messiah, but dirigente, a coordinator.” Wow.

[2] Estimados ciudadanos. From the website http://www.gobiernolegitimo.org.mx/

Nos es grato informarles que ya pueden reanudar con el depósito de sus donativos, de 30 a 30 mil pesos cada uno de ellos, en la cuenta número 05 44 55 50 80 de Banorte, a nombre de Honestidad Valiente A.C.

Con sus contribuciones económicas se financian las actividades y se difunden las acciones emprendidas por el Gobierno Legítimo de México a favor de los mexicanos.

Como es de su conocimiento el banco HSBC canceló de manera sorpresiva, sin justificación ni argumento legal alguno la cuenta bancaria, pero con tu apoyo continuaremos nuestra labor de proteger a la población y de defender al patrimonio nacional.

Agradecemos como siempre tu valiosa colaboración con el Gobierno Legítimo de México en la lucha por la transformación auténtica de México y sus instituciones.