López Obrador believes he can reduce domestic poverty and improve the Mexican economy by focusing on internal reform. Obrador would lower Mexican gasoline prices and would spend almost $30 billion on infrastructure and social programs. Although these expenditures could be beneficial for Mexico, Mexico should first focus on becoming a wealthier country, which would raise the living standards of its citizens and allow the government to more effectively help its people. López Obrador will not achieve this through domestic overspending and protectionism.
When Miami Herald columnist, Andres Oppenheimer interviewed López Obrador a year ago, Obrador mentioned that Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas, who governed from 1934 to 1940, is the leader he most admires in history. As Andres Oppenheimer points out, Cárdenas was an authoritarian populist who nationalized Mexico's oil industry and created land reforms and huge subsidies for the poor. Cárdenas' actions turned Mexico into an enormous welfare state and led the country towards economic crisis-López Obrador would likely lead Mexico in this direction.
López Obrador's fiercest critics accuse him of being anti-American and intending to form a political alliance with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. While these accusations seem slightly extreme, López Obrador is definitely not a friend of the United States or free trade. For example, he promises to renegotiate parts of the North American Free Trade Agreement like the elimination of tariffs on corn and bean imports beginning in 2008. Since a huge portion of the Mexican economy relies upon the United States in areas like tourism and trade, it is not smart for a potential president of Mexico to support policies that would hinder trade with the United States. Mexico must embrace free trade and capitalism. If elected president, López Obrador could scare off investors in the Mexican economy with talk of tariffs and other protectionist policies. Not only would Mexico suffer from policies that hinder free trade, but even the thought that López Obrador would follow through with his words could cause investors to lower the valuation of their Mexican assets and pull their money out.
In contrast, Felipe Calderón would be a much better president for Mexico because he would spur economic growth by encouraging Mexico to compete in the global economy. He is a member of President Vicente Fox's party, PAN, which ended a 71-year rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Although the PAN, which has Catholic roots, is not progressive in terms of many social issues like abortion, the PAN supports free market capitalism. Under Vicente Fox's rule, the Mexican peso stabilized, Mexico's national budget deficit shrank and the country experienced economic growth. Many of these economic improvements are just coming to fruition because it takes a long time to undo decades of bad economic policy. I urge the Mexican people to give the PAN some more time for its policies to take full effect. Calderón wants to continue with healthy economic policy in order to attract more foreign investments. An article in the Wall Street Journal cites that: When news broke that Calderón won the Mexican election in July, Mexico's IPC index rose by 913 points, or 4.8 percent and the peso appreciated 2.2 percent to the dollar. These numbers show that an economically friendly president won the election. Calderón wants to form a coalition government to make Mexico and Latin America more competitive in comparison to areas like China, India and Central Europe. Calderon's dream of making Mexico a world player in the global economy will create more jobs and raise the living standards of millions of Mexican people.
After losing the election by 244,000 votes out of 41 million, López Obrador demanded a total recount of the vote due to irregularities in at least 118 voting districts. The electoral court denied this request, and ordered a partial recount of the contested areas. The final decision will be made on Sept. 6.
Since the disputed July 2 election, López Obrador and his followers have staged protests in Mexico City's historical Zocalo Plaza and in various other locations around the country. Blocking traffic and causing chaos, these protesters have vowed to continue with disruptive protests for years if the electoral court does not vote in favor of López Obrador. In their eyes, they would be fighting against an illegitimate government, and their aim would be to effect change. López Obrador has such a strong influence that he controls the streets of Mexico City, encouraging anarchy. If Calderón is declared the official winner of the election, López Obrador should concede and use his influence to bring the changes that he envisions in the future. In a true democratic process, there will always be a winner and a loser. It is the responsibility of the loser, even if he or she loses by a small margin, to accept defeat and allow the democratic process to continue. A country like Mexico cannot have a president who supports anarchy and chaos as a means to his political ends. López Obrador should learn from Al Gore's behavior in 2000 to lose graciously and still uphold the law. Even though the situation may not be altogether fair, it matters most that the laws and the high courts of a country are respected by all citizens, no matter how high their political aspirations are. López Obrador is hurting the Mexican people by supporting anarchy and trying to take away the legitimacy of the electoral process.
Serviansky is a sophomore majoring in economics. He is the social coordinator for Hillel on campus. Mike enjoys water-sports and trading stocks on the internet. He wishes the campus wouldn't smell like Japanese takeout during the winter.