OPINION
By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS
In a blatant act of me-tooism, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced Wednesday, Nov. 16, that — after having first denied the massive 500,000-plus turnout of the nationwide March for Democracy on Sunday, Nov. 13, in defense of the country’s National Electoral Institute (INE), which he has been champing at the bits to abolish and replace with his clique of leftist autocratic thugs, and then calling the march’s participants “cretins and corrupt criminals” — he had decided to instead join the fray and organize his own public march, slated for Sunday, Nov. 27.
The unprecedented March for Democracy, which so far has seemed — much to the president’s chagrin — to have consolidated all opposition parties to oppose the passage of his dictatorial decree in Congress to dissolve the INE — had offended the would-be dictator so much that he had resorted to incomprehensible insults that even his staunchest supporters were struggling to comprehend, such as calling the demonstration an act of “political striptease,” whatever that means.
But now AMLO has decided, apparently, that if you can’t beat them, join them, albeit in a rather convoluted interpretation of that phrase.
What exactly López Obrador wants to protest is not quite clear, but based on his rambling and semi-incoherent rants during his daily press spiel on Wednesday, the president’s march, slated to depart from Mexico City’s Ángel de Independence and wind its way through downtown to the Zócalo in front of the National Palace, is intended to show that the Mexican masses are still on his side.
“I will give my annual State of the Nation Address on Dec. 1,” he said, “but yesterday, I began to gather opinions, and since my job is to command by obeying, and the people of Mexico want us to march on the Sunday, Nov. 27, that is what we shall do.”
AMLO also “explained” that the Nov. 27 march “will be to see if the Mexican people are happy” four years after the imposition of his so-called Fourth Transformation.
Obviously, AMLO is expecting a large turnout for his “Whatever March,” but he may be surprised to discover that most people have something better to do on a Sunday morning than to parade around in an aimless show of their contentment with the government.
To make things worth, the National Front to Stop AMLO (Frena) has its own march planned for that day — heading down the very same path that the president’s march is supposed to take — in defense of the INE, and, if the Nov. 13 turnout is any indication, there is a very good possibility that the Frena marchers will outnumber the AMLO marchers, possibly leading to a rather unpleasant head-on collision.
If there is anything we know for sure, it is that AMLO does not like to be outdone, but that is what is likely to happen with his proposed show-me-you-love-me march.
At this point, all we can say is: Stay tuned…