Claudia Sheinbaum was elected as Mexico’s next president on Sunday, making her the first woman in the country’s 200 years of democracy to hold its highest office. She won with more than 58% of the vote against Xóchitl Gálvez — marking the first time in Mexico’s history that the two main presidential candidates were women. Sheinbaum is the successor of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has been president since 2018 and who also belongs to the left-wing Morena party.
Sheinbaum’s election is significant because the government of Mexico has traditionally been male-dominated and because she will also be the first Jewish person to lead the predominantly Roman Catholic country. Her six-year term will start Oct. 1. “For the first time in 200 years of the republic, I will become the first female president of Mexico,” Sheinbaum said on Sunday. “And as I have said on other occasions, I do not arrive alone. We all arrived, with our heroines who gave us our homeland, with our ancestors, our mothers, our daughters and our granddaughters.”
Sheinbaum, 61, is a Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist who received her PhD in energy engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In 2000, she began a six-year term as the Secretary of Environment under López Obrador while he was Head of Government of Mexico City, a position similar to a mayor in the U.S. Sheinbaum also served as Head of Government of Mexico City, from 2018 to 2023 — resigning to seek the Morena party’s nomination for president.
López Obrador, sometimes referred to as AMLO, doubled the minimum wage, invested in college scholarships and programs to keep young people out of cartels, dissolved the federal police and pushed construction projects forward to beef up infrastructure across the country. In her victory speech, Sheinbaum said she would continue to enforce policies enacted by López Obrador, such as his social welfare programs, to address economic inequality. “I promise to protect López Obrador’s legacy,” Sheinbaum concluded. While López Obrador still has a high approval rating in Mexico, and despite their mentor-mentee relationship, Sheinbaum has spent the last few years toeing the line between supporting the outgoing president and differentiating herself as a separate candidate.
Mexico’s high levels of violent crime will be Sheinbaum’s most immediate and biggest challenge once she takes office. During her campaign, she told supporters that she would focus on building “a strategy of addressing the causes and continue moving toward zero impunity.” According to a report by Vision of Humanity, a research company dedicated to analyzing data on peace-making efforts around the world, organized criminal activity is the “main driver” of homicides and gun violence in the country. Such activity has been on the rise over the last few years. As Head of Government of Mexico City, Sheinbaum lowered homicide rates by half.
Comment: It would be quite chauvinistic of me to suggest that a Jewish woman will be the next president of Mexico largely because of the support of AMLO, but I must suggest it anyways. I do this in spite of her impressive credentials and accomplishments. What happened to Latin machismo?
But seriously, what will this mean for Mexico and the US? Sheinbaum will continue to stress poverty reducing and job creating policies and programs rather than taking on the cartels directly. It seemed to have some success in Mexico City while surprisingly reducing the death and violence at the same time. But this did not weaken the hold the cartels have over the Mexican people. They’re just as strong, if not stronger, than they were before AMLO.
Sheinbaum also supports migrants or at least migrants as they make their way to the US. That attitude may do fine as long as Biden is President, but if Trump wins in November, we’ll see if she changes her tune on the rights of migrants.
A recent al Jazeera editorial places the blame for both the cartels and drugs in general squarely on the US. The writer also blames our hunger for cheap labor for feeding the cartels’ growth. She raises some valid points, but I find it odd that Mexico has no agency in any of this.
TTG
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/6/3/mexicos-election-a-victory-for-organised-crime
She seems to be a very accomplished woman and I wish her well. She will have a very tough job. When I was in Quintana Roo in April, she certainly dominated the billboards. While there, I also noticed how much more expensive everything has gotten. Part due to inflation, but also the exchange rate and this will have a negative economic impact on Mexico and will add to her problems. It is still a place that i like very much. I like the culture, the climate, the food and the very friendliness of the people. And of course, mezcal.
She is a puppet of the cartels otherwise, she would have been shot dead already. Mexico didn’t vote for her; this is what they were given. Same with almost all elections these days around the planet. Only a few countries have systems where the vote can actually be audited. Not recounts. Actual audits. She has no accomplishments other than agreeing to be tied up and danced around on strings along with her recent banker husband.
According to this she’s a puppet for Obrador. But since Obrador gave the cartels a free pass maybe it amounts to nearly the same thing.
———-
Is Mexico’s new President Just a puppet for AMLO? (Zeihan). 5 minutes.
https://youtu.be/vRaJldFTJ1Y
Thank you. Exactly.
30 dead candidates, but this one lives – by divine miracle, I suppose.
I am always shocked by how many morally shallow midwits (that may be giving too much credit) get all glowie and gushy over meaningless BS like “First woman…. ” . Lots of intersectionality with the crowd of abject fools that defend Hamas and Iran.
Hey maybe some day we will see the first female leader of Hamas or ISIS. We must fuel the flight of the arrow of progress with our highest dreams!
You mean an “audit” like the one in Arizona? Really? It was a clown show…the actual recount was accurate.
Arizona was a recount. An audit takes a certain percentage of ballots and finds the actual voter, their address and physically adjudicates the ballot. If it can’t be adjudicated the ballot is thrown out. Whoever submitted the ballot is charged with voter fraud.
A better system however would be to get rid of anonymous voting. It serves no purpose since donations to candidates are not anonymous.
babelthuap,
That flies in the face of the secret ballot guaranteed in state constitutions and statutes. Ensuring the authenticity of the ballot, both in person and mail in, is certainly doable and usually done. The exception is internet voting and certain voting methods by the handicapped, but there’s not much you can do about that.
I read this morning in Telegram that 35 or so assassinations of candidates occured during this recent Mexican election campaign. If true then whose fault could that be?
Updated here:
https://t.me/infantmilitario/128227
The mayor of a Mexican city was killed by a drug cartel just hours after Claudia Sheinbaum’s triumph in the presidential election.
The incident brings the total number of candidates killed in the 2024 election cycle to nearly 40, making it the deadliest election season in Mexico’s modern history.
I believe that much of the blame for the drugs and immigration is our insatiable demand for drugs and more immigrants. The immigration is wanted not only for cheap labor but also to grow the economy since domestically we have stagnant population growth.
Unfortunately, you are right.
so all 100 gazillion of the illegals are gainfully employed?
Nope.
Your illegal immigration argument is as wrong as it is outdated.
So is your drug addiction argument. The situation is far more complicated than your tired reflex blame Americans soundbite.
Eric Newhill,
Foreign born unemployment rate for 2023 was 3.6%, same as native born. The foreign born made up 18.6% of our total workforce.
“Foreign-born men continued to participate in the labor force at a considerably higher rate in 2023 (77.5 percent) than their native-born counterparts (66.1 percent). By contrast, 56.1 percent of foreign-born women were labor force participants, lower than the participation rate of 57.6 percent for native-born women.”
Looks like the foreign born could teach us something about traditional values.
TTG,
Come on man. Who do you think you’re talking to? Looks like you could use a lesson in government and leftist statistics (hint, they always lie).
First off, foreign-born not = illegal immigrants.
Sure, *legal* immigrants are going to have high rates of employment. If they are H1Bs, they have to, by law, be employed and they obtained H1B status by presenting their skill and employment offer to the government. Foreign born US citizens had to go through legal processes on their journey to becoming citizens, which often involves gainful legal employment. Many are doctors, tech workers and other skilled employees; the likes of which our failed woke/commie education system no longer produce in meaningful volumes.
None of that has anything to do with the countless millions – and growing daily – of uneducated third world peons, criminals, insane people and terrorists illegally entering the country.
Eric Newhill,
H1Bs are a small percentage of the foreign born in the US, only 65,000 are admitted each year. Approximately 580,000 H1Bs are working here now, a little over 1% of the total foreign born living here. There are 51 million foreign born (legal and illegal) in the US, 15.6% of the population. Given the workforce figures I gave earlier, the foreign born (legal and illegal) appear to be more than pulling their own weight, although asylum seekers are now less than two million, not countless millions.
TTG,
You didn’t provide any raw numbers. You provided percents. Percents of what? What is the denominator? What is the larger methodology? Who is being counted in the study as “foreign born”?. Define “employed”. I do stuff like this – and far more complex – for a living, mind you.
You’re telling me that the US idiot government is able to track the daily employment habits of 51 million foreign born people in the country including tens of millions of illegal invaders? Really? You’re peddling that bunk on the wrong guy. Sorry.
Eric Newhill,
We have 340 million total population of which 51 million are foreign born. “Approximately 580,000 H1Bs are working here now.” You can do the percentages.
and, btw, that 11 million illegals figure that lefties and govt has been tossing around for like 20 years cannot be even near the ball park given what we know about activity on the border since Dementia Joe became the leftists’ sock puppet.
This study, from the Ivy League nonetheless!, has the number of illegals at 22 million. Closer estimate, IMO, but probably still on the lite side of reality.
https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/yale-study-finds-twice-as-many-undocumented-immigrants-as-previous-estimates
Eric Newhill,
Interesting study. It points out that the 22 million figure extends back into the Reagan administration. It also points out that the illegal immigrant crime rates are half of what many claim it to be. It also means half of the foreign born are illegals which makes those employment figures for foreign born (legal and illegal) I gave earlier look even better for the illegal population.
“We have 340 million total population of which 51 million are foreign born. “Approximately 580,000 H1Bs are working here now.” You can do the percentages.”
That’s not what I asked, really. I’m asking for definitions of terms, denominators and methodology. Are illegals in that mix or not?
Eric Newhill,
Yes, they are, 51 million foreign born (legal AND illegal). The H1Bs are obviously not illegals unless they overstay their visas.
what jobs are these people doing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tACgO1d6lY
And the ones in Chicago and other cities.
Guess they are an illusion
No they are not employed yet they will be asorbed into the economy over time and will need a aplace to live and become consumers increasing the GDP . As for US citizens doing drugs who is to blame, is Mexico twisting their arm. I think there should be a moratorium on all immigration.
how will they become consumers if they are not employed? If they ever become employed, at what level? Will they be net givers or net takes? What sector will employ them? Will their salaries be high enough that they actually pay taxes (as opposed to 100% refunds)? How much will they cost in terms of public services, healthcare, etc?
What growing economy?
I’m sure that your confident statement is based on a sound analysis of those factors.
Much of the blame is also due to the American guns flooding across the border into Mexico.
Why yes, if not for the USA, Mexico would be a veritable Garden of Eden with glowing angels floating around with with ear to ear radiant smiles.
Brown people are incapable of evil. I understand that.
So Mexico should step up their border inspections.
Jimmy_W,
Damned strait they should. We have to step up ours, as well. That’s were most of the drugs get through.
She’s a commie. Another domino falling toward the USA.
She will become best buds with our own overt scum, like AOC, Omar, Sanders, et al and they will work together to further the destruction of the USA.
Anyhow, the only reason a female Jew could be elected el hefe grande in macho land is that she must be in bed with cartels, as well as promising all the stupid peones a bunch of freebies that Mexico can’t afford. As if Mexico wasn’t screwed up enough, it will now become the numero uno hell hole on earth. Venezuela with even more rampant drug and human trafficking cartels than previously.
BUILD the F’ING WALL and BUILD IT HIGH. NOW!
If only we could do the same. Nikki dropped out. But extreme long shot Marianne Williamson is still running in the Democratic primary against Joe. Or maybe we can convince this committee’s Barbara Ann to run. I’d vote for any of the three regardless of party.
And what about a Madam President in Putinistan? Yumasheva maybe, if they let her back in country. She’s got the background, she advised her father back when she was known as Tatyana Borisovna Yeltsina. And she advised Putin back in 2000. Too bad he didn’t listen to her advice. But she might meet the same fate as Navalny if she returns?
It’s amazing that 30 candidates were assassinated, but she was not. I guess that proves that God wants women to have traditional male roles. Yep that must be it. Good for you being on the right side of history.
Eric Newhill
Not amazing. It just reflects that a national candidate has more resources for things like security. And less interaction with local thugs protecting their local dominance.
Ok, yeah, sure. The cartels could never get around her security, not even with ATF supplied .50 cal sniper rifles. They could never hit her car with RPGs, which the cartels have plenty of. Nope. No siree. Move along now and let’s all get back to celebrating the first woman blah blah blah.
It’s 40, not 30, as of yesterday. Shot.
a great culture to import! sham trials are too expensive.
I wish more people would read ‘The Big White Lie: The Deep Cover Operation That Exposed the CIA Sabotage of the Drug War’ by former DEA agent Michael Levine.
The opening scene in “Narcos: Mexico” shows the kidnapping of DEA agent Kiki Camarena. I first learned about this kidnapping from Levine’s book. To quote Camerena’s wikipedia page:
“Several journalists, historians, former DEA and CIA agents, and Mexican police officers have written that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was complicit in Camarena’s death, because Camarena discovered CIA involvement in Cold War-era narcotics trafficking.”
I’m not sure the cartel’s are the root of the problem.
James,
Col Lang called horse sh!t on all those CIA facilitating narco trafficking tales. Said it never happened.
But what could he know? Obviously foreign countries are populated with awesome people who would never form murderous cartels for the purpose of making obscene fortunes spreading misery and death across the planet; especially in the USA. Only white colonizers in the US, UK and Israel are capable of evil. So yeah. Of course. The CIA is behind it all. Making illicit profits off drug dealing so they can have the resources to commit even worse evils, like blowing up buildings on 9/11 while projecting holograms of airplanes using secret high tech gizmos, paying off thousands of witnesses, disappearing passengers, etc.
Eric Newhill
I respect Col Lang and will re-assess my paranoia about the CIA and drug trafficking. If it was anyone but him I would stick to my paranoia.
James,
Well, I, personally, think the CIA did play along with drug dealers in East Asia during the Vietnam War (maybe after too). I don’t think the involvement was anything as extensive as the conspiracy theorists have it, but there was involvement.
Kind of like this – there were East Asian drug producers and drug dealers. They were into that activity before the CIA ever showed up on the scene. These drug dealers weren’t big fans of the local communists. The dealers also had armed militias and, of course, eyes on the ground. Enemy of my enemy is at least a temporary limited working partner. So the CIA talks to the dealers about providing intelligence and maybe some resistance against the communists. The drug dealers ask that not only the US not interfere with their business, but maybe even help with it from time to time. The CIA agrees because it needs the drug dealers – and, after all, some drug proceeds will used by the dealers to purchase weapons and grow their militias.
I don’t see anything wrong with that arrangement between CIA and Drug dealers/producers. Maybe the CIA helps fly a load of dope out of the jungle once and a while so it can be shipped by the dealer’s network out of Bangkok. So what. The dope was going to be produced and trafficked anyhow. You have to work with indigenous people as you and them. No room for moralizing. The conspiracy theories go over the top, as they are won’t to do, and have the CIA delivering due all the way to US cities for various purposes, like keeping the black man down, funding lizard alien shapeshifting programs, etc.
The CIA also worked with Italian Mafia dope dealers (deported Americans in the mob) in Sicily because of a common anticommunist/antifascist outlook. Again, if you need muscle and you need good intelligence in a foreign land, you often have to work with people that you wouldn’t want to introduce to your mother or daughter. Anti-American whiney pukes that use that fact to smear intelligence work are merely putting their childish bias on display, IMO.
Eric Newhill,
I agree with your take on the CIA and SEA drug dealers. If the CIA did transport any drugs, I think it would have been done on the authority of a local case officer and not sanctioned by the CIA. We sometimes have to do unsavory things with unsavory people to ensure mission accomplishment. Clandestine case officers have a lot in common with the Filthy Thirteen in that way.
Following the Chinese civil war, KMT retreated into Southeast Asia as well as Taiwan. Multiple divisions went into Vietnam and Myanmar. The Vietnam divisions repatriated to Taiwan fairly soon afterward, but the Myanmar ones stayed for awhile.
The Myanmar divisions staged several raids into China, and clashed with Burmese Army often. Eventually some left for Thailand, while others went native with the local tribes. This is why, today, some of the various Burmese K-tribes speak Mandarin and salute the KMT flag.
So during the Vietnam War and beyond, the Golden Triangle had significant KMT influence. Of course, KMT and CIA had a complicated relationship. Taiwan participated in the Vietnam War with some military deployments primarily to Thailand. The Triad was closely involved with the Chinese expat community throughout SEA including Thailand, and facilitated Golden Triangle exports (probably with KMT assistance).
So it is possible that some CIA elements, through association with KMT and Triad, were involved with heroin trafficking.
Eric Newhill,
I’ve heard ex Navy Seal (and OGA contractor) Shawn Ryan tell the story of the time he overdosed on cocaine while working for the CIA in Colombia.
You partner with certain folks because they hate communists too and pretty soon …
James,
My friend and mentor, MSG Al Rivers, was a 1A for a MACVSOG recon team. As an ROTC advisor, he told us that he used to take those big green and white pills they gave to horses before going on patrol. He then learned those hippies back in the states were taking the same pills so he stopped. It was a different world back then.
James,
Ryan was on a self-destructive bender and almost killed himself.
He was working for the CIA, but the cocaine was not part of the mission. It would be like a police officer that becomes an alcoholic. The alcohol has nothing to do with his official job. He is not working with or for the brewers and distilleries. In Colombia cocaine is everywhere. Anyone can obtain it.
Eric,
Interesting discussion.
In 1951, 52, 53 and 54, French Special Forces bought opium (and then transported it in Saigon) to the producers, the Méos and the Hmongs, in the mountains of northern Vietnam and Laos. These two ethnic groups maintained anti-Vietminh maquis in the region with the help of the Service. Opium was marketed directly in South Vietnam. An unspecified amount was sent to Thailand for processing into heroin (and probably to Marseille). Total amount unspecified, no more than a few tons.
Profits divided between ethnic chiefs and the Service.
Had the French not participated in this traffic, the North Vietnamese highlands would have been under total Communist control.
Both ethnic groups carried on fighting for their way of life a few months after Dien-Bien-Phu. After the defeat, the Viet-Minh were able to concentrate troops and control the region. We didn’t have the means to both sustain a classic battle far from our bases and support the maquis. And yet, with 10% of the air tonnage for Dien Bien Phu, we could inflict serious losses on the Viet-Minh and threatened the lines of communication feeding the battle, far better than by aerial bombardment.
The poppy harvesting campaign was a war in itself, as the Communists were eager to control this source of funding. They didn’t hesitate to kill and pillage. The Viet Minh were not alone. At harvest time, the entire region was scoured by Chinese and other “pirates” in search of opium. French help was therefore welcome.
This traffic was strictly controlled by French officers. Black sheep were rare and severely punished. The story goes that the problem was solved without a trial. It’s not impossible that some lone wolf (also known as Corsican) worked for himself. Nothing new, opium was a very old problem in these regions.
d74,
Dope and spices never go out of style. Empires have been created and destroyed by the trade.
My understanding is that during the US participation in Vietnam, the communists encouraged US troops to stay stoned by having their agents sell cheap, but high quality, cannabis laced with locally made heroin in pre-rolled into cigarettes. I hear that stuff was ubiquitous. Kids peddling it on every street corner. As the war dragged on, draftees who had been exposed to dope to some extent back in the states readily took to it. At least that’s what several VN veterans have told me over the years.
Smoking weed, even if it’s laced with heroin, won’t kill you (unless you’re not able to function in combat or operating heavy equipment). But the fentanyl and other potent pharmaceutical admixtures coming up from Mexico is straight murder (or suicide depending on how you look at it). The whole scene is totally weird to me. An old friend’s sister lost her only son to it. Normal young man. Thought he was just going to have partying with friends. Took the pill(s) and then overdosed. Happens every day across the US. I don’t understand what these people are thinking. It’s like jogging through a known mine field for kicks. Strange to me how the Mexicans (and the Chinese suppliers) have no qualms killing their customers in large numbers. The whole scene is a sociological phenomenon that escapes me entirely.
Which success? Covid hard lining or Climate Change? How’s Mexico city after her years of successful stewardship? Mexicans flocking there, opening new businesses and starting new families; or running away to the land of Trump and Brandon?
“México: tan lejos de Dios y tan cerca de Estados Unidos.”
John,
Porfirio Diaz, General and dictator of Mexico, was wrong.
Elections in Iran (https://apnews.com/article/iran-election-raisi-ahmadinejad-557dd8e41a9abf78e0ad02e0e21d4e00): out of 80 applicants, only six are allowed to run. All but one of them are clones of Raisi. The Guardian Council’s authorised candidates number one less than last time in 2021. Only 48.8% participated back then in the elections back then, lowest level ever. Are the geronotocrats around Ayatollah Jannati aiming to still lower this?
Among the six, well-know figures is (as ever) former Speaker of Parliament and IRGC General Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf, VP Amir Husayn Qazizada-Hashemi. Also perennial unltra-ideologue Sa’id Jalili, whose friends leveled accusations of curruption against Qalibaf in the past, he in 2015 as negotiator on nuclear issues was way to hardline even for Team Obama to cut a deal on the nuclear issues. Iranians also can chose another revolutionary butcher, the former prosecutor, Minister for interior and justice minister Mustafa Purmuhammadi (criticized by Ayatollah Montazeri for the 1988 massacre in prisons).
Also running is the current Tehran Mayor Ali-Ridha Zakani (in 2021 backed out to support Ra’isi, promises “continuity”)
The lone ‘tolerated dissident’ is Tabriz MP Mas’ud Pizishkiyan (not endorsed by Khamena’i).
Not allowed to run: Mahmud Ahmadinizhad (fmr. Pres. was blocked 2017 and 2021), Ali Larijani (fmr Speaker of Parliament), Wahid Haqqaniyan, ex-IRGC Commander), former President Ruhani and 71 others.
By fielding only one dissident with a clear regional base, maybe the aim of the exercise is to find out how far protest voters would go to show themselves.