I've been in favor of a recount of the ballots in Mexico's hotly contest presidential elections, but I question the tactics used by supporters of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Some of the things López Obrador has said, as reported on the Miami Herald's El Universal online news website, seem to be urging his supporters not to insist on getting to the facts, but getting to the results he wants. And his supporters are saying things that are troubling...things that suggest they will close down airports, shut down public services, and cause the country to erupt into chaos.
Protesters want to use the unrest to "force the population that relies on tourism to pressure the government," José Escobar, head of the Oaxaca employers´ federation, is reported to have said. So, it's appropriate to blackmail the Mexican tourism industry to achieve their political objectives? One proteser said, "the airports are next."
I'm a believer in giving poor people a hand up and structuring social institutions to provide that support, but I am adamantly opposed to using the tactics of thugs and fascists to accomplish the goal.
I'm still in favor of a recount. Whichever candidate got the most votes should be installed as the new president. But threats to national stability and the livelihood of the average Mexican have no place in the discussion. The Mexicans who would play the game of implying that they will resort to violence should know that that game is not worth the candle.
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