The Rise of the Anti-Trump and left-wing populism
Under questioning from Senator McCain, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly decided to give his opinion about Mexican presidential candidate, Manuel Lopez Obrador.
“It would not be good for America, or for Mexico,” said Mr. Kelly, a former Marine Corps general whose purview in the military had included running Southern Command, which covers South America and Central America.
Obrador is everything that Trump isn't.
For starters, he's Mexican.
Secondly, he hates Trump with a passion.
Also, he's the leader of a far-left political party, National Regeneration Movement, which draws its inspirations from Democratic Socialism and anarcho-communism.
However, Obrador has to give thanks to Trump for acting as a political foil.
"This Donald Trump is erratic and arrogant," says Lopez Obrador, "and we won't allow his wall or mistreatment of our fellow migrants in the U.S." His willingness to publicly berate Trump has boosted his standing in the polls. He now leads among probable presidential candidates, including those of the current ruling party, whose chances have been hurt greatly by President Enrique Pena Nieto's weak response to Trump...
Throughout his decades in politics, Lopez Obrador has long cast himself as a political outsider and staunch nationalist. But unlike Trump, Lopez Obrador lives a modest and austere life. As a popular mayor of Mexico City from 2000 to 2005, he famously rode around in a Nissan sedan and handed out cash to the poor and seniors. In 2006, he lost his first presidential bid by less than 1 percent, blaming massive fraud for his defeat.
As I said, the Anti-Trump.
Every time Trump talks about Mexico, it pricks Mexican pride. Right now only one candidate is talking tough right back.
Popular feeling is running so strong that Mexican politicians have little choice but to fall in line. Online campaigns are calling on Mexicans to vacation at home (“Adios Disneylandia... Hola Mexico”). Local governments and activists demand boycotts of U.S. products. Many Mexicans have draped the national flag across their social media pages.
“The president is a boot-licker,” Solis said. “Lopez Obrador has the guts to stand up to Trump and tell it like it is.”
At the rally, Lopez Obrador -- a 63-year-old with a shock of white hair who’s recently taken to sporting sideburns -- did what he usually does. He blamed “neoliberalism” for rampant inequality and violence, and vowed to protect local farmers from northern competition. “Everything depends on strengthening Mexico,” he said, “so we can confront aggression from abroad with strength.”
According to the latest poll, Obrador is leading with 33%. The former First Lady Margarita Zavala has 27 percent.
On an amusing note, the neoliberal PRD warned that Russia may hack the Mexican elections.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Jean-Luc Mélenchon has the political mainstream suddenly afraid.
Suddenly, the grumpy far-leftist -- a showman in a Chairman Mao jacket who openly admired late Venezuelan populist leader Hugo Chavez -- holds the mantle of France’s most popular politician. In the course of a whirlwind month, the 65-year-old Mélenchon surged nine spots to number one in weekly glossy Paris Match’s opinion poll. A full 68 percent of those surveyed hold “favourable opinions” of the far-left candidate, the poll by the Ifop-Fiducial firm showed.
On some polls, Mélenchon has now bypassed embattled conservative François Fillon for third place in a presidential race that will see the top two advance to the May 7 run-off.
An Ipsos poll on Tuesday put Mélenchon a half-point ahead of Fillon for third place in the race, behind National Front leader Marine Le Pen and the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron. With 18.5 percent, the far-leftist has gleaned 4.5 percent in just two weeks, with Macron and Le Pen tied on 24 percent.
“Once again, they are announcing that my election win will set off a nuclear winter, a plague of frogs, Red Army tanks and a landing of Venezuelans,” Mélenchon chided on his blog in response.
Melenchon is only 2% behind the front-runners with 10 days to go before the election.
Melenchon wasn't supposed to be there. It was supposed to be right-wing Fillon against neoliberal Macron. That's the way business wanted it.
That we even have to debate whether a mainstream centrist will defeat a fascist is illustrative of what a cauldron of discontent France has become. Macron is cagey about exactly what he will do if elected. But it is an illusion to believe that this investment banker who wants to slash 120,000 public-sector jobs – at a time of rampant job insecurity – and cut taxes on the rich will cure France’s anger at the status quo.
That's the thing. The working class of France is angry at TPTB, and because of that no one can say what will happen next.
Mélenchon is still no shoo-in for the presidency. But his increasing popularity is becoming a problem for the two frontrunners, because a large swathe of his backers — 42 percent of them, according to Ifop — say they won’t vote in the second-round run-off between the top two candidates if Mélenchon is no longer in the picture.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is almost certain to make the second round, can rejoice.
“Abstention among Mélenchon voters can turn into a determining factor,” Ifop’s Jérome Fourquet said. “Many people in this group are going to find it impossible to vote for ‘Macron the banker’ — how many exactly it’s hard to say. What’s clear is that the tactical voting we saw in 2002 that kept Jean-Marie Le Pen out of power is not going to work as well this time.”
In an amusing related note, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr warned that Russia is hacking the French election.

Comments
I wonder how long he would like if he was elected?
Anyone who goes against what the Washington establishment wants doesn't seem to have long to live.
I read this comment about McCain who is upset with what Trump isn't doing in the Middle East. McCain is hoping that Trump will come around to his way of thinking soon and will become a raving warmonger.
I didn't know that he hates hobbits but the rest of the comment seems accurate.

The Washington Generals should probably sue the Democrats for copyright infringement.
Looking for political parallels is risky but what the heck,
I'll try.
Lopez-Obrador sounds like Bernie with more guts That says a lot in his favor. And dis-respecting Trump, well that's very respectable in my opinion.
Melenchon sounds like a more radical version of Bernie--much more leftist. Macron seems like Hillary Klinton, not to be trusted. LePen, well it's Trump with tits.
Without falling into the trap of defending Le Pen too much,
Thanks for your revision of my defective knowledge, Roy
"Russia is hacking the French election"
I wonder how France feels about Facebook and Google interference?
Facebook Cracks Down On 30,000 Fake News Accounts Ahead of French Election
That headline from HuffPo, in lieu of something more recent, like Breitbart California. The comment sewer over there is obscene, absurd like DailyKos. Except Bartbart sometimes writes the truth about Democrats in California, it's gross. Avoid California right now please, DO NOT FOLLOW!
Peace & Love
We know who determines fake news
The Breitbart comment threads are hilarious.
It's like watching junkyard dogs chewing each other up.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
The Russians hacked my Facebook account.
Thats what I was informed when I last tried to log on. Facebook locked my account. What that tells me is the Russians have control of Facebook.
Don't log on there because it is all Russian propaganda and malware.
Boy, them Russians control everything. John McCain too?
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Putin ate my homework
Putin also left a mess in the bathroom. He didn't flush the toilet, and he drunk-dialed my girlfriend from the bar at 2am.
The bastard!
Hobbits. What's not to hate? n/t
@edg
Hobbits are, indeed, dreadful. Their feet shed all over the carpet and I wouldn't have one in the house.
Edit: and they leave Rings in the bathtub!
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
How Bernie is helping Melenchon
link
@gjohnsit
Good to learn! Thanks!
Too bad that this will probably cause a resurgence of Freedom Fries, (edit: rather than French Spies, you know,) together with claims of French interference in the election and a new country to threaten, drone and bomb...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.