Mexico elects leftist Claudia Sheinbaum as the first female, first Jewish president in its history

[essentialsaltes]

Mexico elects leftist Claudia Sheinbaum as the first female president in its history​

Claudia Sheinbaum, a U.S.-educated scientist-turned-politician, was elected Sunday as Mexico’s first female president, shattering gender barriers in a country known for a culture of machismo and high rates of violence against women.

The leftist former mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum, 62, will also become the first president of Jewish ancestry in this overwhelmingly Catholic country.

Sheinbaum was elected in landslide fashion, according to preliminary vote counts, which showed her winning with 58% of the vote compared with 30% for her closest rival, Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz [who also would have been the first female president].

Sheinbaum is the protege and hand-picked successor of López Obrador [aka AMLO] ... who under the constitution is limited to a single six year term, is a deeply polarizing figure: Supporters laud him for helping lift millions out of poverty while critics assail him for disregarding democratic norms and failing to curb cartel violence.

When López Obrador was elected mayor of Mexico City in 2000, he launched Sheinbaum’s political career by making her secretary of environment for the capital. [Her academic background is in environmental engineering.]

In the United States, which is home to nearly 11 million people born in Mexico, migrants who in the past were able only to vote in Mexican elections by mail could vote for the first time in person at consulates. In Los Angeles, the line at the Mexican Consulate in MacArthur Park wrapped around the block twice, with some people arriving as early as 4 a.m.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Good job Mexico!

Way to be more progressive and forward thinking than your failing neighbors to the north.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Way to be more progressive and forward thinking than your failing neighbors to the north.

In what way?

Simply because they elected a woman (which they also would have done had the voted for the opposing party)?

...and I'm not sure how "forward thinking" it is to merely get the torch from a guy who's entire career was based on repackaging "tried & failed" collectivist policies.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

In what way?

Simply because they elected a woman (which they also would have done had the voted for the opposing party)?

...and I'm not sure how "forward thinking" it is to merely get the torch from a guy who's entire career was based on repackaging "tried & failed" collectivist policies.

In the way that’s it’s a historic change for a country that up until now has never been led by a woman. A barrier has been broken in Mexico that still remains to be seen in the United States. The fact the top two candidates are both women only adds to my point.

And she’s a Jewish woman elected to lead an 80% Catholic country? I don’t see how this isn’t one of the most progressive wins in Latin America in decades.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

In the way that’s it’s a historic change for a country that up until now has never been led by a woman. A barrier has been broken in Mexico that still remains to be seen in the United States. The fact the top two candidates are both women only adds to my point.

And she’s a Jewish woman elected to lead an 80% Catholic country? I don’t see how this isn’t one of the most progressive wins in Latin America in decades.

While barriers getting broken down is a good thing (meaning, if women were forbidden to lead before, that barrier being broken down is a positive)

But there are other considerations besides checking off demographics boxes.


For instance, if conservative pundit Dave Rubin (who's gay and Jewish) was running for president, would you see it as a good thing he got elected because "Breaking down the barrier, First Gay and First Jewish President"? Or, is it more prudent with regards to breaking down barriers, to perhaps wait for the "right bulldozer" to knock the barrier down, rather than merely celebrating any old bulldozer doing it?


This particular president-elect, Claudia, in Mexico is the protege of the guy who pulled the same garbage Trump did (he just played for the progressive side instead of the conservative side)

Andrés Manuel López Obrador - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In contesting the election, López Obrador and his coalition made several arguments: (a) that President Fox, the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE), a business interest group, and other organizations had illegally interfered in the presidential campaign, which is strictly prohibited by electoral law,[6] thereby providing grounds for election annulment; that (b) that votes were fraudulently tallied on 2 July and afterward; and that (c) there was widespread and significant evidence of electoral irregularities, ranging from stuffed ballot boxes and inconsistent tally reports to improper and illegal handling of the ballot trail and voter intimidation.[86]

López Obrador and his coalition had alleged irregularities in many polling stations and requested a national recount. Ultimately, the TEPJF, in a unanimous vote, ordered a recount of about 9% of the polling stations.[89] The Supreme Court later ruled that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the occurrence of sufficient irregularities to change the election outcome.

In response to this result, in a move reminiscent of Francisco I. Madero declaring himself provisional President of Mexico after calling the 1910 elections against Porfirio Díaz fraudulent, López Obrador's followers proclaimed him the Presidente Legitimo (Legitimate President), inaugurated him in a ceremony in the Zócalo and called for the creation of an alternative, parallel government.[90]

 

[Nithavela]

After 16 years beneath Angela Merkel, I can assure you all that just because a woman has the reigns of power in her hand, things don't automatically improve.

What are her politics? How is her track record as a mayor in Mexico City? This is what she should be judged by, instead of her religion or gender.

I hope that the people of Mexico did so.

 

[Nithavela]

While barriers getting broken down is a good thing (meaning, if women were forbidden to lead before, that barrier being broken down is a positive)

But there are other considerations besides checking off demographics boxes.


For instance, if conservative pundit Dave Rubin (who's gay and Jewish) was running for president, would you see it as a good thing he got elected because "Breaking down the barrier, First Gay and First Jewish President"? Or, is it more prudent with regards to breaking down barriers, to perhaps wait for the "right bulldozer" to knock the barrier down, rather than merely celebrating any old bulldozer doing it?


This particular president-elect, Claudia, in Mexico is the protege of the guy who pulled the same garbage Trump did (he just played for the progressive side instead of the conservative side)

Andrés Manuel López Obrador - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In contesting the election, López Obrador and his coalition made several arguments: (a) that President Fox, the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE), a business interest group, and other organizations had illegally interfered in the presidential campaign, which is strictly prohibited by electoral law,[6] thereby providing grounds for election annulment; that (b) that votes were fraudulently tallied on 2 July and afterward; and that (c) there was widespread and significant evidence of electoral irregularities, ranging from stuffed ballot boxes and inconsistent tally reports to improper and illegal handling of the ballot trail and voter intimidation.[86]

López Obrador and his coalition had alleged irregularities in many polling stations and requested a national recount. Ultimately, the TEPJF, in a unanimous vote, ordered a recount of about 9% of the polling stations.[89] The Supreme Court later ruled that the evidence presented did not demonstrate the occurrence of sufficient irregularities to change the election outcome.

In response to this result, in a move reminiscent of Francisco I. Madero declaring himself provisional President of Mexico after calling the 1910 elections against Porfirio Díaz fraudulent, López Obrador's followers proclaimed him the Presidente Legitimo (Legitimate President), inaugurated him in a ceremony in the Zócalo and called for the creation of an alternative, parallel government.[90]

I don't think she should be judged by the actions of another man unless she mirrors them.

But since she seems to have been supported by the former president, it remains to be seen if she is more than just a means for AMLO to continue his politics through a proxy. He probably wouldn't have chosen her if she was fundamentally opposed to his views.

 

[Nithavela]

In the way that’s it’s a historic change for a country that up until now has never been led by a woman. A barrier has been broken in Mexico that still remains to be seen in the United States. The fact the top two candidates are both women only adds to my point.

Would you celebrate a victory of Marine Le Pen in France? France has never been led by a woman.

 

[Pommer]

Mexico elects leftist Claudia Sheinbaum as the first female president in its history​

Claudia Sheinbaum, a U.S.-educated scientist-turned-politician, was elected Sunday as Mexico’s first female president, shattering gender barriers in a country known for a culture of machismo and high rates of violence against women.

The leftist former mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum, 62, will also become the first president of Jewish ancestry in this overwhelmingly Catholic country.

Sheinbaum was elected in landslide fashion, according to preliminary vote counts, which showed her winning with 58% of the vote compared with 30% for her closest rival, Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz [who also would have been the first female president].

Sheinbaum is the protege and hand-picked successor of López Obrador [aka AMLO] ... who under the constitution is limited to a single six year term, is a deeply polarizing figure: Supporters laud him for helping lift millions out of poverty while critics assail him for disregarding democratic norms and failing to curb cartel violence.

When López Obrador was elected mayor of Mexico City in 2000, he launched Sheinbaum’s political career by making her secretary of environment for the capital. [Her academic background is in environmental engineering.]

In the United States, which is home to nearly 11 million people born in Mexico, migrants who in the past were able only to vote in Mexican elections by mail could vote for the first time in person at consulates. In Los Angeles, the line at the Mexican Consulate in MacArthur Park wrapped around the block twice, with some people arriving as early as 4 a.m.

Interesting development (should 45 become 47).

 

[ThatRobGuy]

I don't think she should be judged by the actions of another man unless she mirrors them.

But since she seems to have been supported by the former president, it remains to be seen if she is more than just a means for AMLO to continue his politics through a proxy. He probably wouldn't have chosen her if she was fundamentally opposed to his views.

She did have a Mentor/Protege relationship with him...which should be the concerning part. She was there in the formation of the new political party that he created, and that's the party she's leading now.

It'd be like if Trump started the "MAGA Party" to splinter away and compete against the republicans, and then Kari Lake took the mantle from Trump as head of that party...one wouldn't expect her views and approaches to be radically different than his.

 

[Hans Blaster]

For instance, if conservative pundit Dave Rubin (who's gay and Jewish) was running for president, would you see it as a good thing he got elected because "Breaking down the barrier, First Gay and First Jewish President"? Or, is it more prudent with regards to breaking down barriers, to perhaps wait for the "right bulldozer" to knock the barrier down, rather than merely celebrating any old bulldozer doing it?

Did Dave convert or something? Last I heard he was an atheist.

In Mexico and the US gay people and Jewish people are both small minorities. The election of one of either group to high office is interesting, but frankly kind of random relative to the pool of available politicians. The election of a woman (half the population) finally to this high office is notable and something that every country needs to eventually get to sooner rather than later, but as others noted, the other major candidate was also a woman.

 

[Nithavela]

She did have a Mentor/Protege relationship with him...which should be the concerning part. She was there in the formation of the new political party that he created, and that's the party she's leading now.

It'd be like if Trump started the "MAGA Party" to splinter away and compete against the republicans, and then Kari Lake took the mantle from Trump as head of that party...one wouldn't expect her views and approaches to be radically different than his.

Maybe. I'm still curious about her views and approaches in general. Guess we'll see soon enough.

 

[Landon Caeli]

I think the drudge Report's headline was anti-semitic. There's really no reason to highlight that she's Jewish. She's actually Mexican.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I think the drudge Report's headline was anti-semitic. There's really no reason to highlight that she's Jewish. She's actually Mexican.

How is that different saying "A Jewish woman was elected to a US office when she's actually American?" Why can't she be both Jewish and Mexican?

 

[Landon Caeli]

How is that different saying "A Jewish woman was elected to a US office when she's actually American?" Why can't she be both Jewish and Mexican?

It attracts more "Jews run the world" Jealousy.

Eric Clapton: 'Israel is running the world'

Late last year, Clapton released a song called “Voice of a Child,” accompanied by a video featuring images of extensive destruction in Gaza that ignored the October 7 massacre committed by Hamas.

m.jpost.com

 

[Hans Blaster]

It attracts more "Jews run the world" Jealousy.

Eric Clapton: 'Israel is running the world'

Late last year, Clapton released a song called “Voice of a Child,” accompanied by a video featuring images of extensive destruction in Gaza that ignored the October 7 massacre committed by Hamas.

m.jpost.com

I do find the obsession with Jews (particular the negative ones) to be weird. I frankly don't get it. They are a minor ethnic group/religion. Why so much interest/hatred? (And isn't it confusing that the same term is used for an ethnic group and the practitioners of a religion?) I find myself skipping Clapton a lot lately...

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Did Dave convert or something? Last I heard he was an atheist.

In Mexico and the US gay people and Jewish people are both small minorities. The election of one of either group to high office is interesting, but frankly kind of random relative to the pool of available politicians. The election of a woman (half the population) finally to this high office is notable and something that every country needs to eventually get to sooner rather than later, but as others noted, the other major candidate was also a woman.

I was referring to ethnically Jewish and not religiously...

But that was just an example that popped in my head due to the nature of what was being discussed.

The other post I was replying to (providing a rebuttal against) was the one that was seeming to suggest that "first XYZ to be president" was somehow of greater value than the actual substance of the candidate themselves.

While "breaking down a barrier" is understandably a consideration, but it certainly shouldn't be the primary consideration.

And I don't even think progressives are doing themselves a favor by celebrating it if it's a person who's affiliated with a party that runs afoul of some of their sticking points here domestically.

As I noted, Claudia was the protege of the guy (and was there at the formation of his new party) who pulled the almost identical stunts Trump did with regards to election denial and trying to usurp power when he lost back in 2006. (he first claimed that there were voting irregularities & fraud and that should annul the election results, and when that didn't work in the courts, he and his cronies pitched the idea that they should form a new, parallel government)



But we can pick a different example other than Dave Rubin. If there was a future presidential election between Gavin Newsom and Kari Lake, would a Kari Lake victory draw applause and celebration from progressives here because she "broke down the barrier"?...or would they perhaps view it with more of a "bittersweet" tone?

 

[essentialsaltes]

I think the drudge Report's headline was anti-semitic. There's really no reason to highlight that she's Jewish. She's actually Mexican.

I mean, my headline highlights that she's both a woman and Jewish.

Drudge used a lot fewer words so it does look kind of blunt and inelegant. Not that I care to defend Drudge, but just based on that I don't see any antisemitism.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I was referring to ethnically Jewish and not religiously...

But that was just an example that popped in my head due to the nature of what was being discussed.

The other post I was replying to (providing a rebuttal against) was the one that was seeming to suggest that "first XYZ to be president" was somehow of greater value than the actual substance of the candidate themselves.

While "breaking down a barrier" is understandably a consideration, but it certainly shouldn't be the primary consideration.

Sure.

And I don't even think progressives are doing themselves a favor by celebrating it if it's a person who's affiliated with a party that runs afoul of some of their sticking points here domestically.

As I noted, Claudia was the protege of the guy (and was there at the formation of his new party) who pulled the almost identical stunts Trump did with regards to election denial and trying to usurp power when he lost back in 2006. (he first claimed that there were voting irregularities & fraud and that should annul the election results, and when that didn't work in the courts, he and his cronies pitched the idea that they should form a new, parallel government)



But we can pick a different example other than Dave Rubin. If there was a future presidential election between Gavin Newsom and Kari Lake, would a Kari Lake victory draw applause and celebration from progressives here because she "broke down the barrier"?...or would they perhaps view it with more of a "bittersweet" tone?

I'm not sure "first crazy President" is a "milestone" we should be celebrating.

 

[FireDragon76]

How is that different saying "A Jewish woman was elected to a US office when she's actually American?" Why can't she be both Jewish and Mexican?

It's extraordinary. Especially as Latin American countries historically didn't have many Jews (Spain didn't at all for many centuries, except as conversos).

However, maybe it's not a good thing to make too much of a person being a Jew, given the history of anti-semitism.

Did Dave convert or something? Last I heard he was an atheist.

Many people identify as both Jewish and atheist. Some even observe some of the holy days or customs. Believing and practice aren't necessarily axiomatically linked: in Judaism, practice tends to persist after belief, not vice versa.