Voices of Mexico no. 71

Our Voice

George W. Bush's reelection was not a big surprise for many. Even though broad sectors of world public opinion preferred John Kerry, the president imposed himself thanks to a strategy that captured historically abstentionist voters and represented an important segment of the conservative population. In the last stages of the campaign, Bush's strategist Karl Rove bet on appealing to evangelical Christians with an ad hoc message that countered some of the more moderate positions among the U.S. public, and the results in Ohio, among other places, showed it. Among these sectors of the public are those who are against abortion, gay marriage and uncontrolled and even regulated immigration.

The state of bilateral and trilateral relations in North America cannot be analyzed beyond the margins of the current political situation in the United States. Two major issues should be emphasized here. Mexico has not been capable of doing effective lobbying in Washington or negotiating at home to convince the central political actors (particularly legislators) that its cause should be taken into account. This means that it has been impossible to effectively negotiate the basis for a platform that would lead to substantive accords, particularly with reference to the undocumented Mexican population in the U.S., which increases daily.