June 3, 2024

"So many senior positions in government here are held by women that gender wasn’t a big topic in the presidential race...."

"[T]here was nothing like the sense of anticipation that accompanied Hillary Clinton’s presidential run in 2016. 'For most of the population, the gender theme isn’t all that important in and of itself,' said Lorena Becerra, a prominent pollster. 'We had already internalized the idea that the next president would be a woman.'... Sheinbaum’s gender hasn’t attracted much fanfare in part because her political career has developed in López Obrador’s shadow. During the campaign, the low-key Sheinbaum emphasized she would continue the policies of the popular leader.... About 25 percent of voters surveyed during the presidential campaign, for example, said it would be harder for a woman to address problems of security or organized crime. There was almost no difference on issues like health or the economy. But it was difficult to gauge whether Sheinbaum’s gender helped or hurt her in the election because her top competitor was also female.... Sabina Berman, a writer and feminist who supports López Obrador’s Morena party, said... 'In every household, in every classroom across the country, the idea that a woman exists to serve and please a man is going to crumble'...."

From "How Mexico, bastion of machismo, got a female president before the U.S./The election of Claudia Sheinbaum caps a decades-long campaign for gender parity in politics, a key element of the country’s transition to democracy" (WaPo).

36 comments:

iowan2 said...

Hard to get my head around the facts that the Mexican cartels run the Nation of Mexico, using terrorism. How many Judges have been murdered by the cartels? How many in Federal, State, and local law enforcement? Politicians, at all level of governments.

Mexico has a real problem with the cartels. Mexico can't Govern.

But we somehow have the time to count, males and females, like it means something in the middle of the crisis? That's a sure way to guarantee, a more rapid decline of the Nation.

rhhardin said...

With a woman as president Mexico will have even more bloodshed.

Enigma said...

A kinder, gentler president or more of the same?

Mexico's economy has long been shaped by:

* US tourism
* US retirees
* Drug warlords and drug running to the north
* Migrant smuggling to the north

I think a plurality of US voters want all of this to continue as is, and Mexico surely hasn't changed...so...Mexico continues as a US tool?

Steven said...

A female president in Mexico is a meaningless metric since the visible political system answers to the drug cartels. When women start heading the drug cartels, then I will be impressed.

tim maguire said...

They actually stopped nattering on about "firsts" when they stopped being notable?

What an interesting approach. I wonder if it would work here.

John henry said...

Jennifer Gonzales, currently resident commissioner, won the New Progressive Party primary yesterday. She eat the sitting governor also npp, 56 to 44 or so.

Will probably be next governernor of Puerto Rico

John Henry

West TX Intermediate Crude said...

With a name like Sheinbaum, she has to be an oppressor.
Where are the street protests, the tent encampments, the riots?
Does Mexico have AWFLs?

JAORE said...

Oh boy, El Presidente has a vagina.

All is well.

My gawd we focus on the stupidest crap.

Christopher B said...

Indiri Ghandi, Golda Meir, and Margaret Thatcher would like a word on whether female leaders can address problems of security or organized crime.

Aggie said...

So in a semi-chaotic 3rd world nation that's being run by human trafficking and drug cartels, the election process is still head & shoulders above ours when it comes to Voter ID and balloting audit trail. Interesting, eh? Don't be thinking about Red Waves.

Achilles said...

Women should be careful about being used liked this.

People are going to make judgements about their fitness to participate in politics.

Rocco said...

JAORE said...
"Oh boy, El Presidente has a vagina."

Only if he is trans (which is not the case here).

Randomizer said...

Perhaps in Mexico, the female candidates are competent. When a US candidate's diversity is promoted as a positive attribute, that is usually all they have to offer.

Sebastian said...

"her political career has developed in López Obrador’s shadow"

Quite a feminist victory then. But, that shadow is gone now? Like, with Joe and Barry?

Anyway, what are the chances that she'll turn out to be less foolishly socialist?

Tom T. said...

Waiting to see the first female cartel leader.

n.n said...

Gender (i.e. sex-correlated attributes) : eyes up here, misogynists. Diversity breeds adversity. #HateLovesAbortion

n.n said...

The first feminine Sanger. The first feminine Cecile. The first feminine Mengele cum Levine. The first feminine diversitist. The first feminine Obama cum Biden. Maybe. We'll have to observe her progress.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Narayanan said...

many mayors of Mexico City became billionaires.
is La Presidenta ?
if not may be less corrupt?

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
CJinPA said...

'In every household, in every classroom across the country, the idea that a woman exists to serve and please a man is going to crumble'...."

We've seen this movie. Kids will pay the price.

Candide said...

“Sheinbaum’s gender hasn’t attracted much fanfare in part because her political career has developed in López Obrador’s shadow.”

But in US Hillary’s gender attracted much fanfare while all she was a long suffering wife of philandering Bill.

Leland said...

+1 to Tim

Tina Trent said...

Women have their own style of feminine machismo in Mexican culture. It used to be a big feature among white ethnics here in America, too. Why any newspaper would frame an election analysis this way is hamfisted.

Josephbleau said...

She certainly won’t be any worse than what they have had, nor any different. Mexico is for the wealthy and the criminal. Everything else is posturing.

John henry said...

Prez Sheinbaum's grandparents emigrated to Mexico from Lithuania (paternal, askenazi) and Bulgaria (maternal, sephardic)

She and parents all born in Mexico.

So is she "hispanic" or "latina"?

And, because she is Mexican, does that make her "brown"? Would she be a "person of color" in the us?

John Henry

John henry said...

I'd never heard of her before today so all I know is learned from a few minutes in Wikipedia.

Mother was a biologist and prof, father was a chemical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur.

She has Undergrad degree in physics. Doctorate in energy engineering.

That and her parents is enough to make me want to like her right there.

As I say, opinion based on 3 minutes in Wikipedia and subject to change.

But so far, so good.

John Henry

John henry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John henry said...

Based on Wikipedia and her studies she does not seem like a woman to get ahead on DEI. she looks like someone who has worked to get ahead.

Good for her! We need more women (and men) like that.

Congratulations!

Otoh, México. A basic assumption has to be that she is corrupt to some degree until shown different.

Perhaps she will be an exception. One can hope

John Henry

John henry said...

Full disclosure:father and grandfather of chemical engineers. I have a soft spot for engineers of any flavor

John Henry

RCOCEAN II said...

Amazed how childish and silly so much of our elite media is. Who gives a fuck if she's a women. What are her policies? What is she going to do about crime in Mexico? IS she going to help us secure the southern border?

Some rich Mexican owns a lot of NYT's stock, so their coverage of Mexico ranges from the absurd (Yay we got a wimmen President) to superficial. You would never know from reading the NYT's what the political parties in Mexico stand for or how they are dealing with the problems plaguing that country.

I mean its not important - unlike Israel.

D.D. Driver said...

Is it just me or is it strange that the name of the President of Mexico is Claudia Sheinbaum but the headline is that she is a woman and not that the name of the President of Mexico is Claudia Sheinbaum (which personally is the more surprising part).

I wonder what President CeeCee will do now that he was voted out of office? He really bungled that thing in Gaza. Time to bring in President Scheinbaum.

D.D. Driver said...

Also, how funny would it be if Trump was re-elected and trolled the gendermaniacs by declaring himself a woman for a single day then daring the history books to recognize him as the First Woman President.

I bet the very next day there would suddenly be new rules about who is "allowed" to call themselves a woman and who we may safely ignore.

Ampersand said...

The time is near when claims of evil male supremacy will resonate only with people who stand to get money or power from the claims. Sadly,that seems to be a significant fraction of the population.

Craig Mc said...

Then, in four years time... "That wasn't real feminism!"

MadTownGuy said...

JAORE said...

"Oh boy, El Presidente has a vagina."

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) was always referenced on the South American press as "La Presidenta." Other, less complimentary terms sometimes applied.