Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
While Milei arrived as a political outsider, Sheinbaum is the product of secret political agreements. While Milei is considered far right, the current Sheinbaum represents far left. And yet, listening to them speak and proclaim, they are remarkably similar.
One such important and worrying example for democratic societies is their similar stance on freedom of the press. From day one, both Milei and Obrador operate against freedom of the press, as they consider that opinions contrary to theirs come from conspiracies and coup attitudes.
The 4T has raged against journalists and their media when they express opinions that go against the apostolate of their government. Since Obrador considers himself attired with signs of idyl and epic heroism, he justifies attacking and destroying those who express opinions different from his own because they go against the epic idyl that his leadership represents and the sublime historical purpose he supposedly stands for.
The Mexican government expressed its displeasure with the media’s handling of information…disappearing its own organ of dissemination, the Notimex news agency. In order to do so, it has allowed the wear and tear of almost 5 years of strikes by the workers of that activity without the least intention of allowing it to operate as a useful instrument for the dissemination of government activities. He has preferred to violate the labor rights of Notimex workers than to allow them the possibility of competing with the presidential mañanera. Nothing and no one is allowed to compete with the presidential mañanera.
The federal government’s permanent attack against journalists is directly related to the murder of so many journalists during this six-year term. This is confirmed by all national and international bodies dedicated to the defense of journalists’ rights and the protection of freedom of expression.
The height of the visibilization of this regime’s contempt for freedom of the press was perceived when neither Obrador, nor Sheinbaum nor the Chancellor attended the meeting of the Inter-American Press Association recently held in Mexico City. The comment among those attending the event from all over the region was that only dictators do not attend IAPA meetings. His non-attendance is a bitter reminder of the 4T’s contempt for the media.
In the case of Milei something similar happens. All criticisms against him or his project are considered coup attempts by the “lefties”. He attacks anyone who dares to criticize or disagree with his opinion.
Next, and following the Obradorist script, he intends to cancel all State-owned media in Argentina.
Although they use different words, both presidents attack and strip the State of all its institutions and public goods that serve as a balance between society and government. The clear objective is to destroy everything that represents, according to their criteria, an unnecessary expense. Thus, while Obrador eliminates everything that defends women and children from the plunder of their aggressors and destroys the institutions of education and scientific research, accusing them of corruption, Milei proposes to do the same for the sake of saving money.
The language of the 4T is about “austerity,” while, in his case, Milei speaks of the virtues of “savings”. But for all practical purposes, they are talking and saying the same thing. They dynamite institutions without regard, far from any concern for leaving broad layers of society unprotected.
Their glorification of the force of arms is similar. While the 4T militarizes society, contrary to any intellectual and political tradition of the left, Milei and his Vice President claim the supremacy of the forces of law and order, in line with the Argentine right-wing traditions of using the Armed Forces as an instrument of control and submission of the citizenry.
Again, the language between the Mexican government and the new Argentine government is apparently different, but has the same intention of exalting the military forces as a dike to contain any discontent with their respective administrations that may arise in their societies.
His economic policies will have the same monopolistic and wealth-concentrating effect, while they do not solve the dismal distribution of national income. Obrador is creating a large economic consortium in the hands of the armed forces that will literally suck public resources for the next 40 years. The debt from the cancellation of the Texcoco airport and the debt acquired by this government commits vast public resources to its repayment.
But something worse is going to happen: the subsidies to maintain Dos Bocas, the military airports, its hotel chains and the military trains will also commit the public budget for the next 40 years. In other words, Obrador’s policy is to decide, as of now, the priorities of public spending for the next 40 years of the nation’s life. It takes the country to a very significant economic precipice. It is a veiled form of privatization of public goods disguised as a patriotic handing over of wealth to the armed forces.
Milei intends to take Argentina to the same precipice but with a different language. He wants to sell public assets, but not to the armed forces like AMLO, but to the private sector. He wants to sell public services to the private sector, such as transportation, reduce spending on education and health, and the energy sector. In essence, “sell all saleable public goods” to the private sector. In reality, both presidents privatize public goods but by different routes.
AMLO destroys health and education through the figure of budget reductions. He refuses to spend “his” money on the recovery of Acapulco and demands that it be through ” each person’s own” effort and resources.
Milei is, strictly speaking, more honest: he openly says that he is going to privatize health and education, as scandalous as it may sound. AMLO covers up his destruction of educational and health public goods with the argument of austerity for the “benefit of the people”. Milei says that the same act in Argentina is saving for the good of the nation.
Two false prophets who speak an apparently different language and with different concepts but end up governing in the same way, producing similar results. The “lefty” and the “ultra” are kindred spirits, both willing to dynamite the public assets of their countries, with the justification that they know what is best for everyone. And no one is allowed to disagree.
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