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This is a quite fascinating presidential race. I'm reminded of Rafael Correa's win in Ecuador. He came from behind, got even with the banana billionaire, then, weeks before the election, reporters asked Correa what he thought of Hugo Chavez's comparison of Bush Jr. to "the devil" at the UN. Correa replied that it was "an insult to the devil"--and his numbers soared. He won a huge victory (60% range, if I recall correctly). I don't know if it was ever established that that was what won him the election by such a big margin, but I don't think it was a coincidence.
Humala doesn't have such a hated enemy (Bush Jr) to push his numbers up, but if Keiko comes in second, there is, of course, her father's bloody dictatorship. I can't imagine that most Peruvians want to go there again. But it does look like the fascist right and the "free trade for the rich" right could gang up on Humala, especially possible if Toledo or PPK comes in second. A lot will depend on whether the Indigenous voters make the effort they did, for Humala, last time around, when they mobilized for Humala as a consequence of Evo Morales' and Hugo Chavez's endorsements, especially Morales (first Indigenous president of neighboring Bolivia). The corpo-fascist press, of course, got it backwards. They said those endorsements lost Humala the election, and they're still saying it--but the numbers say otherwise. Of course the corpo-fascist press doesn't give a crap about numbers or facts. They never explained where Humala got a 15% bump from, in the final round--that almost won him the presidency--after he knocked the rightwing candidate out of the race in the preliminary. He surely did not get those votes from the right. They had to have been Indigenous votes, inspired mostly by Morales. But it looks like the corpo-fascist press might have succeeded, anyway, in spooking Humala (and maybe Morales and Chavez). I HOPE that Humala is NOT responding fearfully to this fear tactic, no doubt scripted in Langley.
The poor understand the situation in South America better than anyone. They KNOW how important these alliances among leftist leaders are--to the common goals of social justice, democracy, peaceful change and the future of the region. Together they will succeed; divided they will get shafted yet again. I think Humala should play up the importance of regional alliances with leaders like Morales and Chavez. I think it would motivate the voters--the poor, the Indigenous, the rural--who have difficulty voting and getting out of the vote. Just my two cents. Humala seems to be doing fine without my advice. He does have the corpo-fascist media, the CIA, the USAID and other such dangerous powers to consider. Unfortunately, elections are not just about the voters and what they want--neither there nor here. Elections are subject to malevolent influences--very powerful, very wealthy malevolent influences, including people and agencies funded by you and me and other U.S. taxpayers who are completely unaccountable to you and me and other taxpayers. Those forces have a HUGE stake in the outcome of this election.
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