 |
|
|
 Editorials | Opinions | June 2006 
U.S. Should Look to Fox's Successor
 Maria Elena Salinas - northjersey.com
| | "The U.S. should be preparing the welcome mat for its new partner, neighbor and amigo." |
President Vicente Fox's recent visit to the United States didn't go unnoticed. From his controversial speech at the Utah Legislature to his meetings with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, his every word made headlines on both sides of the border.
The official word from Los Pinos, Mexico's presidential palace, was that Fox was responding to invitations pending since 2002. He not only met with elected officials but also with business leaders and members of the Mexican community. But it was the timing of his visit - in the middle of the Senate's debate on immigration reform - that raised questions about whether or not he was trying to influence the vote. After all, there is a lot at stake for the Mexican president. The highlight of his foreign policy has been reaching an immigration accord with the United States, and with one foot out the door, he needs to protect his legacy.
Even though more than 4 million Mexicans left their country during his presidency, Fox cannot solely be blamed for the immigration debacle. It is true that he did not create the 1 million jobs that he promised during his campaign to generate, but Mexican immigrants have been crossing the northern border since long before Fox came to power.
The United States should forget about Fox. In less than a month Mexicans will be electing a new head of state. It will be the winner of the presidential elections on July 2 whom the United States will have to deal with regarding immigration, not Fox.
In this horse race, there are three candidates with a chance of winning. And all three of them - Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party (PAN), Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and Roberto Madrazo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) - claim to have the formula for resolving the immigration crisis: Create jobs, more jobs and even more jobs.
Calderon said that he wants to build a positive relationship with the United States without, in his words, "bowing down to Americans." He will be a president who is against building walls, and will be one who will generate the jobs needed in Mexico to help solve the immigration problem.
Calderon is not the only candidate who wants to turn Mexico into a country that stops exporting its people. "Our country is emptying out, our towns are emptying out - they only have women, children and elderly people," said Lopez Obrador during an interview with my colleague Jorge Ramos. The PRD candidate said it is a paradox that in the regions in Mexico with more natural resources, people should feel the need to leave because they cannot work. It is necessary, he said, to reactivate the country's productivity.
Madrazo, whose party governed Mexico for more than seven decades, wants to stop the exodus of migrants not only by creating jobs - he promises to create 9 million jobs in six years - but also by providing financial incentives. "There would be no income tax for those who earn between 6,000 and 10,000 pesos," he proposed (that's the equivalent of $600 to $1,000 a month).
In the heated presidential race in Mexico, it is promises time, and the immigration issue is just as hot there as it is on this side of the border. The United States should be watching this election as closely as Mexican voters will be. In a few months, Fox will become just another Mexican citizen. He will return to his home state of Guanajuato, put on his cowboy boots and hat, and go horseback riding with his wife, Martha. From that point on, history will be the judge of his legacy. In the meantime, the U.S. should be preparing the welcome mat for its new partner, neighbor and amigo. Let's hope he fares better than Fox did.
Maria Elena Salinas is the author of "I am My Father's Daughter: Living a Life Without Secrets." Reach her at www.mariaesalinas.com |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us