In one single sense, President Andrés López-Obrador reminds me of President Trump.  People either love or hate him.  Many in the middle class and business sector call him names not suitable for this page.  On the other hand, the poor believe he will change Mexico, especially all of the corruption embedded in the system.

We saw a bit of this over the last few days.

First, "El Presidente" said the movie Roma was evidence of "racismo" in Mexico.  He said this:

Asked if he agreed with Cuaron that Mexican society remains rife with racist prejudice, the veteran leftist did not mince his words.

"I completely agree.  Unfortunately, there is a lot of racism in Mexico," he said.

Lopez Obrador, who in the 1970s worked for the indigenous affairs bureau in his home state of Tabasco in southern Mexico, has pledged to give priority to the poor as president.

This is pure pandering!  Yes, it is true that many Mexican families have maids.  Yes, it is also true that most of these women come from very poor areas of the country.  At the same time, most of these "muchachas," as Mexicans call them, live inside the homes and get many benefits, from school to medical care, paid by the family.  In other words, it is wrong to say this is a sign of racism.  I'd rather call it a sign of poverty.

Then "El Presidente" got really silly.  He announced this:

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says his administration has auctioned off most of the bulletproof and luxury vehicles used by past presidents.

Lopez Obrador has eschewed the traditional trappings of power since taking office on Dec.1.  He uses a compact Volkswagen car and refuses to live in the sprawling presidential residence compound, instead remaining in a middle-class condo.

He has pledged to sell off the presidential jet and instead uses commercial flights.  He also disbanded Mexico's equivalent of the Secret Service.

This is stupid, to say the least.  López-Obrador is not saving any money at all by selling bulletproof cars or the presidential jet.  He is also exposing himself, his family, and people who travel with him to an attack.

Last, but not least, a couple of Mexican friends told me they think the bit about bulletproof cars is just talk and will never happen.

We will see, but López-Obrador is turning into the Mexican version of Sandy O.

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