The dirty campaign has arrived
This photo from El Faro shows the early start of campaign tactics heading towards 2009 national elections in El Salvador. The signs appearing on trees and posts in San Salvador speak of "FMLN 2009 -- El Salvador Chavista ," a reference to Hugo Chavez, the outspoken leftist leader of Venezuela. The FMLN says these signs are not part of its campaign, instead they appear to be part of the right's play book to tie the FMLN in the public's mind to Venezuela and Cuba (not very hard to do given the FMLN's traditional admiration of Chavez and Castro). ARENA hopes to play on fears of how the US would react to a government in El Salvador tied to Venezuela.
Comments
And you believe them?
All you have to do is visit the official FMLN website to get a taste of their Chavismo! Their words, not mine:
integration with lefty organizations of Venezuela
infinite thanks to Venezuela right at the top of their VP Candidate's Nomination Acceptance
we celebrate the great victory of Chavez
I mean, on just what basis do you even take the FMLN at its word here, that you title this post "the dirty campaign has arrived"?
You concede that "not very hard to do given the FMLN's traditional admiration of Chavez", yet at the same time you title the post as if somehow the FMLN were truly the "victim" of a campaign.
Sorry, but based on available evidence, your post looks as if you are carrying water for one side here.
I mean, the least to be done here is re-title "has a dirty campaign arrived?"
I was just repeating what El Faro put in its article. I do believe that the FMLN is not responsible for the signs, but as you point and my post points out -- there is a ring of truth to them. The challenge for Funes, if the FMLN is going to capture voters outside of its traditional base of 25-30%, will be to define a leftist government that is uniquely Salvadoran and not identical to the Castro/Chavez program. It's not clear that is going to happen.
Making the FMLN out to be dupes of a foreign power (Venezuela, which the US has predictably deemed a threat to "freedom") just happens to be a central strategy of the US State Department. And you can bet we'll see those same threats aimed at blackmailing the Salvadoran populace into voting against their interests and for ARENA again.
To claim that it is the FMLN's platform that needs work is to fall into the US/ARENA propaganda trap promoted during and after the 2004 elections: that Schafik Handal and the FMLN are dinosaurs and no longer relevant to the Salvadoran experience. I'm confindent that this election campaign will prove that it's not who the FMLN runs but what the FMLN stands for that makes US imperialism and ARENA determined to defeat the FMLN by any means necessary.
Keeping the US influence out of the elections is the real challenge for the FMLN.
I guess now we know that blogger's true colors! Most of the time he wants to portray himself as a neutral salvadorenio. What a shame!
http://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/2001/9/18/NACIONAL/nacio8.html
The Wall Street Journal, 9/26/01: In few places were the odious passions inspired by Sept. 11 as distastefully exhibited as in San Salvador, where the leftist FMLN –the political party of former Marxist guerrillas -- led American flag burnings, rampaged in the streets and celebrated the terrorists.
Teresa Guevara de López, 9/30/01: "this singular demonstration that supported the terrorist attacks against the U.S. and desecrated its flag"
EDH, 9/16/01:The President of the Republic reacted against the flag burning last Saturday during an FMLN demonstration
Now is that rational?
I invite you to feel free to admit that your views favor El Salvador's left. It's quite alright...it is, after all, YOUR blog.
Moreover, your argument that El Salvador's left would be "uniquely Salvadoran." is a toss in the air.
Cuba, Venezuela, China, The Soviet Union...are they not each unique in their own right?
An FMLN win has the potential to isolate El Salvador from the rest of the free world, which could result in an economic downturn.
I will be honest. I am neither an ARENA, nor an FMLN supporter. I believe in balance.
I don't like labels like "right" and "left." I'll let what I write here on the blog speak for my views. Obviously I am no fan of ARENA, but I don't think the FMLN has all the answers either. For the record, I think the sign in the photo above is misleading and hence "dirty" because it suggests it was put up by the FMLN and I don't believe it was.
It is perfectly acceptable to campaign against the FMLN by saying that the FMLN will try to model El Salvador after Chavez' Venezuela -- that's a valid criticism. It is incumbent on Funes and the Frente to be clear about which elements of "Chavismo" they would try to adopt and which ones they would not. As E-V points out above, the past public statements of the Frente would lead you to believe they would like to impose much of the "bolivarian revolution" on El Salvador.
If they were really thinking, they would be exploiting the ignorant by talking about the cutting off of remesas from the states like they always do in past elections. They usually pull that one out of their ass as a last ditch effort,
oh ya and flood money into these new pop up parties a few months before elections to spread the vote out and having arena win by 1%.
anyways:
I believe four years ago, the ambassador for the U.S openly said,that he would have supported the FMLN. Of course, this was after ARENA was announced the victor. What the FMLN has to do, is get a hold of that rally tape and play it like a mariah carrey video.