Impromptus

Populists in power, &c.

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Mexico’s president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum and the country’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador speak during a military parade to celebrate Independence Day, Mexico City, September 16, 2024. (Raquel Cunha / Reuters)
On Mexico, Japan, Hezbollah, China, Eric Adams, Donald Trump, a perfect game in football, and more

Mexico has a new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, a protégé of the outgoing president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, otherwise known as “AMLO.” AMLO is a populist, a populist par excellence. He is a bewitcher of the masses, and a dispenser of money — fistfuls of money to favored constituencies.

I have a friend in New York, a Mexican American. He is not especially political. But one day he said to me, “You know, people say a lot of bad things about AMLO, but he does at least one thing good: He gives people money.” Yes, he does, in Big Daddy fashion (selective).

In 2020, I went to Mexico City and talked with Enrique Krauze, the eminent historian — and an eminent advocate of ordered liberty. He has written about populism, and other isms, at length. One of his books is El poder y el delirio — “Power and Delirium” — about Hugo Chávez, maybe the foremost populist of them all.

For my piece about Krauze, published in two parts, go here and here.

Obviously, President López Obrador is no fan of Enrique Krauze, and vice versa. Two days ago, a Mexican journalist, José Díaz Briseño, noted how many times AMLO had mentioned Krauze — for “mentioned,” you can read “attacked” — during his six years as president: 474.

A higher tribute to Krauze, I could not imagine.


More in Populism

• Let’s pause for some language. Above, I referred to President Sheinbaum as a “protégé” of López Obrador. Should I have written “protégée,” because Sheinbaum is a woman? Writing in English, should we refer to a man as a “fiancé” but a woman as a “fiancée”?

Strangely enough, our common spelling is “fiancée” for either a man or a woman. And, in French, “fiancée” is feminine. Yet our common spelling for “protégé” is just that — a masculine form.

What should English-writers do? Frankly, I think it’s “fielder’s choice” — an English-writer may opt as he will. In French, however, the rules are clear-cut.

• There is a new head of state in Japan too — and the headline over this article reads, “Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s newly elected prime minister, forms Cabinet with emphasis on defense.” After World War II, almost no one wanted Japan to be military-minded. Same with Germany, obviously. Yet today is different.

I wrote about this issue back in 2017, in joint articles — here (Japan) and here (Germany). The overall heading: “Calls to Arms.”

In 2011, Radek Sikorski, then the foreign minister of Poland — as he is again today — made a famous statement. Speaking in Berlin, he said, “I will probably be the first Polish foreign minister in history to say so, but here it is: I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity.”

• A word about the Middle East: The defeat — the complete defeat — of Hezbollah and Hamas would be a boon to Israelis and Arabs alike. The downfall of the dictatorship in Tehran would be a particular boon — to the whole world. Much evil has flowed from the Khomeinists’ triumph in 1979. It has been 45 years. I look forward to their downfall — their descent into oblivion.

• From the Financial Times:

China has accused the parent company of Calvin Klein of boycotting cotton from its western Xinjiang region, threatening for the first time to put a US company with significant interests in the country on a national security blacklist.

A badge of honor, for Calvin Klein. May the company hold firm.

(To read that full article, go here.)

• “The British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong Betrays British Values.” That is the heading over a statement from a noble organization, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. That statement condemns the Chamber of Commerce — “BritCham” —

for its disgraceful decision to invite John Lee, a sanctioned individual under U.S. law, and Chinese Communist Party enforcer Cui Jianchun as keynote speakers at the BritCham Hong Kong 2024 Summit on September 24. BritCham has not only betrayed its principles but turned its back on core British values of democracy and the rule of law.

People in unfree countries want the help, need the help, of people in free countries. Least of all do they want people in free countries to aid and abet the oppressors.

• About Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, there are many things to say. I will make a general statement: I am grateful to live in a country that holds politicians accountable for corruption — at least much of the time. This is a relatively rare thing in the world, not to be taken for granted.

• Between Adams and Donald Trump, there is a kinship. Trump will tell you:

• A story out of Charleston, W.V., is interesting and, I think, moving:

West Virginia’s new drug czar has a very personal reason for wanting to end the state’s opioid crisis: He was once addicted to prescription painkillers himself.

Dr. Stephen Loyd, who has been treating patients with substance-use disorder since he got sober two decades ago, says combating opioid addiction in the state with the highest rate of overdose deaths isn’t just his job. It’s an integral part of his healing.

(Full article here.)

• Again, listen to Donald Trump:

A question: Are Republicans quite comfortable with this? No matter what they say to others — because a group dynamic is almost all-powerful — are they quite comfortable, within themselves?

• Trump told people suffering from the effects of Hurricane Helene that Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia (a Republican), had not been able to get President Biden on the phone. That, of course, was a lie, as Governor Kemp confirmed. (To read about this, go here.)

“Well, it’s just politics,” you might say. But it inflames and embitters our already-inflamed and -embittered country.

• If you’re looking for a stand-up Republican, look to Mike DeWine: “ ‘Just Not Right’: A GOP Governor Confronts Trump’s Lies.” That is the headline over an article by Jonathan Martin, for Politico. (J-Mart worked for a time here at National Review.) I have been impressed by DeWine since he succeeded Howard Metzenbaum in the Senate, all those years ago (30).

• It was in 1978, I believe, that I first saw Maggie Smith. She was in California Suite, the Neil Simon movie, adapted from his play. Fifteen-year-old me loved the way she talked. I always would. To read her obit in the New York Times, go here. A brilliant, lovable actress. She has been with us — most of us, I suppose — all of our lives.

• Would you like another language item? Let’s make this one courtesy of Paul Graham:

God save the English language. Actually, let’s save it our own damn selves, with confidence and discernment.

• I had heard of perfect games in baseball — perfect games thrown by pitchers. I had never heard of a perfect game in football. “Lions erupt behind perfect game from Jared Goff, hand Seahawks their first loss in offensive showcase.” (Article here.) Goff is the quarterback of (my) Detroit Lions. He completed 18 of 18 passes.

Mainly, he, and the Lions, got the “W,” the win.

• Stay on this theme: W’s and L’s (for “losses”). This headline is terribly clever, painful as it may be for certain Chicagoans: “2024 Chicago White Sox: One L of a season.” (Story here.)

• A powerful story out of Michigan: “Michigan State football’s Armorion Smith is raising 5 siblings since his mother’s death.” Smith is 21 years old. “My cards were given to me,” he says. He is playing them. The things that some people face . . .

• “81-year-old South Korean falls short in a bid to become oldest Miss Universe contestant.” Age discrimination! Rearing its head again! Seriously, though, Choi Soon-hwa is a beautiful woman, as a photo over this article proves.

• We haven’t had any music yet. Let’s end with this news story: “Cities are using sheep to graze in urban landscapes and people love it.” I think of J. S. Bach, more specifically of his cantata catalogued as BWV 208, more specifically of an aria from it: “Sheep may safely graze.” Listen here. And thanks so much for joining me today.

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