Somewhat jokingly, I posted that there was something was missing when discussing the similarities between Morena front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum, and the opposition coalition “Va por Mexico” group, Xochitl Galvez. Both being engineers with long political and professional pedigrees, both members of minorites (Sheanbaum is Jewish, Galvez Otomí) and… gee… what?

Their economic policies, of course!

Translated (more or less) from Sabina Berman, “Xóchitl o Claudia”, El Universal, 2 July 2023

The race for the presidency is shaping up not bad at all. If recent poll number hold up, it will be a contest between two Women.

Two women who are also noted, unusually among the usual crowd of corrupt politicians, for a sense of thenics.

Furthermore, two women with hearts on the Left.

Both embrace ethnic and sexual diversity —and both recognize that Mexico owes an enormous debt to the poor— and therefore see a need for not just continuing, but expanding the social safty net.

What’s somehat ironic is that the salvation of the Right lies with a woman, something of a triumph for the Left, in that it is something the right fought for a century.

And yet it is important to clear up the idea that Claudia and Xóchitl are twins. That you can just choose the one who think is nicer, and the results will be the same.

They are not the same — and their biggest difference is not minor, it is the economic model that each one would favor if they became president.

Xóchitl puts it like this:

“I agree with López Obrador that poverty must be ended. I differ in method.”

I asked her about her method. specifically, “Would you raise taxes on the oligarchy to also distribute that wealth downwards?

“No,” she replied. “I would ask employers to increase wages. There is no better wealth distribution system than that, fair wages .”

Would Galvez then, as president, intervene with employers? Her reply was a simple, unequivocable “No,”

And from the context of the conversation it was understood that Xóchitl believes the Free Market by itself will increase wages.

“You have to grow the blanket,” [an untranslatable metaphor, more or less “a rising tide lifts all boats”] as she said in another interview.

In other words, according to her, wealth must grow and then it will be enough for everyone. That has been the promise of Neoliberalism in a nutshell.

In contrast, Claudia Sheinbaum does not believe in the spontaneous generosity of entrepreneurs or the Free Market.

Let’s be honest, who can, in a country like ours, where after 36 years of Neoliberalism, 356 families have more money than the other 112 million citizens?

Claudia rather considers that the duty of the State is to intervene “to guarantee all citizens a base for well-being ” in her words.

The proposed model is therefore the Welfare State. Grow the state via the Free Market, while the state provides free –or cheap– services to everyone: health, education, day care, electricity, water, housing, public transport. That is, to give an even floor to the entire population, regardless of social class, to ensure everyone equally a dignified life.

Neoliberalism with social aid (Xóchitl) or the modern Left (Claudia): the option that is emerging is that simple.

As for their sex —being both women— it is up to the voters not to be myopic or romantic. No, it is not enough to have a female president, for the women of the country to benefit. We must demand that they state their feminist projects and compare them.

What has Xóchitl done for women? And if she became president, what would she do?

We know Claudia’ ‘s pro-woman public policies from her governance of Mexico City. Extensive actions with encrypted results*. How much can she expand that into a national project to eradicate misogynistic violence and to finally give women a level playing field?

But, when all is said and done, it is not bad at all how the contest is shaping up. It’s good that we don’t have to choose between the lesser of two corruptos. Or between a illiterate feminist and the fascist . Or between [again, a paraphrase] AIDS and cancer.

At least according to this week’s polls, the level of the contest has risen. The air is becoming clearer, and the electoral option more dignified.

• Not exactly clear what Berman means here… although she seems to be implying that Mexico City policies, especially in public security have led to some better statistics when it comes to crimes against women, and to more women in public office.