Polling Paradox

Jorge Buendía observes that, despite a deteriorating security climate and some very dark clouds on the economic horizon, Felipe Calderón remains quite popular. How to explain this head-scratcher? Buendía says that Mexicans have adapted their assessments of the presidency to a democratic era. In other words, whereas 60 years ago Miguel Alemán pulled virtually all of the nation's essential security and economic levers, not all of today's bad news is Calderón's fault, and people realize that.