Merino on Null Votes and on W's Legacy in 15 Words

Mauricio Merino offers his opinion of the null-vote campaign:

The annulment militants have told us, time and again, that they only want to express their discomfort with the situation in which we find ourselves. That they don't want to contradict democracy. And not only have they managed for various days to make their proposal a cause of debate (with which they already achieved their fundamental goal), but also that the elections of 2009 will probably be remembered later for this campaign in particular. Whatever the case, their indignation had an effect and it could be that, down the line, it has even more success.

For my part, I'd very much like to see them less optimistic and less condescending with their position. I'd love to see, after this movement, that they put together another one in favor of accountability of the powerful and the rescue of public spaces that have been robbed from us by the oligarchies, the oligopolies, and the good intentions that accompany them.

About that last part: if the null-vote groups don't do anything with the organization they've created, if they let all the passion they've inspired fade away, they go from being a misguided but basically well intentioned group of people to a bunch of poseurs. Democracy requires politics, which in turn requires ugly tradeoffs and vain politicians, among other nasty symptoms. Mexico may have more of that unseemliness than most democracies (although I don't think the difference is as great as most seem to), but a pristine democracy in which the politicians only act on the will of the people and exhibit no selfishness doesn't exist, anywhere. The null voters are offended by and refuse to accept that, which is why ultimately their impact on the political process will be (if you'll forgive me) null. But if they are willing to climb down from their soapbox and get their hands dirty, to organize a movement or two around actual candidates, then they would be in a position to alleviate all those unfortunate side effects in the future.

One last section, repeated without comment:

At times [politicians] make you want to throw shoes at them in their press conferences.