Voting Recommendation

Here's Miguel Carbonell in a column from earlier this week:

The first think we must understand is that not all of the parties are equally bad. I believe that, all of them being very deficient, there are elements to distinguish the bad from the worst. Although at times it's tough, there are objective criteria that serve as a base with which to distinguish one from the others. For example, we must value the performance that the present candidates have had in previous public posts that they have occupied: this is an element that already allows to arrive at an immediate differentiation between parties. And like that one there are many more. 

In addition, we must keep in mind that the vote presumes a duel form of manifesting our opinion: in can be an expression of agreement toward a political proposal, but it can also be an avenue through which we firmly express our rejection of a party (for example, the party that has been in power in our democracy). At that point, the voter has to ask himself if he wants to reward or punish one party and exercise his vote based on that. In other words: casting a "punishment vote" is acceptable without falling for the facile option of annulment. 

I couldn't agree more. In Mexico, the prohibition on negative advertising is doubly counterproductive. First off, making an educated voting decision anywhere requires taking into account the demerits one party or candidate has earned. Since we can't count on the candidates themselves to inform us of their shortcomings, that responsibility falls to their opponents, through negative campaigning. 

But negative advertising is even more vital in Mexico because Mexicans are so visibly frustrated with their political class. In that sense, negative ads are the truest expression of the political climate today. If we want Mexicans to vote, capitalizing on that frustration would likely be far more effective than prohibiting its existence. Putting a muzzle on that feeling is like asking a divorcing couple to fight it out without ever cursing, or a boxer to go twelve rounds without throwing a right hand.