The complete phrase of Campoamor’s poem is: “In this treacherous world nothing is true or false, everything depends on the color of the glass through which it is seen.”
The phrase comes to mind since the country is divided as many years ago it was not. This division goes deeper than the political struggle that normally occurs between the parties and has to do with the way in which the various social groups perceive the results of the government and the future of the country.
In the opinion of 40% of the population, the government of López Obrador has been disastrous and the worst in memory; They deny any advance and although in reality they have not been affected, they feel attacked by the speech disqualifying the president and threatened with the risk of a social polarization that affects them.
They are concerned about the course of the country, they are followers of the macro figures of the economy and security and they do not understand and disqualify the 60% of the people who continue to support them.
On the other hand, there is that 60% that sees things in a different color and from another perspective. The vast majority are families with limited resources, a low educational level and are highly dependent on government support. For them, López Obrador has been their salvation in the midst of the pandemic, the economic crisis and inflation.
Its social programs have been, and are in many cases, the main support of the family; they receive the pension for the grandparents, the scholarship for the children and sometimes support for a member with a disability or a daughter who is a single mother. They have benefited from the increase in the minimum wage and from programs such as free fertilizers or sowing life. They think that the government is supporting education and health by remodeling schools and hospitals in their communities.
They know that the economy is bad, but they have never benefited from the structural reforms, stability, economic growth or political reforms of recent years. They normally work in the informal economy and have never been beneficiaries of Social Security or Seguro Popular.
For them, the presence of the Army is synonymous with more security and they thank the government for creating the National Guard and feel that they are more protected with social programs and remittances. They agreed with the cancellation of the Texcoco airport and the brewery, with the construction of the refinery and the Mayan Train, with the Revocation of the Mandate and the reform of the INE and Congress.
The president and Morena have made them believe that social programs are going to disappear and the only information they receive is from the government and the Nation’s servants.
If the opposition does not understand that the lens through which poor people look at López Obrador and his government is very different from how the middle and upper classes or businessmen look at it, and as long as it does not make direct proposals that benefit those majorities, the possibilities to defeat Morena do not exist.
