It was a memorable moment, not only because of the skilful fencing displayed by the politician and the journalists, but also because of the capacity that Monreal showed. On the one hand, to gracefully admit the ambiguity of his position as an ambitious dissident; and, on the other, to contrast his dialogue disposition with the sectarian attitude of López Obrador and his “corcholata” Sheinbaum. And it is that the senator acts as if he did not need the approval of the president or blend in with him to be a candidate for Morena. His is an aspiration installed in one of the most vulnerable flanks of lopezobradorismo, to have “the arrogance to feel free.” Making a virtue of necessity, Monreal seeks to vindicate the value of autonomy within a movement that is increasingly delivered not to loyalty but to abjection.
“I’m not looking for consolation positions”
We do not know under the acronym of which party or for what position the still senator will compete, but this weekend we learned at least with what theme he will try to project himself towards 2024: reconciliation. At an event at the Arena México ( https://bit.ly/3ExRbHc ), Monreal presented himself as a “technical fighter” who wants to “play fair” and “win well.” He condemned polarization as a “poison” that “breeds mistrust between us, even in our closest relationships.” And he warned that “destroying a country, with division, disqualification, does not take more than an instant, the blink of an eye. However, rebuilding and reconciling is slower and requires patience.
At no time did he say that he was leaving Morena, but his speech did not sound – in form or in substance – like that of someone who sees himself representing the ruling party. It was, rather, the speech of a party man who does not assume he is obliged to bow down before the president, who inhabits the contradiction of being a Morenista who disagrees more and more openly with the authoritarianism of López Obrador. It sounded, in any case, like the voice of an opponent who is fighting from within even though he knows that he already has one foot outside. Would another rooster crow if he were the beneficiary of presidential favor? Most likely, but not the case.
His message has, broadly speaking, two recipients. Some are the abandoned, the mistreated, the betrayed, in short, those disappointed for one reason or another who are no longer willing to continue swallowing the toads that López Obrador and his misrule serve them daily. The others are the oppositions, urgent both for inclusive leaderships that can unite them, and for a split in the ranks of the lopezobradorismo that helps them become more competitive. Monrealist reconciliation comes “like a glove” to both.
