The Narco News Bulletin

"The name of our country is América"

-- Simón Bolívar

From The Political Hotline in Washington DC:

Shriek and Ye Shall Find....

"In countries like Mexico that are sensitive to U.S. intervention, the role of the U.S. is a constant subtext in campaigns. El Buzz, having covered recent pres. elections in seven Latin American countries, has seen key campaign moments played out in U.S. Embassies and witnessed U.S. consultants treated like rock stars. U.S. consultants are now a fact of life internationally. Some come without speaking the language. Others come without knowing a country's history. And others come in blatant disregard of a country's norms -- practicing rogue tactics that would be unacceptable even in the U.S.
"In Mexico, pollsters Penn & Schoen (D) and Rob Allyn (R) have launched a project called "Democracy Watch," with the stated goal of conducting the country's "largest exit poll ever" on Election Day in order to ensure that "the process is free of fraud and that Mexico transitions to a real democracy." After conducting at least 10,000 exit interviews, they plan to announce their results when the polls close at 8:00 p.m. Sunday -- 3 hours before official exit polls conducted for the independent Federal Elections Institute (IFE) are to be released. None of this appears unwelcome, especially in a country with a long history of election fraud. However, Penn, Schoen and Allyn, have raised serious questions about their intentions by refusing to say who is funding their project. And in so doing, they have denied the direct request by the IFE to reveal this information and register themselves as accredited exit pollsters.
"The independent El Universal newspaper has said that Mexicans have a right to know if "Democracy Watch" is a vehicle for foreign manipulation of their country's delicate politics on its most delicate day, or if the pollsters are being paid by backers of one of the campaigns. NarcoNews.com shrieks the same question in English. The professional society for pollsters, the American Association of Public Opinion Research, states in its "Standard for Minimal Disclosure" that a pollster must disclose "who sponsored the survey, and who conducted it." Critics are asking, if Penn & Schoen and Allyn would not work in this manner in the U.S., why should it be acceptable in Mexico?"
Comentarios? Preguntas? Write El Buzz (Bob Balkin) at bbob@internet.com.mx
Excerpted from The Political Hotline on June 27, 2000. The Hotline is a daily report for subscribers, among them nearly every political consultant and lobbyist in Washington DC. As the US narco-ambassador to the Dominican Republic Charles Mannatt has said, "Knowledge is power and The Hotline is the key." Thus, this story now strikes in the heart of the empire. Subscriptions to The Hotline cost $3,795 US dollars, but The Hotline does offer free two-week trial scrips and also maintains a public web page through AOL, titled Hotline Scoop.
América Calling