Does civility in politics still exist? A perspective from our CEO

I am currently spending a few days visiting family and friends in the U.S. and, being a month away from the midterms, have had the opportunity to experience firsthand the run-up to the elections in multiple states. As is always the case now, the TV ads and political speeches of the candidates are increasingly over the top.

Do I choose the candidate who wants to turn the U.S. into a communist country? Or the one who wants to further enable a dictatorship? Do I prefer the candidate who wants to put a data center in my backyard? Or the one who wants to increase my energy costs and threaten my water supply with a data center that’s not in my backyard? It’s all so silly, so anxiety-producing, so insulting to our intelligence. In Mexico, where paid political ads on radio and TV are prohibited, it’s refreshing to not be subjected to this every two years.

Mexican politics, of course, are far from perfect, but there have been some examples of real civility demonstrated lately that give many of us some hope and inspiration. And that civility comes from the tone being set from the top by President Sheinbaum. Let me explain.

The word I most often hear to describe President Sheinbaum is “classy.” The way she dresses, the way she smiles, the way she carries herself, and the way she interacts with people are all frequently mentioned. Even those who don’t agree with all of her policies are impressed by that aspect of her.

Being an American, I have found the contrast to my native country and the increasing lack of class in politics in the United States to be maddening. I can understand genuine differences of opinion on important issues and on the general direction of the country, but I cannot get past the lack of class being exhibited by politicians that we see on a daily basis. The name-calling, the put-downs and the unwillingness to acknowledge anything positive from the other side is really depressing to watch. And it’s on both sides of the political aisle. I know I am not alone in often thinking, “We pay these people to represent us, find compromise, and make decisions — why can’t they seem to actually do it anymore?”

Which brings me back to Sheinbaum. There have been three incidents in just these past few weeks that were impressive examples of civility.

1. The U.S. administration has been back at it again, attacking Mexico for supposedly not doing enough to combat the cartels. This is despite nearly daily progress on high-profile arrests, drug and weapons seizures, and a significant reduction in homicides throughout the country. Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, again hinted that the U.S. could act unilaterally against criminal organizations in Mexico. President Trump, acknowledging progress but not wanting to be outdone, added: “However, Mexico must take additional action against the narco terrorist organizations that dominate vast areas of its territory and continue to threaten the American people,” and arrest “the many corrupt public officials” who have colluded with them.

Under pressure from Trump on cartels, Sheinbaum turns spotlight on US drug use

Sheinbaum responded calmly, saying that Mexico doesn’t need to be judged “from the outside.” She went on to say that she would like to see “a report about what the U.S. government is doing in the United States” to reduce drug use and combat drug trafficking. She asked, “Where is the effort being made to stop drug cartels and distributors in the United States? What’s going on with money laundering in the United States?” Fair questions of a government that has no problem frequently questioning her and her administration.

2. Sheinbaum recently completed her second year in office and as a result, just gave her second annual “state of the union” address. She then did something similar to last year, traveling to each of Mexico’s 32 states over a period of several weeks to personally give a “state of the state” address in which she presented, in detail, what the government has accomplished for the people of the state in the past year and what is planned for the following years.

Regardless of which political party is leading the state she visited, or which candidate they voted for, she showed up and presented a business-like progress report for the state. There was no avoiding the states that didn’t vote for her. There was no minimizing the progress in states that don’t support her. But rather a consistent, fact-based, optimistic outlook on what the government is doing to improve things in the state. It’s inspiring to watch, and impressive to see her making the effort to visit every state and make the individual presentations.

3. Sheinbaum’s visits to two states in particular, Jalisco and Nuevo León, most caught my attention. These states have the second and third largest cities in the country after Mexico City, and neither state has a governor of the Morena political party that Sheinbaum is part of. It didn’t matter; Sheinbaum showed up in both states, was warmly greeted by the governors, and spoke about the progress that the federal and state governments have made working together. This was not a post-natural disaster photo op. This was a real effort to present a progress report to the people of these states and present a united front of government.

The governor of Jalisco greeted Sheinbaum along with famous singer Vicente Fernández’s wife (Doña Cuquita). In Nuevo León, she was greeted by Governor Samuel García, his wife and their two daughters. The images of Sheinbaum kissing their youngest daughter with a beaming Governor García looking on would touch even the biggest cynic of politicians.

What we are seeing lately in Mexico is a welcome reminder that politics doesn’t have to be so classless, so off-putting, so negative, so nasty. It hasn’t always been this way in the U.S. — I’m not sure how it got this bad.

I’m not saying things are perfect in Mexico. They are far from it. But seeing politicians of different political parties together, seemingly genuinely acting like polite, kind, classy people is quite inspiring and uplifting. Perhaps that is why a recent poll just put the level of national pride of Mexicans at 90%, a record high.

Let’s hope it continues for the good of the country!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.