PRD candidate Andrés López Obrador tells supporters, he's no Robin Hood

PRD candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador focuses on the plight of Mexico's poor in most of his campaign speeches, just as he did in 2006 when he nearly snatched the presidency from his PAN opponent, Felipe Calderón. Several weeks ago he said that he would create seven million jobs for the country's aimless youth (http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/11/lopez-obrador-begins-campaign-with-bold.html), and more recently he said that Mexico's top leaders would see their pay cut in half if he's elected (http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/lopez-obrador-promises-prd-victory-in.html). It's no wonder everybody here refers to him as the leftist candidate.

But today the Democratic Revolution Party standard bearer denied that he's also a Robin Hood. "We're going to see to it that (Mexico's) budget takes care of everybody, we're not going to take anything from the rich, but we're going to be sure that the budget is not corrupted," López Obrador told 2,000 supporters at a campaign event in Mexico City.

"We're going to convince the doubters, we're going to tell them that there are only two roads: to continue with the oppression, with more of the same, which is what our opponents stand for, or the other road, which is one of real change. The people are going to make the decision, to choose their own destiny; the people are going to wake up, and neither propaganda nor campaign publicity nor money can buy their support, that just won't work," said the candidate.

López Obrador told supporters, "We can't continue with the sin (of ignoring) social needs, by not helping those who remain behind." He added that his administration would "govern for everybody, we're going to take care of and listen to everybody, respect everybody, but we're going to give preference to the humble people of our country."

Noting that Mexico's annual federal budget of 3.5 trillion pesos (about $260 billion USD) represents over 10,000 pesos per family, López Obrador said that budgetary goals must be established with fairness and a greater sense of social justice. The candidate said that his similar words during the 2006 presidential campaign had been misunderstood, if not deliberately distorted. "We're not trying to take anything from anybody, we're not going to take from the rich to give to the poor," he emphasized.