Mexico politicians resort to old tricks with looming presidential elections

The scene was so typical of Mexico's long-dominant ruling party that it could have happened a half century ago: poor women lined up under a blazing sun, waiting for a politician to show up hours late for a rally they had been obliged to attend under threat of losing benefits from an anti-poverty program.

But unlike a half-century ago, there were a couple of independent media outlets interviewing the women, who were hot, tired and outraged that a government program would be used for political purposes.

The venting ended abruptly when Institutional Revolutionary Party workers arrived . . .