Okay, Obama isn’t exactly extolling the mysteries of the Teotihuacan Pyramids, grandeur of the Basilica de Guadalupe or enticements of Cancun. He just credited the Mexico Government for its strong response to the swine flu outbreak, which ultimately killed about 110 people and battered its tourism business to a pulp.
The Mexico Tourism Board is running ads in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia in which a quote from the President in which he “applauds the Mexican Government and all the leaders who are taking appropriate steps to keep people” is read.
The ad also has plugs from the Harvard School of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control for a job well done in the swine flu category.
The June 22 TW piece headlined "Obama will star in Mexico's recovery campaign" generated heat like a comment charging the President with killing tourism in Hawaii and Las Vegas.
One nutcase sees Obama’s master plan as sending Americans by the thousands to Mexico so they can get sick and spread the “killer flu” here: “This will reduce the number of people in the U.S. and he won’t have as many people on his heels telling him to wake up.” A goofball says Mexico needs the money to fund “more tunnels for the drug world.”
Sane comments rebut the crazies.
“Obama is practicing what he preaches, which is reaching out to other nations in a positive way when they need help so he can expect them to reach back when we need help, such in tamping down the drug traffic from Mexico.”
Another rips the “sheer childishness, abysmal ignorance and venom reflected in the comments….Mexico made enormous sacrifices in May to protect the safety and health of all tourists.”
One more questioned what’s going to happen if Mexico is forced to shutter hotels, triggering a stampede of “starving, deprived and illegal Mexican crossing the border…What are you going to ask Obama to do about that?”
The MTB is sharp to capitalize on the Obama quote. It’s a classic third party endorsement.
Count on an upswing in American travel to Mexico if Obama figures out how to boost the U.S. economy.