Venezuela to Chavez: "No"

/Nelson

HA! HA!

/Nelson

That's what you get for acting like a dick.

color me surprised! so does this lower the price of gas or what? ha ha ha

Never mind how close it all was. With an ego of his size it must have felt like he was pissed upon in public.

And the love for him isn't so weird. When a country so rich in resources has been governed by incompetents and crooks for decades it only takes a modicum of spine and a little bullshit about independence and pride and the people will be eating out of your hand.

Well you don't see a coalition like that every day. Who the hell was left to support it?

Chavez still has strong levels of support from the agnostic, illiterate, homeless dickhead bloc.

I'm certain that the situation is both better and worse than what the western media are reporting, with regards to imposed state control. And remember that the disenfranchised have no sympathy for the plight of the former ruling classes, be they media owners, businessmen or priests.

The Venezuelans are lucky to have had the opportunity to vote on expanded presidential powers. Wouldn't it be great if we could have done that in this country?

Sadly, I believe that even the people among his supporters who see his ambitions are probably thinking that it's better having a dictator who you deem on your side than risk getting shut out of power again.

We should start a "How long until Hugo Chavez goes Idi Amin on us"-pool.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle2987963.ece
"On Saturday he invoked his traditional enemy, the US, casting the vote as a contest between himself and the US President. “Whoever votes ‘yes’ is for Chávez,” he said. “Whoever votes ‘no’ is voting for George W. Bush.”

He took the defeat gracefully- if anything, this vote probably strengthened the democracy in Venezuela, and some writers are saying that this vote will have repercussions across South America.

As far as his contest with Bush, though I'm not there and have no idea how complete what I read in the media is anyway, I have a feeling that what's not reported in these stories is the US advertising money being spent down there to oppose him. There was heavy foreign spending in Costa Rica during the recent free trade (nafta 2) vote, something like 100/1 in terms of for/against dollars, so it's not much of a stretch to see the same thing happening in Venezuela.

That's because he offers a pretty sweet deal. If they let him act like an ass for the next couple of decades, he'd give them six-hour work days. And the Venezuelan oil means that he has the cash to make this happen. And he's helped the very poor live with dignity.

Fortunately, the Venezuelan majority realised that keeping check and balances in your political system requires some sacrifices.

And as yt pointed out, the aftermath of this election was good for democracy in the country. Chavez didn't pull a tantrum and probably realised that he needs to be more humble and compromise once in a while.

I just hope the result sobers him up a little. That being said, I'm certain the State Department is making all kinds of efforts in getting rid of Chaves. In these situations it's very difficult to know where you should stand. You just have to respect the people's wishes and hope for the best for them.

In all honesty, there were a couple of years there where I think it's probably best that we didn't have such a vote.

it has become increasingly clear to me over the last few years that, regardless of West, East, North, South, rich, poor, industrialized, agricultural, capitalist, socialist, educated, illiterate, whatever, there is a large segment of the population that is absolutely vehement about the need to place ultimate power in the hands of a single strong fatherly figure. I think that's a human thing, and while it's certainly illuminating, it also makes me very sad.

I didn't know George W. could run in Venezuela! Must be some clause in the constitution that nobody really takes to heart; like how Massachusetts residents can shoot people coming over the border.

An interesting opinionated piece on the reaction to Venezuelan politics here in the US:

http://www.gregpalast.com/fear-of-ch...acy/#more-1920

If this had passed, we should have nuked Venezuela on general principle. I don't care how downtrodden, disaffected, or poor you are. Anybody too gullible to see through this and where it would lead are prime candidates for vaporization.
I realize a large chunk of the world thought the same way about us when Bush got re-elected, but I'm a hypocrite.

This is an awesome piece by Palast! He's mixing humor with reportage and so what it if reflects his point of view. At least he's down there looking at things with his own eyes.

Yeah, thanks, that was my point in posting it. It's good to get a different angle outside of the America media machine. I'm not sure what I think about the whole thing, but it doesn't hurt to read this and think about it.

ElCap, he proposed the suspension of term limits; it was voted down. That's the way democracy is supposed to work. He didn't declare martial law or anything after the vote. If we voters were given the opportunity to vote on whether or not the government could spy on us without proven cause, or whether we could be detained indefinitely without habeas corpus, or if we really wanted our tax dollars to go almost solely to paying interest on Bush's spending spree, do you think we could legitimately vote it down? Or do you think Bush would do it even if we voted against it?

I'm not saying he's JFK or anything, and you don't even really have to read the piece since it is opinion and I'd rather eat glass than read what someone like Glenn Beck would write, but you have to understand that I don't trust the corporate-run US media and welcome alternative perspectives from people who observe on the ground. If Glenn Beck actually went to Venezuela -- or heck, Iraq -- maybe I would gird my loins and give it a read.

Jesus Christ! Catharsis! I am a god-damned idiot!! If only ElCapitanAmerica hadn't submitted this post, I could have lived in ignorant bliss for the rest of my days.

Right, yeah...see, I am living in a world where Bush DOES DESIRE TO RULE OVER THE COUNTY WELL INTO HIS 80S, BUT THE ONLY THING HOLDING HIM BACK IS TIME. The thing about this is that Chavez is demonized repeatedly without any review of any positives he might have been responsible for, and even so-called liberals buy into this without criticizing the machine that is manufacturing the shit lies that they eat.

I often find a talk radio "personality" behind the kind of argument this is, which is why I brought up Beck. Like him or hate him, Palast is a real reporter.

You're not a reporter (that I know of) and when you went to India it wasn't to report on a particular story (again, that I know of - I have no idea why you went to India).

But if you have a brain, the best way to use it is to take in all sides and filter them through yourself (with apologies to Walt Whitman). I don't take anything I read at face value, even when it's written by someone I admire. It's all a leap of faith to me. And who said that opposing Chavez is opposing democracy?

Don't you think that's a positive development?

The piece was a part humorous look at the distortions going on wrt to this vote in Venezuela. I don't think anywhere in the piece does Palast dictate who you should or shouldn't listen to. It's a question of putting this situation in context and in perspective in light of the vast oil reserves in Venezuela, Chavez's often contradictory but essentially pro-democracy career, and the US' attitude toward him specifically as it has to do with oil and how much to charge for it, and who should be in control of it.

I didn't praise it. Someone else showed it to me and I thought it was an interesting supplement to whatever it is that is going on in Venezuela, and I think your reaction is even more interesting. Your comments are uncalled for. They have no basis in the reality of what has been discussed. You are living proof of whatever these Chavez supporters are pushing. Wake up stupid.