Sighs…

…he already tried to forcibly take over in a military coup in the early ’90’s. I’m betting the bleeders that taught you in school failed to mention that part of history. But hey, the end always justify’s the means, right Obama lovers?

yubley on November 25, 2008 at 12:28 PM

I don’t mean that he’s an advocate of democracy, rather that he preserves the facade far more seriously then others. I don’t know how he’d react to a personal overthrow, I don’t see him sitting it out quietly. Hugo Chavez as leader has played along with the rules of democracies.

I’m by no means an Obama lover, I voted McCain and am proud of it.

Mr. Chávez, who has been in power for 10 years, has focused on raising political consciousness across disenfranchised parts of society.

Too bad you can’t eat political consciousness. If you could, he’d be doing fine. Nothing like an empty stomach to focus your mind on what bull**it sounds like.

there are international observers to the voting process that probably have something to do with it. it could also be chavez’s arrogance that he is certain he has the country in his pocket.

thedude on November 25, 2008 at 1:50 PM

Then its a good thing the observers are doing thier job. Its also a good thing people like Rosalez is standing up to him. I expect Chavez will still find a way to lock into socialism and prevent the people from speaking thru the vote.

I keep telling people: if you want to see the future of America, watch Venezuela.

fannie mae, freedie mac, and ACORN tell a big story. Then there is the current bailout, soialized medicine, Hillery saying she want to nationalize our oil, Polosie saying NO drilling, Obama saying he want to bankrupt the coal industry thru taxes, writing law from the bench, and on and on.

allrsn on November 25, 2008 at 1:33 PM

do a little digging on-line. there’s plenty of information about elections that chavez has rigged in the past. my wife was part of the nation-wide strike against hugo chavez back in ’02. the entire country shut down. it was in response to a referendum vote to remove chavez from office. everyone knew they were voting against chavez. there was huge support to remove him from office… and low-and-behold… chavez won.

who knows why elections are changing now. our family thought chavez would win the referendum last december, but he didn’t. there are international observers to the voting process that probably have something to do with it. it could also be chavez’s arrogance that he is certain he has the country in his pocket.

we’re now expecting that he will find a way to stay in power after 2012. even tho he lost the referendum to the people, he’ll still declare some sort of emergency power and/or manipulate the constitution and stay right where he is. it’s what we’re hoping against, but would not be surprised to see.

jellybelly on November 25, 2008 at 12:26 PM

good answer. also note that chavez has stacked the venezuelan supreme court in his favor. there is also only 1 house of congress in venezuela… also stacked with chavez supporters. there are no checks and balances…

a man named rosalez ran against chavez in the last election and lost. he is the primary opposition leader and a governor to one of the states in venezuela. chavez has accused him of sedition and attempting to assassinate him. it’s just an excuse to remove rosalez… that is how a socialist dictator gets things done. no big switch from radial communist leaders of the past.

here’s the thing. hard-line socialists have learned that overt changes/revolutions have much less chance of succeeding, so they do it more carefully… more politically cautious. just because chavez is not seizing power like castro, does not mean he does not have the same ambition to rule venezuela as a socialist autocracy, for life.

hillary clinton could not get nationalized healthcare back in the early 90s, but it has still been coming in smaller pieces with programs like S-CHIP and a few others. the socialist agenda is more slow and plotting these days.

just think of fannie mae and freddie mac. call it socialist and you’re some kind of right-wing nut… but it is “subtle socialism” at work and these type of social-”ist” changes are gaining momentum.

really and truly believed that nothing even remotely similar could happen here in the U.S… neither did my wife and her family… but with this populist election of the far-left obama… it sure has made things eventful at family gatherings, let’s just say. however, i think this was more about obama’s charisma and his race… i think obama will always be mythical to some, but not live up to any of his campaign promises. i hope- our family hopes.

thedude on November 25, 2008 at 12:12 PM

O yes it can, keep your eyes open.

naa, somone stood in his way, but who and how?

Badger40 on November 25, 2008 at 12:26 PM

well, i would love to visit venezuela. 10 years ago it would have been perfectly safe, but now, it’s not even safe for visiting family. all of which used to live there. my aunt’s last visit was dangerous in her descriptions. family still living there told her to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, and if so, have a family member drive you. never get in a cab. they may drive you to a kidnapping set-up. … totally nuts. of course, i won’t go now. we’re praying he’ll be out in a few years. even then it may take some time to settle things down a bit.

Pining for the fjords.
I laugh every single time. Funniest sketch ever.

It’s 1:11 pm, Eastern Standard Time, and time for that penguin on top of your TV set to explode!

So his opponents won 5 out of 22 and are happy about it?

*shakes head*

Yeah but the 5 were in the most populous parts of the country, so it actually means something. Also, a number of the supposed Chavistas who won their seats back broke with Chavez over the Constitutional reform that he lost awhile back. They are still seen as members of his party but not loyalists. Most of the really die hard loyalists lost, which sends a clear message. If you are not opposition, at least be independent. This is an election where looking at a color map doesn’t tell you much.

Plus, I don’t think the opposition is ready to govern yet. Their field is still thin, if we are talking about real reformers with experience, not just has beens back for one more try. Their organization and unity is uneven. Some of their loses were due to stupid disagreements (personality, not ideology) that led to multiple oppo candidates running against a Chavista.

Hugo Chavez is an interesting person, clearly he’s not a force good in the world (the state media, political oppression), but so far he hasn’t directly overwritten an election result, which is more then his friend Fidel has done for freedom.

amazingmets on November 25, 2008 at 12:19 PM

Sighs…

…he already tried to forcibly take over in a military coup in the early ’90’s. I’m betting the bleeders that taught you in school failed to mention that part of history. But hey, the end always justify’s the means, right Obama lovers?

OK but…doesn’t this result mean that Chavez ISN’T Castro or Saddam. He’s abiding by the democratic will of the people. It’s kind of hard to paint someone as an undemocratic despot while celebrating his loss of support in the democratic process. Why isn’t this obvious?

DeathToMediaHacks on November 25, 2008 at 10:31 AM

Many despots use elections to give an illusion of legitimacy to their rule.Chavez will use the democratic process only as long as it solidifies his power.He wants to be Castro and we all know what happened to Fidel’s opponents.
Chavez’s efforts are rather clumsy so we laugh at him.

thedude on November 25, 2008 at 12:12 PM

Thanks for your perspective. I always figured as much of many Latin American countries. This is why I will NEVER visit one.