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Good old Rory. This actually remarkably non-rabid for Mr Caroll, while still being clearly biased. This reelection thing is a good idea.
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“[Chavez] alleged they were “undermining free clinics and schools”. The opposition said that was absurd, since it was elected on the promise of improving public services.
That’ll be the ticket. Let them deliver on their campaign promises. I can’t wait to see that. If I were the Revolution, I’d stick to them like glue.
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the psychotic myth of the indispensable individual…
if the revolution in Cuba or Venezuela were successful new socialist candidates could win elections… like in europe…
While I appreciate many of Fidel and Hugo’s sentiments, I find their dictatorial rules nothing but embarassing
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i have been waiting with baited breath for chavez’ revolution to come to fruition. i have been a supporter and defended the guy for years. “just wait, these things take time”, i would say.
sure he has plenty of opposition. plenty of detractors and perhaps bush does hate him, but i haven’t seen much in the way of improvement of late. and with all the money he made off the price of oil…
i watched the documentary on FRONTLINE
it is a very interesting watch. one cannot come away from it and not see how this entire thing is not working out. and when i see him claiming the country needs him for another 12 years, i can no longer defend him as the person who is making venezuela a better place. the best thing he could do is groom some new leaders and step off.
watch the doc. i’d love to get your take on it.
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Of course Chavez is not “indispensable” — if you don’t particularly care about Universal Prosperity. But I think the Venezuelans care about Universal Prosperity. And, perhaps more importantly, Chavez has given them the power to believe in it.
Chavez has given a LOT of people the power to believe in that. Not just Venezuelans.
When someone else comes along and offers as much, that’ll be great. No one’s going to turn them away. We’d rather have lots of those kinds of people.
Guano — PBS is also known as The Petroleum Broadcasting System. FFS. LOL. Big Oil provides much of the funding for PBS programs.
What have you done with your suspicious bones?
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Thanks for the link though. I’ll watch it for sure.
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watch it and then we’ll talk.
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I never understood why people said term limits were democratic. Surely it’s undemocratic not giving people the option to vote for the leader they want?
noone claims chavez is ‘indispensable’. He is a good solid figurehead for a movement that is still consolidating though, which is very important, a movement that could otherwise prove more susceptible to divide and conquer/enemy within tactics.
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oh PS, looking forward to how the media spin Uribe’s reelection attempts as contrasted with Hugo’s.
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PPS Ill watch this Frontline and get back to you.
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Give us a headstart Guano, what specifically in the Frontline presentation changed your mind?
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the video illustrated his autocratic style.
actually, the video didn’t change my mind. i was looking back at the debates i’ve been having with venezuelan residents 2 years ago. really, little has changed.
what the video did was pull together a lot of bits that i have been accumulating from debates with very reasonable residents over the years. i was not impressed with his constitutional reforms last year. he claimed he would clean up crime. and the murder rate continues to be unacceptable. he is a strongman. no one can convince me that he is incapable of reducing the murder rate. its no better than bush talking about terrorism.
ultimately, to see how he wants to hang onto power and is talking about being in power a dozen years from now, it now seems that its more about him. check out the video. the opinions expressed by those interviewed are rational, reasonable and a number of them express regret that things aren’t where they should be, even though they were onboard early on.
watch it.
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Ya. Very impressive show. Very important footage. I gotta tell ya, I think you are right, Chavez needs to concentrate on empowering his leadership — it’s not just the people who get mauled by Alo Presidente, it’s the people who watch and learn from the spectacle. The problem primarily being that it’s no different from what they already know.
It’s a very real, very important opportunity being missed.
But.
Anyone who’s been an employee just about anywhere will recognize the management style. The boss is under stress and that gets passed down. Not up. Down. And this is true also of personal relationships. Wife and child abuse is a huge problem everywhere — not just in the United States.
Ad hominem is also a very popular form of “problem solving” — just about everywhere.
It’s not as bad as it used to be at the G — but some of you may recall that for a while there — the favored way of argumentation was just to call someone an idiot.
It’s difficult to know exactly where it comes from, and naturally I have my theories, but one thing is for sure, it’s going to take us more than 10 years to fix the problem. Especially when our TVs are setting such a bad example.
It’s pretty funny, I think, that PBS had the audacity to talk about the “many billions” of oil money going into Venezuela’s economy and people are still waiting for miracles that don’t seem to be appearing fast enough.
“Many billions”. Not hundreds of billions, let alone thousands of billions, just “many billions. Fancy getting smug about that now, on US TV — with the level of universal bankruptcy the United States is facing in spite of — what is it now?
$8 thousand trillion dollars of taxpayers money
Oh, excuse me, no 8.5 thousand trillion dollars
That’s not coming from the oil, like Venezuela’s spending is.
Pfffffffffffftttttt . . . . leave it to PBS.
Smug bunch of putzes.
But. Overall, good show. I thought. Thanks.
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Here’s something to consider — Hugo must be scaring the shit out of someone — if PBS put all that money into trying to slap him down. Didn’t that seem like an expensive effort?
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the TV show. watching that audience. seeing him step on his people. the crime. the unfinished projects. the management style. the cult of personality. the ego. the need to be in power for 20+ years. the constant references to bush. the endless demonization of america. the constant dogging of his opponents.
the totality of it all leads me to feel he is not the man who’s going to do it for venezuela. he’s peaked. he needs to mentor, encourage, foster and develop young proteges to replace him. what i saw in that audience was a bunch of people who were terrified.
chavez doesn’t want to hear anything he doesn’t want to hear. in that sense, he’s no better than bush. surrounded by YES men.
i’ve been following the venezuela situation since the coup and i can say that FRONTLINE’s doc wasn’t a slap-down. it was critical. but like a solid essay, many of its points were solid. it was done in a manner which i have used myself: don’t call a person a dick, show repeated numerous examples and let people come to their own conclusion.
what this doc did for me is tie up a few loose ends and fortify what i have already come to know. as much as i have been rooting for him. as much as i have been rationalizing. as much as i hate to be wrong about something i have been onboard with for years. i have changed my mind on chavez.
the thing is, THIS REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED was real and true. but that was then and this is now. churchill was an excellent wartime PM. but when it was done, so was he. chavez was a terrific motivator and revolutionary. but that doesn’t make him good for the long haul. and if he was really good, he’d recognize that, instead of dumping who doesn’t toe his line. how many CEO’s who launched fantastically innovative companies only to be tossed because they weren’t right for the company’s longevity.
if i had chavez’ ear and i thought he’d listen, i’d give him the following advice:
1. make friends w/ america instead of railing about obama being more of the same.
2. clean up the crime problem.
3. stop with the international goodwill. fix the plumbing at home.
4. stop bullying your staff. listen to them.
5. stop the TV show or keep it to one hour weekly. tops.
6. realize you aren’t all things to all people. just cuz you’re a good talker, doesn’t mean you are a good accountant or quality controller.
yeah, america has screwed up. but so has the rest of the western world. i’m not a big fan of america, but just because the states have messed up, doesn’t mean we can excuse chavez’ foul-ups. the amount of money venezuela should have socked away over the past couple years should have them in good has he managed his money? i’m afraid it may not be the case. chavez had to know the tap would run low sooner or later.
i read patrick irelan’s article on counterpunch.
the article sounds like something that was written a couple years ago.
the article spends time calling the US hypocrites. maybe they are, but it still doesn’t detract from the bullyboy techniques chavez uses.
“Chávez wants nothing more than a mixed economy in which the profits from huge industries are used to benefit all citizens, not just the white descendants of European conquerors.” tell us something we didn’t know 5 years ago.
but that doesn’t mean chavez CAN do it. good intentions doesn’t do the deed.
at times, patrick’s article is too busy stating the obvious.
“He even pardoned the men who plotted the coup, after which many of them immediately began verbally attacking him again.” patrick accuses FRONTLINE of omitting information but no mention from him, of those chavez is accused of imprisoning. no mention of those ACCUSED (not convicted) of corruption who were not allowed to run in the elections. what about innocent until proven guilty?
i am looking for real information. patrick’s commentary doesn’t offer much new information and what he does offer has such a slant, its a difficult read.
ahhh, maybe i have read too much about venezuela. i don’t trust any of my sources anymore. but i listened to the words of chavez himself. and i think it was his own words which have allowed me to draw these conclusions.
i will watch the doc again with a jaundiced eye. i hope for the best for venezuela and chavez. but as much as i don’t want it to be the case, i believe he has jumped the shark.
someone please prove me wrong.
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That poor guy from the Guardian clearly has no idea what kind of fascism he represents — or he would never have asked that aggressive question. But. There’s no way you can work for the Guardian without believing all the lies that publication systematically propagates.
Look at what Bloomberg has the balls to say about the IMF — like they were some kind of reputable Bank. It’s really stunning. Although, I think Bloomberg knows what kind of lies they’re propagating. But their readership doesn’t.
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Guano, Venezuela IS America. And they’re friendly with not just other American states, but even with the United States. Right off, PBS accuses Chavez of hating the United States. But Chavez is always clear about being a friend of the people of the United States.
Is Chavez saying the Obama is more of the same? Can you link to it? I thought they’d never figure it out.
One of the most spectacular things Chavez has done is forge bonds with the International Community. It’s probably the single most important thing he could have done for the future of Venezuela’s prosperity.
Pretty soon we’ll put those North American and Israeli arms dealers out of business.
Post modern capitalism is kaput. The sooner the Venezuelan oligarchy figure it out, the better off everyone will be. It isn’t just Venezuela’s disenfranchised who sit around waiting for handouts. Their Leisure Classes are all accustomed to just living off bribes. It’ll be good for them to actually try and solve a real problem or two — some day. Instead of constantly dedicating their devious minds to one act of sabotage after the next.
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“psychotic myth of the indispensable individual”
I have to agree with JC. Should the person be indespensable, or the ideals & values? Thats the problem and main reason 20th century ‘socialism’ failed, because of Stalinism. But now Religious/Kapitalism failed, a gave us a new chance. I truly believe in a revamped, more humanistic less centralized, 21st century ‘socialism’ will be the next progression in our history. From feudalism to kapitalism, and from Kapitalism to social democracy.
That being another problem, the revolution has to be institutionalized. Not personified in ONE person. Until people LIKE Chavez can win election, the entire experiment in Venezuela is doomed.
PBS is funded by a US government who openly has made foreign policy out of seeing to it that Chavez is toppled. I haven’t seen it the show, but you HAVE to look at the source.
As far as crime rate, Latin America has the highest crime rate in the world. over 100,000 homicides per year, for example. It’s not Chavez’s fault, the blame belongs to poverty.
But…
While many of his programs are essential and popular, like health-care, education spending, community investment, the truth is if the price of oil crashes, he is doomed either way (i cant believe i said that!).
Only time will tell. I’m still hoping for the rest of the Americas to sign up for ALBA. Love that counterweight…
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DR, we have to stop confusing capitalism with fascism. We do it because the fascists do it. But it’s a mistake.
PBS goes to a tanking co-op where they’re wondering why the government isn’t sending them more work/money. They don’t understand that markets need to be created. They need to be planted and nurtured — just as surely as a tomato or a zucchinni does. That can’t be up to the government. Risk assessment and quality management needs a higher order of specialization. A good government’s job is law enforcement. Not charity.
It can’t be up to the government to just shell out cash. That’s not a solution, it’s a stop gap. Venezuela needs an infrastructure of capitalists who believe in national sovereignty and the potential of Venezuela to innovate and thereby create prosperity — and history. It is up to the real capitalists to predict the future by making it happen.
It’s fascism that thinks that prosperity must be built on cheap labor & stolen property. That’s not capitalism. That’s fascism.
Fascism is the new feudalism. They’re both fundamentally structured around permanent warfare — what they have in common is supremacism. Supremacism has to constantly “prove” itself.
The Bush administration is just a cover. Behind that oversized mask we are soon going to be calling Obama — are lots and lots of psychotically greedy people pushing its buttons and feeding its furnace.
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Look at what the fascists are doing now. They’re creating government hand outs for the supremacists. As a means of impoverishing — crushing — the working class. They’re just trying to create more cheap labor that can survive on less education, less healthcare, less personal safety, less less less so the fascists can hoard more more more and feel more and more like the gods they so clearly think they are.
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Everyone keeps talking about how much money is being “lost”. It’s not lost, it hasn’t been lost. It’s being socked away by a global posse of uber pendejos.
And the representatives of those uber pendejos are standing around urging their respective governments to get the working classes — the taxpayer — to try and fill the void the uber pendejos have created by sucking all the cash out of the world’s economic body.
It’s a load of crap. It’s up to the uber pendejos to drain their off shore accounts and revive their respective national economies by fostering innovation and free enterprise.
It’s not that they’re lazy. They’re just misguided. Mistaken. Clueless.
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irresponsible mofos . . . fascists
Post Modified: 12/03/08 03:55:06
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incompetent . . . fascists
Post Modified: 12/03/08 03:55:17
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its amazing how our argument is not disagreement.
i’m totally onboard with you with all of what you say about the current state of the (financial) world. mofos indeed. but that’s not what i am judging chavez on… on the greed of others.
i am judging chavez on chavez. i like your tomato metaphor. so let’s use it. chavez has been throwing a lot of tomato seeds into the wind and hoping they will root. wasteful and this waste is the type of thing his critics pounce upon. “socialism = waste” they say. why can’t he be careful, take his time and grow with care. when he is criticized, he berates, insults, attacks and humiliates. a statesmen he is not. venezuela does not live in a bubble. one does not have to conform to their environment, but being aware and working with one’s environment in mind, is critical.
yes, chavez has criticized the bush admin and doesn’t hate all america. but he rails about american imperialism. that is not just meant for the bush admin. americans cannot help to think the finger is pointed at them, because ultimately it is. perception is everything. unfortunately, chavez has done too much damage to recover with the US. and like it or not, being on america’s ‘naughty’ list like chavez is – so prominently – (mainly due to his antagonistic big mouth) makes him an outcast.
chavez could turn this around. to right himself, he would need to:
— reduce crime in venezuela
— get in good with obama and turn US public opinion around (not impossible)
— make his socialist programmes more efficient and more effective
— lose the ego, cut way back on the cult of personality and focus on policy
— get some young blood in there and step out of the limelight
i don’t care about his relationship with cuba or russia. and inflation will fix itself when he slows down with the spending and focuses on his projects. he needs to defang his opposition. smart spending and a reduction in crime will do it. but it needs to be a team effort. venezuela isn’t his. hugo has got to get it through his head that it starts and stops with him alone.
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There’s no way a latin american president can achieve meaningful social change and be friends with the US establishment as it stands. The two aims are mutually, deeply incompatible.
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the term ‘friends’ is a loose one. maybe being a friend is just avoiding yelling at them on a weekly basis.
i have to say, i believe there is potentially room to change the relationship between the now weaker US which has taken on new (possibly more flexible) management and the evolving latin america. keep in mind, the demographic in the US is changing. more latinos have more sway. a greater percentage of the american electorate have can empathize with their southern cousins. i believe what is of the past doesn’t have to be of the future.
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re.: unfortunately, chavez has done too much damage to recover with the US
a LOT of gringos in El Norte love Hugo Chavez carino. many many more than love das bush administration, as a matter of FACT.
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with his “antagonistic big mouth” as you say, el comandante speaks for many people. there’s no question — for that very antagonistic big mouth he is treasured — bu many many people who realize now, suddenly, that they matter. it has been a slow dawning sensation and it’s still sinking in. Go ahead and take that to the bank.
Like George and Dick and Condi etc etc don’t have inFURiating antagonistic big mouths. Pffffffffffffffffffffffftttttt . . .
Let’s see Condi clean up her act sometime soon. That’ll be the day.
The problem with Chavismo’s “opposition” is that they’re retarded. They need to all go back to school and study a little math, maybe throw some science in there too, while they’re at it. Figure out how to balance a checkbook.
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Keep in mind that Obama’s administration is fixing to be Bill Clinton’s on steroids.
Did you find me that link that quotes Chavez saying Obama’s the same as Bush?
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I don’t mind admitting that I laughed myself to sleep last night. . . I’m still laughing. That poor Guardian guy . . . ai kaRAMba. LOL.
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I’m Irish, so that means what?
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again with the comparison to bush. bush is out… with his tail between his legs. i’d like to see the poll where americans were asked who they liked more: bush or chavez. not that i don’t think people hate bush. “a lot” is a pretty vague estimation. i’ll be the “none of the above” was a higher % than either.
a person can be a fan of chavez and still not like his antagonistic big mouth. more like, be a fan despite his big mouth.
more comparisons with the worst admin in a century. its like shooting fish in a barrel and still doesn’t have anything to do with chavez.
you’re right, chavez opposition is a mess. good thing for him. but not a good thing for venezuelans. an effective opposition keeps a government on their toes. no one in venezuela knows how to balance a cheque book. good thing money comes out of the ground, or venezuelans would be eating dirt.
you know, i looked for that quote of chavez on obama. i heard it but can’t find it, so i have to take that one back. if i stumble upon it, i’ll let you know.
that poor dumb mick. (i can say that. i’m irish). deer caught in the headlights. he wasn’t the first or the last to be humiliated (or attempt to be) by chavez.
how about this: let’s compare chavez to… say… the canadian government. both countries are social democracies. both rely on natural resources. both have a relationship with the US. how good is the chavez government in comparison?
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‘being on america’s ‘naughty’ list … chavez is – so prominently – (mainly due to his antagonistic big mouth) ‘
are you seriously suggesting this? Im afraid if you are, you are discrediting yourself somewhat… how do you suppose the likes of Allende, Morales and Arbenz got on ‘naughty lists’ past and present then?
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i’m talking perception. don’t worry. i’ve read john perkins’ books. there is no political figure who publicly blathers to the extent of chavez does. it does him little good to hurl insults. let him think it, but keep most of it to himself. those who oppose him within his country are fueled by his polarizing rhetoric. those who support him cringe. its embarrassing. he is the leader of their country.
i get that his not-toeing-the-line had him a list a long time ago. so using less bluster is even more reason to win over fans with better PR.
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I have a better idea. Let’s compare the Chavez government to other emerging governments — as opposed to economies that are headed down the tubes….
Well, I suggest that because Federico Fuentes has penned a lovely piece for the Australia’s Green Left Weekly, which I got from Canada’s Global Research, wherein he makes the following delightful comment :
After three years of the Morales government it is possible to draw some tentative conclusions about this social experiment.
This experiment expresses the desire of Bolivia’s oppressed indigenous majority to take power in order to bring about real change — unlike the Mexican Zapatista’s “change the world without taking power” strategy or the practice of Brazil’s Workers’ Party that combines power with as little change as possible.
LOL. That’s about as BADAbing as any assessment could get.
So we could compare the Chavez government to Brazil’s and Mexico’s — but they’re both ruled by fascist economics. Whereas Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela — and pretty soon Peru — are headed for something quite different.
And they all have very different styles. Don’t you think?
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but ultimately his big mouth isn’t what is sinking him. its a combination of things as i mentioned above.
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Aiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and Nicaragua, por supuesto. And maybe even Costa Rica and Honduras.
And for a little extra cha cha cha, if you think you might be up to it, Cuba.
The first thing I’d have to say is that everybody definitely needs more cinema.
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I like also Rafael’s strategy to question the validity of loans made by New York banks to Ecuador in the government’s name. I wonder if Chavez has explored that possibility.
I haven’t heard anything about Correa’s project to nail Monsanto and the US MIC for spraying genotoxic chemicals along Ecuador’s border with Colombia, I thought that held a lot of promise.
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Everybody’s shoving the US MIC out the door. There seems to be a general agreement about that. Is the DEA still in Ecuador and Venezuela?
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i’ll read it shortly. morales is my man. way less bombastic. but still outspoken. i’ve listened to several interviews. he is far more diplomatic.
t’is true canada has been infiltrated by some of the same greedy scuzz that sunk the US, but are more prudent. canada dodged a lot of bad debt crap floating around. canada is also in better shape regarding the big 3: product quality is much higher and since canada has no domestic auto industry, making japanese cars or american cars isn’t a big difference.
‘cept fewer will have to be made because japanese autos hold together longer.
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Let’s pop your list up again so we can make sure we’re getting all the items.
1. make friends w/ america instead of railing about obama being more of the same.
2. clean up the crime problem.
3. stop with the international goodwill. fix the plumbing at home.
4. stop bullying your staff. listen to them.
5. stop the TV show or keep it to one hour weekly. tops.
6. realize you aren’t all things to all people. just cuz you’re a good talker, doesn’t mean you are a good accountant or quality controller.
1. Chavez is making friends with America. Hopefully Obama will do as much.
2. Crime, of course, is a factor of poverty and despair. So he’s doing that. Of course the opposition is going to try and cock it up, but that’ll pass.
3. Stop with the international goodwill? What happened to suggestion number 1?
5. Stop the TV show? Or keep it to one hour weekly? Well. People don’t have to watch it if they don’t want to. But certainly there are some things he could do to leverage the effort more effectively. Like work more closely with his audience to make everybody look good. If he doesn’t have time to meet with his people and discuss how they’re going to demonstration problem solving and brainstorming dynamics — then maybe that should be what decides the frequency and length of the show.
6. I thought one of the most interesting things about the Frontline coverage was the bit about how Hugo Chavez steered the revolution away from violence by using the media. That’s pretty powerful Kung Fu. Why would you want to throw something like that out? Continuous improvement. That’s the ticket.
We’re on a roll. Everybody keep on rocking. We can do this. Si se puede, don’t look back.
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I am a little concerned that Chavez might be consuming too much beef. Make sure that cattle hasn’t been polluted with rendered feed Comandante — organic. That’s the way to go. And don’t forget your fruits and vegetables.
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“DR, we have to stop confusing capitalism with fascism”
When did these two split?
“Venezuela needs an infrastructure of capitalists who believe in national sovereignty and the potential of Venezuela to innovate and thereby create prosperity — and history. It is up to the real capitalists to predict the future by making it happen.”
Sounds great.
And then theses so-called ‘Kapitalists’ can voluntarily cough up their excess profits; by supporting universal health-care, universal education, community improvement/investment, and have no gripes about ‘losing what they worked hard for.’ What a fucking daydream, no-offense. Face it. Those in power will always rape and pillage those below. Perhaps an end to ALL power structures? This would make history…
“There’s no way a latin american president can achieve meaningful social change and be friends with the US establishment as it stands.”
You understand a bit better.
Even Obama will stand up to a strong AND INDEPENDENT (insert country name here).
Fascism can come from the “Left” too. Not just the right. So what we need is a change in conciousness. The tendency towards fascism is built in, regardless of party lines.
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1. bush being out is a something of a fresh start. ease off the IMPERIALIST talk. it might be true but don’t pin the tail so hard.
2. moving really, really, really slowly. he could do better. much better. hell, look who all he fired in ’03. he’s not trying very hard with crime. has there even been a dip in the last 3-5 years?
3. chavez dishes out a lot of money to other countries. i know. it comes to my country. spend that money at home. venezuela needs it more. it seems too much like expensive PR… which is then undone by his mouth.
5. stop the show cuz it wastes too much government employee time. ministers sitting in an audience for a whole day? every week? what a waste. i don’t know about you but my time is too short to sit around like that. collectively its a huge waste of time. maybe hugo’s family time isn’t important to him… or they could be working in the office getting things done, watching him on a TV on their desks.
6. chavez is a non-violent (former coup leader) strongman. there are different levels of aggression. threatening your staff to do your bidding. threatening a person with their job. or with criminal charges or with humiliation. its unbecoming of a world leader.
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Ya. I AM dreaming. That’s the point. Watch and wait dollfoot. Watch and wait.
On the issue of Obama’s friendliness towards America, who’s not going to see the appointment of Volcker as a slap in the face. That’s like Oliver North going on a publicity tour of Nicaragua immediately preceding Danny O’s ascension. Remember that? And the US government threatened to block remittances too.
Attempting to name Hillary Lady Macbeth Clinton as Secretary of State is another slap in the face for Americans. Do we think her hubby’s support for genocide in Colombia, and NAFTA bears no reflection on how his wife would conduct herself in public office? Bill’s administration was a mean mofo administration. It was bad for the United States and it was bad for America. It was bad for Eastern Europe, it was bad for the Middle East, it was bad for Africa, it was bad for Asia.
It was just really really bad. WHAT is Obama up to?
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“WHAT is Obama up to?”
Filling his cabinet with corporate interests….
And I will wait…....... probably to see Chavez leave in 2013 and have some former General take charge.
Pffft.
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i don’t know why you guys are so surprised about obama. he’s an american.
its like a mechanic hired for your garage. when he comes in, he knows its best to work with the available tools which fix the vehicles that come into the garage.
IF WE’RE LUCKY, he’ll slowly bring in his own tools and gently transform the garage to handle much more. he’ll need to take it slow cuz there’s a lot of extremists on the right who want his head on a pike.
IF WE’RE NOT LUCKY, he’ll just be more of the same. just a fresh face, excellent orator, spewing garbage.
let’s say ‘lucky’ is a 10 and ‘not lucky’ is a 0, i’d think we could see him function somewhere between 6.5-8.0.
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The footage in that movie of Chavez cutting down his ministers was pretty harsh… but it makes sense, given his recent moves to demonize his former parliamentary allies the PCV (Communists) and PPT for running parallel candidates in the gubernatorial elections. He is no good at taking constructive criticism, no doubt about it.
That being said, the video was extremely one-sided, selective in what it covered and at times contradictory. Not all of the co-operatives have been such failures. There are many examples of successful agricultural co-operatives emerging out of rural land expropriations. It also did a very bad job of providing context to the reshuffling of PDVSA and the suspension of RCTV’s license.
It did touch on some of the endemic problems in Venezuela… when I was there in 2006 the bridge from the airport to Caracas was out, turning the usually 30 min drive into a 2 hr trip through the mountains/barrios. It had been out for months, construction was frozen and there was a big scandal surrounding the contracting process. Crime is also extremely bad in Caracas (not as bad in other parts of Venezuela)... and I agree that Chavez should be taking more steps to address this problem (it would start with cleaning up corruption among the police force with some sort of Internal Affairs-like oversight dept). That being said… these problems have more to do with Venezuelan culture than with Chavez’ policies directly. I did like how the doc mentioned the fact that crime has risen since poverty has emerged more into the country’s consciousness. That says something about human nature that I hadn’t really considered before. Chavez has certainly been polarizing in this way… but you can’t blame him for wanting to address the fact that most of the country lives in poverty. The Latin American bourgeois class likes to bring up the fact that things are worse for everyone in Venezuela now… but that is because they don’t even consider the needs of Venezuela’s poor. They really are consumed in willful ignorance.
A good reading companion to this doc would be Nikolas Kozloff’s Hugo Chavez: Oil, Politics, and the Challenge to the U.S.
It explains a lot of the behind-the-scenes infighting that he had to go through for his first 4 or 5 years in power. That type of political maneuvering tends to gradually transform a person into the type of person that Chavez is becoming.
Post Modified: 12/04/08 12:06:27
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perhaps we could say “has become” and leave the “is becoming” for later.
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We’ll put the speculation aside for now.
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Barack Obama is on the record in favor of escalating aggressions in Afghanistan, guano, how friendly he is that? What is the United States doing all the way over there when their own plumbing is so seriously plummeting?
If you want to get on a pulpit with shit like that, you don’t have to go all the way to Venezuela. Chavez isn’t in the business of invading other countries to steal their stuff. Unlike quite a number of antagonistic big mouth states we could name.
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re: the HUGO CHAVEZ SHOW
if interested, there is a Q&A with the documentarian, OFRA BIKEL. much criticism and a few good questions were presented, with her responses. if interested…
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Forum : Government
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