Okay, so I admit to a grudging respect for Hugo Chavez.
1 He hates Bush and American Imperialism – I can only imagine how much.
2 At least at the time of the embarrassingly failed coup in April 2002, he had a supermajority mandate (not that I believe in foolish notions of “popular” sovereignty).
3 Bush’s wars have made oil so expensive that he has plenty of cash to blow, and I’d be amazed if he hasn’t been able to continue to buy much of that support. I know he’s survived at least one recall attempt since then.
4 Venezuela’s oil has for generations been owned by the state. (According to Palast, the land the oil is under was never owned by anyone – not even Indians.) Yet all the commie welfare went to the top 20% and to servicing the US government’s war debts. Hugo Chavez has equaled the communism out a bit, building schools, hospitals, and houses where there used to be cardboard shanties – that, and denied the American Empire the share it was never due, that’s all. He has not gone Mao style; collectivizing everything and imprisoning and killing everyone like so many of his commie predecessors – apparently the triple-the-regular-market-price of oil provides enough revenue as long as it isn’t wasted on US securites.
5 He makes low interest loans to other Latin American states – cutting out the IMF and World Bank. I like that. He also removed 20 Billion bucks from the New York Fed. I like that even more.
and 6 My buddy went to Venezuela and says they can’t even rebuild the goddam road to the airport, which proves that all governments suck at everything but stealing and killing. This is a good lesson for all people to see. Hopefully, when he leaves power, the people’s faith in the goodness of the state will have been diminished further.
I put it off too long. Don’t make the same mistake. Watch The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
