Hugo Chavez

[FPENA98]

I have to ask, does everyone else agree that Chavez is a classic socialist/communist dictator, a Fidel Castro II.  He's already suggested that he's going to push to have presidential term limits abolished so he can serve indefinitely and since his party controls all aspects of Venezuela's government this is all but a formality.  His performance at the UN and Harlem just confirms to those of us who think he's got nothing but a bunch of hot air.  The only reason he is relevant is because he controls such vast oil deposits.  The thing that really gets me about Chavez is that while millions of his people live in poverty he's out travelling the world giving away his country's oil wealth by selling cheap oil to Cuba, buying Argentine bonds--a dubious endeavor given the past history of Argentina's unilateral suspension of its debt obligations.  He has wasted billions of dollars by allocating billions to his pet projects and his socialist ideas are going to take Venezuela backwards economically.  The high price of oil is helping him for now, however, if and when oil falls significantly he's going to find himself if some seriously warm waters.  He's insulted not only President Bush but got into a verbal quibble with Mexican President Vicente Fox and now he says he will not recognize the eventual winner of the election-Mr. Calderon, because he is from the right.  He has no problem meddling in other country's affairs perhaps its time that some of those countries started meddling in his and Venezuela's affairs.  He champions himself as the next Simon Bolivar and he wants to become the dominant player in South American but even with his oil wealth Brazil and Mexico dwarf him economically especially if he continues to transform Venezuela into a socialist country.

[Maximus]

The thing that really gets me about Chavez is that while millions of his people live in poverty he's out travelling the world giving away his country's oil wealth by selling cheap oil to Cuba, buying Argentine bonds--a dubious endeavor given the past history of Argentina's unilateral suspension of its debt obligations.

I wasn't aware of this.  I tend to agree with you about Chavez.  He is not doing his country any favors.  Unlike Fidel (who I suppose had tourism), Chavez is sitting on a fortune.  To squander that fortune when so many are living in poverty is a crime.  It would nice to have a realist in office, not a misguided "idealist."

[Gee3666]

...To squander that fortune when so many are living in poverty is a crime.  It would nice to have a realist in office, not a misguided "idealist."

OK, maybe it's just me, but isn't that statement  a bit idealistic?

[Firefly]

i think being idealistic as a politician is critical.  if our leaders aren't guided by clear ideals, and if they don't have goals, no matter how difficult to achieve, they aren't worth much.

but chavez is a few fries short of a happy meal, if you ask me.  i'm with fpena on that matter.  he needs to work a bit harder at funneling some of that oil money down to the peasants.

[FPENA98]

If I were an ordinary Venezuelan citizen I'd be quite upset at Chavez for the things he has done.  Spending billions of dollars to buy weapons systems that would be useless in the rare case the U.S. invaded Venezuela.  Giving away millions of dollars to citizens of the United States, the wealthies country in the world in discounted heating oil and gas.  As an American I have no problem with him doing this, but if I were a poor Venezuelan struggling to survive I'd be mad as hell.  Buying Argentine bonds because no one else in the world would buy them, he spent $3.1 billiion doing this.  Giving Cuba billions of dollars in free oil simply because it too is a socialist country.  He's given millions to the government of Bolivia and other Latin American countries. I could understand it if his country was as developed and industrialized as the U.S. or Europe, but with so many problems in Venezuela why should the people of Venezuela pay for his ideologically based expenditures.  I think Chavez forgets that he's the President of Venezuela and not Latin America.  The kicker is building a $25 billion transcontinental gas pipeline.  Most dictators don't give a rats behind about their own people and Chavez is proving to be another rum of hte mill leftist ideolog who'd rather antagonize the U.S. and prop up ienpt leftist regimes at the expense of the people of Venezuela, what a shame.

[Gee3666]

...Most dictators don't give a rats behind about their own people and Chavez is proving to be another rum of hte mill leftist ideolog who'd rather antagonize the U.S. and prop up ienpt leftist regimes at the expense of the people of Venezuela, what a shame.

And you expected what?  A revolutionary?

[Maximus]

And you expected what?  A revolutionary?

There are such things are genuine revolutionaries who aren't simply bags of wind.  Chavez just isn't one of them.  I agree with FPena.

[Gee3666]

The problem is, in most societies, a true revolutionary is most often stifled by the 'machine' in which he/she is expected to operate.  Gone are the days of a single 'saviour' unless world governmental ideology as well as bureaucracy are drastically altered.

[FPENA98]

Chavez is nothing more than a demagogue, he pits the rich vs. the poor.  His thugs have beaten up people who don't agree with him.  Let's not forget he attempted to take power in the early 1990s through a failed coup.  He's been planning to take power for years and he finally achieved it in the late 1990s.  His cohorts completely control the Congress and his judges fill Venezuelan courts.  There is nothing holding Chavez back from fundamentally changing Venezuela and he's doing it.  This is a man who goes on national television for hours at a time and talks and talks and talks, he must always be the center of attention.  This man is no revolutionary, he's a demagogue who pits ideology and his own ego above anything and anyone else including the people of Venezuela.  This is not a "revolution" of the Venezuelan people, this is a revolution for Chavez's sake and his sake alone.  He will lead Venezuela to ruin, I have no doubt of this just like Castro has ruined Cuba and countless socialist have destroyed the lives of millions and perhaps billions of people. 

[DanM]

Saw Chavez on the news today.  He was practically foaming at the mouth.  The man scares me.  I am not convinced he gives a second thought to the needs of his people.  And his shamelessly brown-nosing of Castro is just disgusting. 

   

[FPENA98]

He calls Castro an older brother like figure.  Chavez is once again talking about amending the "new" Constitution, that HE wrote and passed to allow him in effect perpetual reelection.  How quickly power corrupts one's principles, assuming of course he had any.  Now that he's in power he's going to do everything in his power to make sure he can run for the Presidency again and again.  What a surprise!  The whole affair of his Foreign Minister being detained at JFK Airport was quite bizarre.  First of all, why would the Foreign Minister of Venezuela be flying commercial?  Venezuela is rich with petrodollars right now, the least the country could do would be to lease a plane for thier Foreign Minister, but don't they have an Air Force and don't they have a national airlines?  I guess even the foreign minister of Venezuela won't fly on the national airline which a few years ago was not allowed to fly into the United States for safety reasons.  Second, why must the Foreign Minister pay cash for his tickets 30 minutes before his flight is set to depart, does he not have a secretary?  The whole affair just seems like a setup to try to grab some press.  I think that the ploy backfigured as most people didn't really pay attention and most people like myself agreed that the Foreign Minister brought it on himself by arriving so late and paying cash for a one way ticket.

[Maximus]

That is indeed a sorry state of affairs.  Unless it was a set-up, as you suggested, what happened to government perks?  Having a national airline is one thing, and having access to a single plane is another. 

Venezuela is going down the tubes.  Perhaps Chavez should stop looking to Castro for inspiration and talk with Lula, who we've agreed is much more level-headed.