Hugo Chavez has won his second term as President

by Raj Mon Dec 04, 2006 20:17

Congratulations to Mr. Chazvez on his reelection. Nice tie and suit.

by smurf Mon Dec 04, 2006 20:23

You read too much crap. The man is creating a wealhy elite in that country.
He is a member of CAFTA (Central American free trade ass). this is supported by oligarichs
of the Catholic right wing variety and the newest member is Mr Daniel Ortega.

This is 'sociopathic' socialism - which means the utilisation of the poor.
bringing up a few tax bands and creating a consumerist society- the illusion of universal
wealth is just that- its structured conservatism.

It happened in Ireland.

I do wonder why the generations of mediocre Irish politicians are those that have
used the same layers of influence as Chavez is creating through the supports
that have seduced him. This is not socialism- it is repression with consumption.

New Capitalism- and the mediocre do rise to the top, what happens then- well you
just have to examine the corruption endemic in Irish Politics to realise that they
will be selling everything sooner or later- everything is for sale.

Chavez is a dealer.
Material wealth is not everything.
It is not how you measure a sucessful society.
You look at Ireland we have 'billions' to spend in the budget, but the state
is selling off , running down ,essential services and creating a two-tier poverty.
CLLR Martin are you aware that in Berite Ahern's Ireland that hospitals do not
turn on incubators, children are fed in school- because their parents cannot
afford to feed them- that unless you want to be'aspirational' you get left behind.

Take a political course. luckily the next election is 2009.

by Raul C. - PCC Mon Dec 04, 2006 20:30

This is fantastic news, however expected. Coming with the nationalisations in Bolivia, we see the continued formulation of a new political dispensation in Latin America.

Que viva la revolución Bolivariana!!

Raul C.

by Shh smurf. - n/a Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:09

Smurf dont be such a cynic,Chavez is one of the best, and more than that he is an example for those who dont believe it is possible to resist economic imperialisim.
He doesn't have a revolution though just a process of reform..and this is exactly why he has just been voted in for another term with over 60 per cent.Your comment implies that the poor who support him dont know whats best for them,,,strong colonial echos there..

by god bless capitalism Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:20

Err yeah thats why hes looking to change the rules to state he can be president forever more, absolute power corrupts absolutely, chavez my little friend is no exception to that rule

its also funny how he criticises the US at every oppurtunity but without the sale of oil to the US he would be booted out of power quicksmart and his country would be ruined

not all is as it seems my little friends

last years sales to the USA were 764million barrels(by far the biggest customer), by an average oil price of usd55
you do the math

by anthony blair Tue Dec 05, 2006 14:10

Yes, a Sunday Times article 3rd Dec, backs up the suggestions that Chavez will now attempt to appoint himself president for a very long time.

"Chavez, 52, has promised a referendum on the issue by 2010 and has hinted that he intends to remain in office for at least another 30 years."

Don't forget this is the guy who already attempted a failed coup d'etat in February 1992. It goes on to question the claims about his benefitting the poor:

"For all the support he has harnessed with his welfare “missions” to spend Venezuela’s oil income on programmes for the poor, Chavez has failed to transform the lives of millions in the barrios. Corrupt and incompetent bureaucracy has in many areas slowed or obstructed welfare reforms. The crime rate has soared, exacerbated by a brutal police force."

This seems to be more likely than the claims of his "eradicating illiteracy".

by Caobhin Tue Dec 05, 2006 19:30

Well done Chavez - it's a bit early for the throwbacks to be agitating for a counter coup like in 2002 - Chavez may promise more than he can deliver but he is infinitely better than the previous shower of parasites.

by redjade Tue Dec 05, 2006 20:27

How The Machines WorkThe SmartMatic technology utilizes a simple, touch-screen system. The voter selects his preferred candidate by touching the box with his candidate’s name and the associated party logo. Once the selection is made, a screen will appear, again displaying the candidate’s name and requesting the voter to confirm his selection. Once confirmed, the machine prints a paper receipt, which the voter may check for accuracy before depositing it in a locked ballot box.

http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/downloads/electricvote.htm

- - - -

Gosh. What a simple idea! a paper receipt that you drop into a locked ballot box!

What will those Venezuelans think up next?

If you have not seen it yet, go download it or watch 'American Blackout' online....

'American Blackout'
http://americanblackout.gnn.tv/

This is the intro
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=598415956414938996

by number 6 - legalise freedom campaign Tue Dec 05, 2006 21:06

Viva Chavez and the People of Venezuela.

Imagine if Bertie was Hugo's brother.

We, the People , by the People , of the People under a Republic and a Constitution , might get to have a say about THEIR Natural resourses and Land being GIVEN to private corporations and multinationals.......and Local Developers.

Imagine the , eh , I mean your local City / County Council actually respecting your rights and freedoms that are guarenteed......... under a non - dictatorship....here in ....Ireland??????????

Hugo for taoiseach , anyday.

by Martin Wed Dec 06, 2006 18:50

I'd love to see Chavez create a genuine alternative to the current capitalist model, but I am really worried that all this dictator-in-the-making will do in the long term is destroy his country (economically speaking that is). He envisions having created a socialist Bolivarian state by 2021, but his heavy reliance on oil is definitely going to come back and bite him in the ass at some stage.

In seeking to delink from the USA (Chavez wants to gradually replace the USA with China as its primary oil market) all Chavez is really doing is swapping todays capitalist super power for tomorrow's (an arguably even more cut throat one at that!). I hope I'm wrong but in 50 years time we may be longing for a return to times when the USA was the world's dominant power, once we've seen what means the Chinese government are willing to emloy in reaching their ends.

by sybil Wed Jan 31, 2007 19:31

Reuters,
Irish times.
and
Other mainstream media are covering....

By decree............

by ipsiphi Wed Jan 31, 2007 20:55

Yes indeed Hugo the man is in the news today because he has been given extra-ordinary power to rule by decree for the next 18th months. This isn't a surprise to anyone who really understood what I meant in the much-maligned article "Is Chavez the Caudillo oversteps again?" (c/f http://indymedia.ie/article/75756 which might be compared with an article written by someone else http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76020 )

This new power is legally equivalent to those temporarily given Bush by Congress after 911 (which strained the limitations on domestic power of the 14th to last amendment to the US constitution). They are not though of the same term as the powers afforded Hitler by the reichstag just around the time he launched the "3rd reich".

Hugo will use these powers to nationalise "everything which had been nationalised before and has since been privatised".

________________________BASTA TO THAT! REAL CHAVEZ NEWS!_____________________

Meanwhile for true Hugo "the man" fans who will allow no criticism of the chap, & for whom he stands taller than Wolfe Tone or Robert Emmet in stocking feet - this week also saw video evidence that Fidel Castro is still alive. A new video of Fidel with Hugo has been aired. You might find it on youtube.

Lastly the Hugo "the man" story which really tickled me was published yesterday in the Venezuelan daily newspaper "el Neuvo Pais" by the regular columnist to that organ Ms Lina Ron (leader of the PUP (partido unido popular de Venezuela & one of Chavez's most loyal supporters).

She is arguing that it is past time in the Bolivarian revolution that Hugo "the man" continue to be without "the woman". Yes, folks Ms argues that Hugo really needs a wife "to cook him soup". [sic]
However lest the grrrls of Ireland wet their knicks at the prospect of some blind date hope with Hugo, Ms also specified the woman whom she thinks fits the bill :- Marapili Hernandez. & the reasons why. Marapili was minister for North American affairs & also supervised the Chavez presidency response to the referendum crises of 2004. She is according to columnist & matchmaker Lina Ron a woman "who fills all the requirements to be first lady of the country, the Chavez mrs can't be any woman, she must be intelligent, beautiful both within and without, a political woman, definitely political who understands the situation of the country...... nothing of the jealosy, because the man who she will have at her side is a the man most loved by the women of this country."

I did disappoint yiz grrrls didn't I? Of course some disgruntled lesbian type will probably start off on how caudillos are always sexy & a myth of their virile alure to all women is consistently pushed. Yiz are only jealous!

This is because Marapili Hernandez figured bigtime in the book "Todos las mujeras del presidente" (all the president's women) It's a wonderful bed-time read for any socialist who hankers for a latin american revolution which not only counts on slick media handling and neat slogans and regular appearances by the grand old man of Havana but also offers something a wee bit more salicious

Of course Hugo has contracted marriage with 2 other women before, both of which relationships produced offspring but ended in divorce. Otherwise he had not only have no heir but he'd be a bigamist. Nancy Colmenares was the first mrs Chavez & they had 3 kids, 2 daughters and 1 son also named Hugo :- Rosa Virginia, María Gabriela, Hugo Rafael then after that divorce Chavez (the man) married Marisabel Rodríguez from whom he seperated only recently & she retains the custody of their daughter Rosinés.

The activist & wondeful columnist ended her piece with the stirring :- ""En estos tiempos de cambios revolucionarios profundísimos y tan fuertes(...) debo decir como la Biblia 'no es bueno que el hombre esté solo'. No es bueno que Chávez esté solo".

which means - In these times of very deep and so strong revolutionary changes(.....) I must write as in the Bible - "it is not good that the man be alone. It is not good that Chavez be alone".

quite. The flicjering telly in the corner of my room show me Chavez "the man" with Fidel "the grand old man". This time Fidel is drinking orange juice. (last time 3 months ago . it was yoghurt). This marks a serious improvement of his tummy. I would put the photo up but then I'd be indulging the bandwidth. You know what Fidel looks like. & You know what the man looks like.

by ipsiphi trivia Sat Feb 03, 2007 13:23

I certainly had, but this morning I awoke & as is my 2007 resolution rather than immediately light a cigarette, I put on the radio. For some reason I was thinking about the article which is attracting certain comment on "what ever happened to anti-capitalism" which is on the feature list of indymedia ireland in the category of that name.]
I was thinking of my belief & how to articulate it better for ye - that the street mobilisations caused a generation already suffering from millenialism to believe they were a movement - & arguably still are - even if they don't mobilise on the street or at summits any more. I happen to concur with others that the movement still show itself in a communality of spirit through such initiative as local activist radio stations. Over here in Barcelona, there have been for almost 15 years two such stations but only in the last 5 years & their recent ventures into webcasting have their listenership started to rival commercial stations. Perhaps not playing 24/7 rad-punk helped too.
to the point
Anyway - in the "anarkisti round up" of the week's news - people just like ourselves touched on "The Man" (Chavez). I had forgotten completely that 15 years ago Hugo had attempted his coup d'etat against the then constitutional president of Venezuela Carlos Andrés Pérez. The exact date was the 4th of February. One of the "anarkistis" in the studio asked the obvious question about Hugo (The Man's) new powers to rule by decree -
After the 18 months are up will he go back to ruling with congress under the constitution? ...... a little pause ...... an old & experienced voice which has smoked too much and rasps slightly & I recognise as one of the survivors of the Franco era CNT group - responded -
"The country will have changed so much for the better that it won't be neccesary for "the Man" to give those powers back" The programe then moved on to other "dictator news" [sic] "Fidel appeared with Hugo of course. Hugo is the only man who sees Fidel these days."......."ah yeah Fidel is dead - Hugo just did a set of video encounters with him years back. in one he drinks yoghurt, in another he drinks orange juice- next one he'll be drinking a caipirinha" (a caipirinha is a really strong brazilian cocktail)
& then the last titbit - it has been exactly one year since the last public appearance of the dictator of North Korea "the beloved and genial father of the people Kim il Yong".

this sort of stuff ought make you think. especially if you still stick to the millenial belief in world revolution and love unswaveringly "the man" simply because he says the right things. & for the umpteenth time - to simply reflect the cynicism which is global in the spanish speaking peoples at the Chavez career doesn't oblige one to present alternative candidates for * coup leader * constitutional president * dictator.

All the same - Venceremos! Hasta la victoria Sempre! A las Barricades! workers & unemployed of the world unite!

by Bolivarian circular roundabout Sat Feb 03, 2007 21:23

As I expected, you refused to read the article, because it might halt your hysterical rantings. If you had, you would know that the power to rule by decree was part of BOTH constitutions, 1961 and 1999, and was used several times before Chavez ever came to power. The 1999 constitution wasn't "rammed through", it was drafted by an elected assembly and approved by a national referendum. It also included a clause that allowed citizens to organise a recall referendum for any public official, including the president - this power was of course used by the opposition in 2004, leading to one of Chavez's multiple victories in free, fair elections.

But why let that get in the way of a good rant? I expect more hysteria about HItler and Idi Amin in response. Anyone with an open mind should follow that link, and check out some of the other articles on the same site. They might also want to check out this link, for a balanced view of the situation in Venezuela and some of the problems that need to be tackled if the revolution is going to head in the right direction:

http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1188

by reader Sat Feb 03, 2007 22:39

It just tells us what we know - Chavez won the election. Some of the comments tell us more. One tells us that he got decree powers. Some comments tell us what people say in Spain where Chavez is popular and Venezuelans live. Then there is the usual attack. It's a pity that some anonymous users of this site seem to take pleasure from dismissing other opinions, even well informed ones with short dismissive pit pat comments. "rant" "go blog" "troll" "give over". It really is a pity. I like the link the last person left, not saying I didn't. it helped me know more about Venezuelan politics. But I like the other comments too. & yes they have all got me thinking. I hope there is a Mrs Chavez, LOL I hope Fidel gets better, & I'm glad to know that even people on the left criticise Chavez. Years ago Monibiot tried to dismiss that section of the Left interested in South America, and in the US press I read constant warnings about where his government is going. I dont believe them because I dont believe much the US press says. But I dont think Chavez can be the next Lenin either. I hope he does bring in all the reforms and then allows Venezuelans to go back to the sort of democracy I am delighted to see in other South American countries. But I wonder is that going to happen when only 35% of the country vote, its just the same as in britain. Some people I know thought Blair was going to do the business over their when he came in. He had over a 100 mps. They thought the north would be sorted, the Lords, scotland, wales and even the GLC come back. They dont want to admit they know better now.

Dont give up anyone of you. You inform us. Give us the links and the balance. the spin stops here!!!!