Why Venezuela's Neighbors Are Hoping For A Chavez Win Sunday

[Peace Patriot]

15. I agree. I think of Capriles as the air-brushed, USAID candidate.

Slick, photogenic "wolf in sheep's clothing."

Somebody leaked his rightwing coalition's secret platform, which basically will dismantle Venezuela's "New Deal." In public, he claims to support Chavez social programs.

He reminds me of Reagan in some ways. I was never fooled by Reagan, but many were, and, with the Corporate 'News' moguls peeing in their pants in their excitement about the re-write of the tax code, deregulation of the savings & loans, deficit spending for the rich, dismantling of environmental protections, "Star Wars" (war profiteer) spending, slaughter of teachers and mayors and other advocates of the poor in Latin America (including the slaughter of 200,000 Mayan villagers in Guatemala), and other Reagan "new day in America" wonders, how could he lose?

Venezuelan voters, however, are a lot smarter than our voters. They've learned the hard way. The bankster looting expedition happened there and throughout Latin America before it happened here. And, when they tried to do something about it, in Venezuela--elect an FDR-like president, Hugo Chavez, and institute major political and economic reform--they were not only hit with a U.S.-backed rightwing coup d'etat, but with a coup d'etat that was instigated and supported by the Corporate Media, who, when the coupsters had kidnapped the elected president, forbade any members of the elected government from appearing on TV! (So much for "free speech"! Really, it is a cruel joke in the mouths of the Corporate Media.)

So-o-o, Venezuelans don't pay much attention to the Corporate 'News' Media, and they not only peacefully defended their democracy against the coup, but have repeatedly elected their "New Deal" government to act on their behalf, and give it very high marks for doing so. (Recent Gallup Wellness poll reveals that Venezuelans rated their own country fifth in the world on their own well-being and future prospects.)

Venezuelans are also aware that they helped inspire the vast leftist democracy revolution that surged through South America and into Central America, following theirs. And they are aware, also, of the importance of the new political/economic alliances that have arisen between governments with leftist leaders and in new region-wide organizations. Strength-in-numbers is important when dealing with U.S. power and inclination to smash their democracies into dust on behalf of transglobal corporations and war profiteers.

I don't think it's going to be close. The recent Mitofsky-Mexico study of the 12 major polls in Latin America rated Chavez the fourth most popular leader in all of the Americas, with a 64% average approval rating. The approximate/average numbers in recent presidential election polls are Chavez 50%, Capriles 35%, with a large number of undecideds, but Chavez will probably win the majority of undecideds because of his very high approval rating.

The Corporate 'Views' Media has gone ALL OUT, here and there, with as many negative, anti-Chavez headlines as they can come up with, and, of course, NOT A SINGLE story--NOT ONE!--about the Chavez government's achievements and WHY Venezuelans vote for Chavez and give him such a high approval rating. Not even a sentence in a story. Not even a half sentence. The UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean designated Venezuela "THE most equal country in Latin America" on income distribution, for instance. Nothing. Nada. The Corporate Media Black Hole swallows up important stories like that and sends them to another universe, where they can't emit any light.

Maybe this will get to Venezuelan voters--that the rest of the world (um, the Corporate Media and the U.S. State Dept.) thinks the government they like so much is shit. People do get beat down, sometimes, under the hammer of Corporate "Big Lie" propaganda. Our own people are a good example of it. But, a) Venezuela has an honest, transparent election system, which has given the people a sense of empowerment, unlike our own system, which keeps turning up extremely puzzling and extremely discouraging results (hm, wonder why); b) the Chavez government's achievements are REAL--on equitable income, on education, on health care, etc.--and Venezuelans obviously know this is true, and feel it every day; and c) the Chavez government has done a lot to improve public access to the public airwaves and thus there are alternative, people-run conduits of information, to counter the non-stop crap from the local Corporate and transglobal Corporate propaganda organs.

So I have more reason to believe that Venezuelans will elect the Chavez government for a third term, by a significant margin, than I do that Obama will get the the mandate that he needs, or that Obama will be elected at all. Our system is extremely riggable and anything can happen. Venezuela's system is quite sound--one of the best in the world, according to Jimmy Carter's recent statement (and according to other election monitoring groups and my own researches). It will likely reflect--or come close to reflecting--Chavez's approval rating.

Another thing: Interest and public participation are sky high, unlike here. I just read a report on this from an English observer. Venezuela's streets and squares are flooded with non-stop, passionate political activity--everyone is involved, unlike here. Nobody gets banned from voting in Venezuela, unlike here where large swaths of voters are being kicked off the rolls by fascist operatives, and all sorts of measures have been taken--including the disenfranchisement of our huge, poor prison population--to keep the poor from voting. People trust the election results in Venezuela. They don't, here, and for good reason. (Thus, many think, why bother? Wrong thinking, but still). The atmospheres in the two countries are very different--Venezuelans enthused, our people depressed, surly, a-political.

This contrast, between here and there, has been true for some time--indeed, from the very first (alternative media) reports that I started following, circa 2002. It has been characteristic of the Chavez government to encourage public participation and involvement, and excitement and enthusiasm for politics. And "why bother?" has been the message of our political establishment since, oh, about the same time, actually--2002--with the passage, by Congress, of the $3.9 billion e-voting boondoggle that spread privately controlled 'TRADE SECRET' voting machines to every state, with virtually no audit-recount controls. In the same month as the "Iraq War Resolution." If the message of 2000 wasn't clear enough, the message of 2002 brought it all home: rigged elections, theft by the rich, rule by the rich, war--these were going to be our lot no matter what we wanted. 56% of the American people opposed the Iraq War during that same period--in Feb. 2003 (all polls). So what?

In Venezuela, people feel very empowered. And we feel very disempowered--disengaged, apathetic, dismayed--as a people, I mean. Some of us will never give up, but, on the whole, our people are more than economically depressed--we are morally and spiritually depressed, and items like insurance-run health care just don't cut it, when huge reform is clearly, clearly needed, and is blockaded everywhere we look.

Not so in Venezuela. They, as a people, have taken on thorough reform. I doubt very much that they are going to reverse themselves.

The Chavez government hasn't really been in power that long--basically two terms. (Our own FDR was elected to four terms in office, and died in his fourth term.) But any longstanding government develops entrenched groups, gets too in love with bureaucracy, makes mistakes and fails to solve some problems. It is a natural target for criticism, should be scrutinized and criticized and has been scrutinized and criticized, most constructively from within the Left itself, and very lopsidedly by the Corporate Media--the echo chamber for rightwing "talking points." (Remember the drought in Venezuela and the consequent hydro-electric power outages? Ever hear ANYTHING from the Corporate Media about how quickly the Chavez government solved that problem? Nothing. Nada. Really mind-boggling bias.)

Ergo: It's not as if Venezuelans are voting in ignorance of the Chavez government's flaws and failings. They are also well aware of the rather breathtaking achievements of their government, and I think will give it a substantial mandate to continue.