Counterpunch: An Electoral Dien Bien Phu for Bush

[Larkspur]

http://www.counterpunch.org/solo08182004.html

For the Venezuelan government the result of the recall referendum last Sunday was a triumphant validation of its legitimacy, its policies and its President, Hugo Chavez. It amounts to an electoral Dien Bien Phu (1) for the United States and its allies who have worked determinedly to destabilize Venezuela's political life in almost every conceivable way since George W. Bush and Dick Cheney took office. In particular, the mainstream international media who have consistently calumnied the Venezuelan State and its constituent entities, although chastened by the referendum victory, remain mealy-mouthed or downright hostile both in their news coverage and in their analysis.

The case of the London Independent--publishing a story on their web site announcing an opposition victory and then pulling it with no apology or comment (2)- was perhaps the most egregious. But almost all the international mainstream press , even while grudgingly recognizing the win for Chavez, tended to recycle the same tired old chestnuts. Chavez has divided the country, Chavez has close ties to Cuba, Chavez is a populist strongman, Chavez depends on windfall oil revenues. Little or no mention was made of three key recent policy achievements (apart from the phenomenally successful educational and health campaigns) of the Venezuelan government--the rapprochement with Colombia on infrastructure integration, the association with the Mercosur trading block and the incredible turnaround in oil production following the destructive opposition management lock-out in 2002.

The plea Chavez has made for dialogue(3) with opposition leaders has so far met silence or rejection. Large sections of the opposition continue making absurd claims of massive fraud in the referendum. No matter how hard President Chavez tries to promote reconciliation, the responses of much of the opposition are likely to range from truculent obstruction to outright sabotage. They may even reject the referendum result outright and act to tip the country into chaos once more.

This is a defeat for all, no matter their party affiliation, who support neoliberal economic policies. Has Kerry made a statement on Chavez's victory?

[Wright Patman]

1. Kerry has made statements

in opposition to Chavez in the past.

It would be hard for him to do anything but ignore this result as are the rest of the political and media elite in the U.S.

Kerry may be "our" member of the elite, but he's still one of the elite first and foremost.

[KoKo]

2. Unfortunately Dem Position doesn't seem to support Chavez. CAP website

(Center for American Progress..our new thinktank) had a newsbreak where they called Chavez a Dictator..and the article on his election blamed Bush for Chavez being elected (said it was Bush's "isolationist policies.") It annoyed me because I thought CAP was going to be more progressive than the DLC...but about Chavez they seem to be mainstream with Dem/Repug thought about him.

[Larkspur]

3. Maybe Kucinich and Rev. Jesse Jackson should talk talk to CAP

since the sent a letter of support to Hugo Chavez.

[KoKo]

4. Here's what "Center for American Progress" said:

(Correction: I said they called him a dictator...when I went back to the article I see that they called him an "increasingly authoritarian ruler." Sort of like George Bush :D...but I still feel the article is not favorable to him, so I'm glad to hear Jackson and Kucinich congratulated him...thanks for the info)


[e-mail]
DEMOCRACY
The Death of Diplomacy

This weekend, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez – an increasingly authoritarian ruler – appears to have overcome a "referendum to remove him from office two years before his term expires." The Bush administration may be indirectly responsible for this autocratic populist's retention of power; in April 2002, when Chavez was overthrown in a military coup, the White House threw its support behind the new, illegitimate government. As a result, once Chavez regained power, the White House lost legitimacy in speaking out in defense of democracy. In this election, Chavez was able to rouse much of the populace into believing the recall vote was an overt attempt by the American government to replace him with a puppet regime. On the last day of his campaign, Chavez rallied his supporters by declaring the vote was not about "whether Chavez stays or Chavez goes. is whether Venezuela continues to be a sovereign state or turns into a Latin American colony." To top off his speech, he declared, "Bush's government will be defeated on Sunday." The situation in Venezuela is part of a larger pattern by the Bush White House of abandoning diplomatic attempts to shore up democracy.
[e-mail]