Chavez's Venezuela: A Fighting Chance for an Egalitarian Society?

[Larkspur]

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0823-13.htm

In the wake of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's victory in the attempt by the opposition to recall him last week, one might ask, what does Chavez have that Fidel Castro of Cuba, Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala, and Salvador Allende of Chile lacked? Is it his charisma? Populist ideals? A restive elite? An antagonistic and powerful northern neighbor? No, they all shared those attributes and handicaps.

Oil. Hugo Chavez has oil, one of the largest reserves in the world and a fifty percent increase in government revenues because of the rising prices for it on the global market.

Both President George W. Bush and the Democratic challenger, John F. Kerry, have characterized him as an "anti-democratic leader" but considering Hugo's program and achievements in office, one can only wonder what common meaning "democratic" can have to two men who profess to disagree upon so many issues. If, by democratic, they mean a government run by a small plutocracy that controls all of the country's wealth, then I suppose that Chavez is anti-democratic. If they mean leaders who funnel the people's money into the pockets of their friends, then I suppose he is anti-democratic. In fact, if they mean men who identify with the poor to the point of putting programs in place that will lift the entire society in a generation, then Chavez is certainly anti-democratic. It might be nice to live in an anti-democratic country if this is what democratic means in the Alice-in-Wonderland parallel world of American presidential politics.

But if democracy means to be by, for, and of the people, then Hugo Chavez might want to take a turn as U.S. president when he has cleaned up Venezuela.
<SNIP>

Hugo would have my support in an instant. Viva Chavez!!!

[cprise]

1. E-gal-a-what?

Sorry, haven't heard that word in a long time.