Predictions for Chavez and Venezuela

[razorsharp]

<p>Chavez has aligned himself with Castro; he has cheated the foreign oil companies, cheated the foreign telephone companies and now:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday called opposition news channel Globovision an enemy of the state and said he would do what was needed to stop it from inciting violence, only days after he shut another opposition broadcaster.

<a href=“http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2949211020070530?feedType=RSS&rpc=22[/url]”>http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2949211020070530?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Anyone care to predict the future of Chavez and Venezuela? How about over the next five years?</p>

[punkdudeus]

<p>i don’t comment on the parent blog often, but here’s my two cents.</p>

<p>the t.v. station that lost its license, RCTV, would’ve lost it’s license in the United State just as it did in Venezuela. They, and the other “opposition” station were active participants in the coup that tried to topple a democratically elected government in 2002. They lied to the country and played cartoons while tanks and people rioted in the streets. If that’d been an NBC or FOX the FCC would’ve probably done the same thing. They’ve also been known to violate journalistic integrity on a regular basis.</p>

<p>That being said, people are *<strong><em>ed that the station is being closed, but of the 70% who are disapproving, most are *</em></strong>ed because they can’t watch their telenovelas. It’s not very popular, and I think it’s a dumb move on Chavez’s part, but the streets are filled with just as many red-wearing Chavistas as those angry about the TV station closing.</p>

<p>Chavez’s reforms are rooted in Latin American populism, and while he exhibits the classical traits of a caudillo, he’s doing what more Latin American presidents should be doing: standing up to corporate imperialist interests, and trying to solve the problems of his nation’s poor. I think this is gonna pump up his opposition, but his government is going to continue winning elections. People in the US are uncomfortable with one single party controlling all the branches of government, yet we had that for 6 years and nobody flinched…despite massive social inequality and a war—at least with Chavez, the government is trying to help the poor.
Let’s not forget that Venezuelans elected him with over 60% of the vote, unlike some world leaders.</p>

<p>I might not be with all the means of instituting a revolution from the top down (I think revolutions are inherently a bottom up phenomenon) but it’s nice to see a revolutionary trying to make reforms.</p>

<p>Further more, The new Venezuelan constitution is quite liberal (in a classic sense) it’s created a new branch of government for the popular power, which allows people greater control over referendums, and recalling their leaders.</p>

<p>so with that, compa</p>

[mini]

<p>About a month ago, the FTC lifted requirements that commercial TV stations running PSAs even in the middle of the night. So ends the last of the commitment to commercial airwaves owing anything to the public for their use. </p>

<p>“Predictions for Chavez and Venezuela”</p>

<p>Assassinated by thugs in the pay of a subset of the CIA.</p>

[ucsd_ucla_dad]

<p>If Chavez stays in his role long enough, I think we’ll see a repeat of what happened with Castro in Cuba with the exception that Chavez has oil money at his disposal. I think he’ll want to exert governmental (i.e. his own) control over more and more businesses and individuals which will probably ultimately be to the detriment of most of the people. Similar efforts at socialism haven’t worked out very well at most places where it’s been attempted.</p>

<p>I hope I’m wrong.</p>

[higherlead]

<p>“They, and the other “opposition” station were active participants in the coup that tried to topple a democratically elected government in 2002.”</p>

<p>Well Chavez knows about military coups against elected governments. His own failed in 1992. That kind of suggests to me his commitment to democracy might not be all it could be. For better or worse he is the democratically elected president of the country so we and Venezuala are stuck with him.</p>

<p>My prediction is he is another Mugabe and will bring the country to ruin destroying its democracy in the process. Venezuala has a large middle class but not large enough. Chavez will shrink it consideraly. For the Left the most important thing is that everyone be equal. The question is equal to what.</p>

[overseas]

<p>I have two middle class Venezuelans living next door who left three years ago because of the situation brewing in that country with Chavez at the helm. They are also French citizens. His control is not an issue of socialism; it is an issue of personal power.</p>

[joe_n]

<p>I’m doing a report on Chavez, how do you think he will help or hinder future generations?</p>