Venezuela was fairly evenly divided at the time of their last election - Carter's certification of results be damned - with Chavez' support coming primarily from the poor and peasant classes.

While the entire country has suffered from his mismanagement, the rising price of oil has helped provide a measure of cover for the regime. However, the lower classes can surely see their lot has not improved under Chavez.

If it weren't for his support among the poor "masses," his government would have fallen long ago. ¡Venezuela si, Chavez no!

Watch for several contries, and the UN to point at voting 'irreglarities' and not back the lopsided relection of everyones favorite dictator. Swiftly followed, or perhaps preceded by, multiple arrests, executions (excuse me, 'dissaperances') of key people, opponets, outspoken detractors (just like in Russia).

Does anyone feel that sucking up to these people is helping? Hello - idoicy is not suppose to skip a generation - its always there - but I guess they only bring out the 'clue' cards once every other decade.

Anbody need to buy a clue card at this point?

Lorie, how about a few pictures to support that "babe theory" of political movements? ;-)

All we see is teeming masses (which shows success), but how about the ladies in the crowd?

Chavez was not available.

Our Venezuelan friends here who fled the country recently used to live in the district where Mr. Rosales is governor.

He is a pretty good guy, and he has, for once, united the opposition which used to be fractured. He's also making a pitch to the poor, but eschewing "oil for world politics" approach that Fidel Chavez has followed, to no effect for the people of Venezuela.

Thanks for the links, Lorrie. I especially liked the one that supposedly proved the pro-Chavez rally was a flop. If you care to revisit that page and look at the comments, a helpful anti-Chavista has provided this other link to a video of the rally:

http://www.vtv.gov.ve/_Multimedias/elvalleculminacioncaravanachavez081006.wmv

This video is also supposed to prove how few people attended. Unfortunately it proves the opposite.

For more information, check the Spanish language press. Here's one report (selected at random) from the anti-Chavez, pro-Rosales TV station Globovision:

http://globovision.com/news.php?nid=39741

I would hope that even if there are Wizbangers who cannot read Spanish, they should be able to make a wild stab at translating the words "acompanada de una multitud" and "acompanada de decenas de miles".

There are many other *anti-Chavez media* reports that back that up if you care to look.

If my advice were wanted (which I know it isn't) I would suggest you applied for a passport and visited a little of the outside world. But for such a journey to be worthwile, you would have to step outside the small white elites in countries like Venezuela before you could find out what the broad mass of people actually think and want.

I know you will never do this, and so you will never expand your vision beyond the tiny world of America's lunatic right wing.

Wow, Cat, I was right there with you raady to check out your links and issue an update until you felt the need to insult me in that last couple of paragraphs. Maybe people like you should step out of your world for a while and visit the one some of us in the "lunatic right wing" population inhabit so you can learn how to be civil. We have a saying here in the southern region of lunatic right wing America -- "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." I would explain that one to you, but the seething contempt for us would probably prevent you from listening.

Thanks for the reply, Lorrie. Unlike you, being insulted doesn't stop me from following the links people who criticize me provide.

I always want to know what other information there might be that contradicts my opinions, even if it comes from someone who uses a ton or two of vinegar. Otherwise, how could I ever modify my opinions to bring them in line with reality. For anyone who actually wants to understand the world, this is always an ongoing process. We can never know the whole truth. Sometimes we need to slightly adjust our beliefs on certain issues; sometimes we need to wipe out everything we once believed about a subject and start again from scratch - just as we have to do when trying to solve a sodoku and belatedly discover we have made a fundamental error at the beginning.

The first link I offered you was produced by one of your enemies, but provided by one of your allies. The second was from one of the many right-wing elite enemies of Chavez in Venezuela. Don't you even want to know what your allies say? Is your curiosity that limited that you have to be baited with honey just to find out whether or not your opinions are justified?

I agree with you - I was far from polite. But I have no interest anymore in being polite with those who justify causing death and destruction around the world in the name of "democracy" while destroying the very nature of democracy.

Grow up and learn to research.

cat, describe how we're destroying the very nature of democracy? We don't even "follow" democracy, except on the VERY local level. We're a republic, and unless you recognize that, you can shove your head back up chavez's national socialistic ass (yes I'm calling him one of those...he's extremely national and extremely socialistic, and his government is fast approaching that of a fascist totalitarian state).

This story just warmed the cockles of my sulphiric-supporting heart.

In your ear, Hugo.

cat is delusional if she thinks Chavez has been good for the poor of Ven, or that socialists have been good for the poor in general.

There is a laundry list of failure. Poverty is actually worse now in Ven, as is human rights and political freedom.

Boy, talk about not hanging out in the "real world." I've travelled widely in Latin America, Eastern Europe, as well as Western Europe. I've never met anyone who wanted to give up their freedom and the democratic freedoms they enjoy.

Maybe cat is hangin' with the radical few. Where are all these people that think as cat does?

They largely don't exist, thank God, except in cat's mind.

Cat, if you work hard and take a few risks, you too can become a "have". The world is full of opportunity. It's not necessary to steal from the "haves"--you can be one, too!

Or, you can continue the path you're on, and do for the poor what Communism has always done for them.

That is, freeze them into place (except for a smart, ruthless few "nomenclatura"--such as Fidel's brother, or Kim il Sung's son), remove all hope for economic growth and the upward mobility it brings and the middle class it creates, violently oppress the people via the use of a secret police, pour national resources into weapons for the military destabilization of democratic neighbors, and in all ways make things hideously worse for "the people" in whose name you destroyed the institutions of democracy.

Your self-advertised moral superiority is not only an utter lie, but is a perversion of truth, and a sin against thought.

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