Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution.

[JanMichael]

Do you support this man and his drive to empower the powerless in Venezuela?

Just for fun let's look at a comment that Chavez made about Kerry.

He made this comment about Kerry after a seeing a speech:

“His speech seemed a lot like that of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. God free him from the fate of John Fitzgerald Kennedy… The Democratic Senator said that, for the people of the United States, his health care plan had to become a right for everyone and not a privilege for a few. Someone could have said, if this man had come here to visit the Adentro Barrio, ‘Chávez bought him already! He’s a Chavista!’ But no: He is a human being, and I believe he is pointed in the right direction. It is the direction that the people from the United States to the Southern Cone demand. The world demands equality, justice… If we leaders don’t understand this, the future of the world will bring the horror of new wars… I have here the path to this peaceful revolution. We will make it a reality to end, forever, the possibility of violence.”

To which after much soul searching Kerry responded with:

“President (of Venezuela, Hugo) Chavez has repeatedly undermined democratic institutions by using extra-legal means, including politically motivated incarcerations, to consolidate power. In fact, his close relationship with Fidel Castro has raised serious questions about his commitment to leading a truly democratic government… Moreover, President Chavez’s policies have been detrimental to our interests and those of his neighbors. He has compromised efforts to eradicate drug cultivation by allowing Venezuela to become a haven for narco-terrorists, and sowed instability in the region by supporting anti-government insurgents in Colombia.”

Which is humourous considering that he's actually an elected President of a Western nation as opposed to Generalissimo el Busho.

So is it YES or NO?

[JanMichael]

1. Well I see a couple of bleach blonde aristocrats on DU say NO!

Good for y'all!

[justinsb]

2. I support Chavez even though he was wrong about Kerry

Kerry has about as much in common with JFK as Ken Lay has in common with Dennis Kucinich.

[JanMichael]

4. I think he was simply trying to be diplomatic.

And to Kerry's credit he isn't Bush who as you well know is not on Hugo's party invite list.

And in many DUers defence I think they believed that Kerry's Health Plan, while not a Single Payer system, was better that the disfunctional system we have now.

[bahrbearian]

3. Just when I was going to forgive Kerry , you post his statement.

Thanks , I hate the DLC

[MisterP]

5. viva Chavez!

[AllieB]

6. And unlike Bush, Chavez was democratically elected

[JanMichael]

7. And beat a recall effort by the plutocracy 2 to 1.

Hell they had their media flaming Chavez 24/7 and he still beat them.

[wli]

13. his approval rating in the US beats Bushler's actual at 2:1 n/t

[Amonester]

8. "... Kerry, who condemned Chavez in an apparent attempt to go after

Bush's base."
-From a very ugly site, I know. Still... So, here is the Google's cache link:

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:Fv6lGdqEzKgJ:www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/3/30/173832.shtml+%22his+close+relationship+with+Fidel+Castro+has+raised+serious+questions%22&hl=en

So my vote is "Other" because All of Florida's Voters Had the Same Right to Vote in both '00 and '04, and the "winner" won it while "playing politics" honestly. :sarcasm:

[JanMichael]

9. It didn't work very well it seems.

[Amonester]

12. In Reality, It Worked Fine. In **'s Upside Down World It Did Not.

Besides, who's against having 200,000 more people to work (except if they're stealing someone else's jobs, of course...), spend (buy stuff to live or survive on from local businesses), pay taxes, etc.

Local business owners in FL?

[goodhue]

10. Chavez has courage

Kerry, not so much . . .

[JanMichael]

11. I'd REALLY like to see some of the "NO!" votes comment.

Really, I would. I suppose that Afro-Indian guy just pisses you off with his lifting up of all of those nasty poor people from the ground that those pretty Spanish elites threw them?