I Used to Think Venezuelans Were Stupid
But it's harder to fault them for fear
By blackhedd Posted in Contra Tyrannum | Hugo Chavez | Referendum — Comments (18) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Amid the plethora of comments about the December 2 referendum in Venezuela, this story is telling us that one respected polling organization is showing Chavez trailing by ten points.
But the money quote is this, from the head of the polling firm: Despite the swing, company head Luis Vicente Leon said he did not rule out a comeback by the popular president.
You already know what this is about: el Presidente wants the Venezuelans to legitimize his taking full control of the country, with an abolition of term limits for himself but no one else, the ability to muzzle the press when he sees fit, the power to manipulate the bolivar, and quite a list of other things.
Venezuelans have had the bad taste to elect this man several times since 1999. Most polls show that Chavez will win this referendum with a low-turnout, but the poll I quoted shows that a majority of people expect to vote, which probably means opposition voters.
By this time, however, the operative dynamic among the electorate may not be poor taste, stupidity, or ignorance of history. It may be fear.
Chavez has always hesitated to use the ultimate dictator's weapon: the people's fear of "disappearing" in the night. If this polling holds up, expect the race to tighten in favor of Chavez over the next few days, as two things happen: First, Chavez' election-fraud apparatus will swing into high-gear.
And second, opposition-minded Venezuelans will ask themselves in their own hearts whether they will be personally safer in the future if they abstain from this vote.
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I Used to Think Venezuelans Were Stupid 18 Comments (0 topical, 18 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
agree broadly with blackhedd's general characterizations---at least in the sense that about three-quarters of the Venz population are functionally under- or unemployed and eager for handouts and freebies from the government.
I have visited Caracas many times and been to Maracaibo once and although there are pockets of productivity and industriousness, the general impression I got from talking with academics, media, and political Venezuelans was that their country suffered from "the curse of oil," and one senior governmment official told me that the percentage of "illegal immigrants" in Venezuela was over twenty percent---almost all of them slipping into the country to get the freebies and handouts an oil economy furnished the underemployed.
The curse of oil is not particular to Venezuelans.
The reason I'm characterizing them as stupid is because, and only because, they've seen fit to vote for Hugo Chavez several times.
The point of my piece is that this referendum would grant Chavez broad dictatorial powers. And for that reason, future votes for Chavez may not require stupidity. Simple fear for one's life will suffice.
Curse your inferior intellect.
Moe
PS: If you have a problem with a Contributor, IndyCon, email the Directors via the Contact link. Thanks in advance.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
>the ability to muzzle the press when he sees fit
No, we never do this over here at RedState. Muzzle someone because we disagree with them? How un-American. This guy Chavez sure is behaving like a petty dictator.
>Chavez has always hesitated to use the ultimate dictator's weapon: the people's fear of "disappearing" in the night.
Just what we can expect from petty dictators who can't handle an open contest of ideas. Can't win the argument? Throw the trouble-maker from the scaffolding. But hey, behaving like a petulant brat is the privellege of a leader of a sovereign entity.
Here's your one time, jagrmeister:
Hugo Chavez is about to have the Venezuelan people give him an unrestricted right to shut down any press organ for any reason.
Here at RedState, we police our site for a variety of reasons that I don't need to rehearse here.
Anyone we "muzzle" here at RedState is entirely free to go to another site, set up his own site, jump up on a soapbox in Central Park, buy television ads on all the networks, or all of the above.
In the coming Chavez-land, such activity will get you a long prison term or worse.
NOW DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE, YOU MORON?!
He's already demonstrated his inability to understand the concept of private property.
He's been here long enough to avoid the Ban, though.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
A Venezuelan blogger Daniel writes about Hugo's fear.
Let’s imagine that you live in an apartment complex of 100 units. There is a condominium assembly. This one decides that there will be no more parties in any apartment any time. And the pool will be open only on week days from 9 to 11 AM.There is a vote on that and the result is as follow: 20 YES, 10 NO and 70 no show. Do you think it will be easy for the condominium management to start chasing kids after 11 AM from the pool, or knock at your door to ask your guests to leave because you have a family gathering and it is also considered as a party?
It does not matter if the result was 20 to 19 or 20 to 1, the condominium will have a hard time imposing its new unreasonable rules and soon enough there will be uproar in the whole building.
Now if the result were to be 40 to 10, or 40 to 20 even and 40 no show. Do you think that the condominium management will have an easier time imposing their rules? Probably.
Imagine now that the result is 40 YES, 35 NO and 25 no show? What will happen? Major trouble, great difficulty in posing the rules but still a possibility to do so. However it would become a real possibility that the 35 someday become a majority and reverse those arbitrary changes. At that level you cannot predict how the 25 no show will eventually react.
In other words what I am aiming at is that Chavez needs to get MORE than 40% of VENEZUELANS, not 60% the vote, 40% of VENEZUELANS to vote YES on December 2. Otherwise simply put it will be an uphill battle for him to impose his new constitution and we will go from bad to worse.
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.
What the blogger you quote is saying is that an abstention will actually function as a "NO" vote rather than a "YES."
For that to be true, it would mean that full dictatorship for Chavez was actually not ratified by the people.
In a strict legal sense, you'd have to look to the current constitution to see if it may only be amended by some majority of the people, rather than just a plurality of votes. Is that the case? If so, then Chavez only has to do what civic-minded politicians do the world over: he'll stuff the ballot boxes.
But no matter how the referendum passes, dictatorial powers will be transferred to Chavez. And the outcome of that can only be bad. The uphill battle will be faced by the people of Venezuela, not Chavez himself.
from LEONIDAS
pregunta: How is Venezuela like a condominium association?contesta: Because the administration/government has the power. They will use YOUR Bs/armas to do as they please. They will use YOUR Bs to legally destroy you. If that doesn't work they will roll out the armas.
Dano, when you eventually flee Venezuela for Florida, stay away from the condos. They and the chavistas are hermanos. Trust me on this.
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.
Dictators usually do.
Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("An argument is a sequence of statements aimed at demonstrating the truth of an assertion.); }
What matters is who's counting.
The over-site.
Please, PLEASE,...tell me it's NOT Carter!
It's only a matter of time before Chavez reaches the wide popularity of Saddam Hussein, who became so popular that he won elections 99% to a short-lived 1%. Chavez's traitor comment makes me think he'll revert to the standard "democratic" tyrannical election ballot:
Vote:
o Hugo Chavez
o Ricardo Vasquez (death)
o Alfredo Felix (death)
o __________________ (write-in) (death)
*********************************
And statesmen at her council met
Who knew the seasons when to take
Occasion by the hand, and make
The bounds of freedom wider yet
- Tennyson, _To the Queen_
Stupidity and greed are not the same thing. Most of Chavez's vote come from the poor and/or those who have benefited from his changes to how Venezuela operates (namely cronies from the military who have been corrupted by money--just look at the FAN officers he put in charge at PDV Marine, or Carmelita, the lovely former national treasurer and her penthouse on Margarita Island...who knew that the Venezuelan military service paid so well). Poor people vote for him because he gives them FREE food through the Mercal system, FREE medical coverage because he's giving FREE (mas o menos) oil to Fidel, and FREE houses built by Chinese firms (watch out for that wallpaint)--not because they agree with his weird mishmash of socialism & corporatism.
These people are not stupid or tasteless or whatever other adjective you wish to use.....they just know a fool when they see one, and are perfectly happy to detach him from his money--doesn't sound too dumb to me.
Just a thought.
...is floundering.
Castigating an entire population as "stupid" is the least effective means available of persuading that population to consider the conservative cause.
Take a moment and imagine how an ideologically curious young person in Venezuala would read this:
"...the operative dynamic among the electorate may not be poor taste, stupidity, or ignorance of history..."
How could anyone from that population hear you say something like that and then be curious what else you have to say?
This isn't to say that your underlying premise is incorrect. Of course it's correct. It's the fact that you're framing the answer in these terms that reveals an utter lack of respect:
"Surprise! These people actually ARE NOT idiots!"
That mentality is partially why the conservative movement is shrinking rather than growing on the world stage. I wish it were not so.