I noticed that Mubarak has been around for 30 years - should we expect the same from Hugo Chavez?

[devilgrrl]

After all, he is a despot.

:popcorn:

[xchrom]

1. unrec

[EFerrari]

2. Anyone ever see Mubarak and Chavez at the same time?

:shrug:

[Recursion]

12. Bwah

:spray:

Thank you.

[Robb]

24. LOL

:toast:

[hlthe2b]

3. Seems to me he (Chavez) has tried to be a populist...

and has actually made some positive impacts on lives of the poor. I don't think the average people of Venezuela are his detractors. At least currently. Of course he is subject to a coup, as has been shown in the past. I think those are more likely going to come from the wealthy right wing, assisted by the US CIA.

Don't you see a difference between the two situations?

[polly7]

4. Bit of a difference ............ Chavez actually cares and works for

the masses. He's shown genuine compassion for the poorest of the poor and doesn't give a sh* what he's called for helping them. The people of Venezuela seem to love him. Are they just stupid?

[davidinalameda]

21. don't cry for me Venezuela?

:shrug:

[TomClash]

5. It takes a teabagger

not to know the difference. :smoke:

[Forkboy]

6. The fact that you included the popcorn smilie tells me that you know this is flamebait.

It's screams, "I'm not looking for any actual discussion, just entertainment."

[EFerrari]

8. Ths is our mid-revolution, "let's just make shit up about Chavez" break.

:)

[devilgrrl]

10. Dude, it's Friday.

And besides, the US has backed Mubarak for the past thirty years.

The popcorn is for the fact that how is it that one person is dangerous (Chavez) and the other our friend (Mubarak, Pinochet, SADDAM HUSSIEN, etc...).

[tigereye]

18. fair point- we love a certain kind of fascist, as long as he

or she isn't a left-leaning populist! :rofl:

[Forkboy]

23. ok, fair enough.

I take my statement back.

[Cleita]

7. Chavez is not a despot. n/t

[EFerrari]

9. Well, once he lost my ATM card.

:shrug:

[devilgrrl]

13. You're lucky... he stole mine!

eom

[eridani]

26. He downloaded kiddie porn onto my laptop n/t

[BOG PERSON]

11. you overlook one important fact

the fact that hugo chavez is nice

[devilgrrl]

14. Not according to the Corporate US Media!

He evil! He won't let Chevron have Venezuela's oil!

[EFerrari]

15. Ask the oppressed golfers of Venezuela how nice he is!

[ipaint]

16. Up to the people.

They keep electing him in fairer elections than we have here.
Besides that 30 years of conservative neo-lib/neo-con rule and couple stolen elections here in the US is nothing to brag about. The faces may change but our policies stay consistently anti worker and anti poor.

[EFerrari]

20. My government says Chavez supports terrorism and Mubarak is our friend.

Close enough for me!

lol

[ipaint]

22. The chavez hand wringers are masters at ignoring the massive log in their own eye. NT

[social_critic]

31. What's a massive log in an eye?

I don't understand this comment, would you clarify? I live in Venezuela, I'm not familiar with some of the new comments you guys make.

[snooper2]

17. Yes, to hold on to power for that long...it takes a number of things

People to protect you,

Corporations to buy off...(or to take over and give to some of your friends under the guise of "public/government" run

Corruption becomes more rampant each successive year....

Some people get very rich, many others become poorer and poorer...



Uprising


Bank on it-

[Hannah Bell]

19. $$$ from the us

[EFerrari]

25. And weapons, don't forget weapons.

[snooper2]

27. Money from China, Money from (X)

all contributing factors

[Hannah Bell]

28. mubarak was funded by china? do tell.

[snooper2]

29. I was talking about how despots come about in general

:)

[Hannah Bell]

30. gotcha

[Peace Patriot]

32. The US supports Mubarak and tried to topple Chavez. Ten of thousands of Venezuelans

came to Chavez's defense and turned back the coup. Whereas tens of thousands of Egyptians want Mubarack out.

Big difference.

Chavez will stay in power as long as the Venezuelans vote for him, if he chooses to run again. He is their elected president. ELECTED is the key. They gave him (and also governors) that option, in a vote of the people. Like our FDR, Chavez can run again--and can remain president for 30 years, if Venezuelans vote for him. FDR ran for and won four terms in office. What's wrong with that? (Chavez is on his second term.) The "New Deal" was pretty good for most folks. Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution has been damn good for most Venezuelans. Why shouldn't they continue it?

It is WE who have been denied a choice. The Pukes rammed a 2-term limit on the president through Congress in the mid-1950s, to prevent a "New Deal" from ever happening here again, and to start dismantling the one we had, which they have very nearly done. Our Founders didn't want term limits. They considered term limits undemocratic. It's the Pukes who wanted a term limit. They hated FDR.

The word is ELECTED--in honest, transparent elections (which is the case in Venezuela, though not here any more). Somebody said, "Would you have wanted Bush-Cheney to run for a third term?" And my answer is, they weren't elected--neither time. Both were highly manipulated, rigged elections. But if we had been able to actually elect a new FDR, and he or she had done for us what the first FDR did, and what Chavez has done for Venezuelans, I'd for sure want him or her to run for as many terms as we wanted them to.

With honest elections, the election itself--combined with free and fair public debate, with all views heard--IS the accountability. You don't need term limits, except in a very corrupt system where holding office = corruption--and the rich need term limits to prevent serious reform (because reform takes time--"organized money"--as FDR put it--doesn't give up its iron grip on power easily). In a healthy democracy, the people constantly review their leaders and, at election time, do or do not re-empower them. It's that simple. Doesn't matter if they're in office for 2 years or 20 years. If they are doing the will of the people, why shouldn't they continue serving?

And, dammit all, that Chavez took my gummy bears! Give 'em back, Hugo!

[roody]

33. Is somebody obsessed with Chavez? Egypt is today's story.