Chavez calls Venezuela vote mandate for socialism

Source: Reuters


CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez says a referendum victory that removed limits on his re-election is a mandate to intensify his socialist agenda for decades to come. Opponents warn of an impending dictatorship.

Both sides had called the outcome of Sunday's vote key to the future of this South American country, split down the middle between those who worship the president for redistributing Venezuela's oil riches and those who see him as a power-hungry autocrat.

"Those who voted "yes" today voted for socialism, for revolution," Chavez thundered to thousands of ecstatic supporters jamming the streets around the presidential palace. Fireworks lit up the Caracas skyline, and one man walked though the crowd carrying a painting of Chavez that read: "Forever."



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-XT1LHvGnHwytS8tnBmfnd_BcqgD96CIANG3

By the end of the day, Rush Limbaugh will make some kind of back handed connection between Venezuela and President Obama.

for continued and strengthened solidarity among the free nations of South America.

This will not end well.

You and others of this un-considered viewpoint don't take the time to realize personal choice is involved in the election of a President, unless, like here, the election is STOLEN, as it was in 2000, and 2004.

You were unaware that until the 1950's, there was NO TERM LIMIT FOR A U.S. PRESIDENT? How could that be? It was only changed at that time because the right-wing scum wanted to prevent the chance of a very beloved, productive President like FDR from ever serving into his 4th term, which was cut short when he died.

A great quote surfaced by President Obama in an article posted by DU'er Peace Patriot:

~snip~
....Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), who recently proposed lifting presidential term limits in the aftermath of Barack Obama's election. Obama himself would add,"I'm generally not in favor of term limits... I believe in one form of term limits. They're called elections."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x11654

be IN FAVOR of term limits? No matter how well monitored any election is, you cannot possibly say with certainly that is wasn't manipulated.

In addition, the ex post facto nature of this referendum stinks to high heaven. "No more term limits, starting with meh!" This would be a lot easier to stomach if he were to choose to step down anyway, ala George Washington.

History shows time and again, it's not hard to maintain populist opinion once you have a stranglehold on power - especially when you possess FOUR state owned television stations like Chavez has. We see in the US see influence of media on opinion (read: Iraq war runup), and it's supposedly not even connected to the state.

As usual, the anti-Chavez propagandists depend on misinformation to promote their agenda.

<http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/List-of-Venezuelan-television-channels#State_owned>

that all the people I spoke with who support Chavez also voted 'NO' as they do understand that "President For Life" is not conducive to anything good. if you doubt that the referendum was rigged then you have not lived in Venezuela and do not understand the current situation in that country.

Its a fantasy to believe that Chavez is there for the people, he is there for one sole reason and that is "power".

Chavez is even fabulous, a god among men, blah blah blah, rinse and repeat, etc.

You spoke to some people, therefore there's no point in discussing the issue any further. Thanks for setting the record straight.

She gets the really good oil. What the people really think? Isn't that right, Lola?

W. was just in office for power. Chavez has helped his people more than all of the former leaders of his country combined.

is a right wing meme and that we know about Venezuela's election systems. Maybe you'd have better luck peddling this at Free Republic, Lalo.

what makes you think they changed their minds ?
deibold?

Paper ballots, election monitors, audits.

Would you have been against term limits?
I'm in favor of term limits for every office from dog catcher to President. I'm neither pro- or anti-Chavez. But someone that wants to be elected time and time again should have his motives called into question. It's certainly not going to be to the long term benefit of his people. It's someone that is usually in love with power for its own sake.

"Politicians, like diapers, have to be changed frequently, and for the very same reason."
----- Anon

After Hugo Chavez was inaugurated in February, 1999, they started working on a new constitution. Once it was completed, they had a new provision for allowing the public to RECALL the President any time they wanted after he had served halfway into his term.

This allows the public the chance to fire him, rather than letting him serve a full term if they are not satisfied with the level of progress his administration is making.

What are the chances that arrangement would be allowed here, anyway?

and they failed.

If people have problems with Chavez not having term limits then they should also be throwing a fit with Colomiba, who in 2005 did the same thing Venezuela did -- remove term limits -- but Uribe is a right winger and seeks our $$$, so we don't hear protests against Colombia's lack of term limits.

after being recalled, that provision is pro forma and worthless.

Let it hereby be known that the Venezuelan constitution is "worthless"!

but their constitution isn't worthless. Instead, what is worthless is the claim that Chavez will GLADLY
leave office if asked to leave by his constituents. Every action he's taken since becoming President
has been to solidify his own personal power.

after having its ass handed to it on a daily basis.

I hope it's the latter. Ignorance can be abridged. Fascists are rarely, if ever, willing to reform.

Now Chavez has to leave office with glee after being recalled or he is a tyrant. Can he just be a little miffed, would that be ok?

We should probably thwart the will of the voters for their own good, just in case Chavez tries to become "president for life". He might try to do that at some point in the future, you know. You never can tell.

We'll be met by flower-bearing Venezuelans. :rofl:

I think I would have voted for him each time because of his economic reforms.

That was done in 1927 -- nearly 5 years before FDR took office in 1933.

Your enemy would be Coolidge...

marihuana tax stamp act, 1937. Collidge would have been my enemy because he was a fan of Adam Smith style economics. Perhaps 1927 was the year the state law changed in the state you live in.

It was '37...Thanks to Anslinger, Hearst and ignorance...

Anslinger immediately drew upon the themes of racism and violence to draw national attention to the problem he wanted to create. He also promoted and frequently read from "Gore Files" -- wild reefer-madness-style exploitation tales of ax murderers on marijuana and sex and... Negroes. Here are some quotes that have been widely attributed to Anslinger and his Gore Files:

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."

"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."

"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."

"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."

"Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing"

"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."

"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."

Harry Anslinger got some additional help from William Randolf Hearst, owner of a huge chain of newspapers. Hearst had lots of reasons to help. First, he hated Mexicans. Second, he had invested heavily in the timber industry to support his newspaper chain and didn't want to see the development of hemp paper in competition. Third, he had lost 800,000 acres of timberland to Pancho Villa, so he hated Mexicans. Fourth, telling lurid lies about Mexicans (and the devil marijuana weed causing violence) sold newspapers, making him rich.

Some samples from the San Francisco Examiner:

"Marihuana makes fiends of boys in thirty days -- Hashish goads users to bloodlust."

"By the tons it is coming into this country -- the deadly, dreadful poison that racks and tears not only the body, but the very heart and soul of every human being who once becomes a slave to it in any of its cruel and devastating forms.... Marihuana is a short cut to the insane asylum. Smoke marihuana cigarettes for a month and what was once your brain will be nothing but a storehouse of horrid specters. Hasheesh makes a murderer who kills for the love of killing out of the mildest mannered man who ever laughed at the idea that any habit could ever get him...."

Hearst and Anslinger were then supported by Dupont chemical company and various pharmaceutical companies in the effort to outlaw cannabis. Dupont had patented nylon, and wanted hemp removed as competition. The pharmaceutical companies could neither identify nor standardize cannabis dosages, and besides, with cannabis, folks could grow their own medicine and not have to purchase it from large companies.

This all set the stage for...

The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.

-------------

The narrative since then has been a continual litany of:

* Politicians wanting to appear tough on crime and passing tougher penalties
* Constant increases in spending on law enforcement and prisons
* Racist application of drug laws
* Taxpayer funded propaganda
* Stifling of opposition speech
* Political contributions from corporations that profit from marijuana being illegal (pharmaceuticals, alcohol, etc.)

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

-------------------------------

So, thanks to crap like this we have the phony "war on drugs" (at least the drugs that the corporate capitalist masters can't make a buck with)...

Thanks for the correction. :hi:

What if Bush was so popular that Congress lifted the two-term rule?

Would that have been ok with you?

the voters DIRECTLY voted for this in Venezuela.

companies and were instrumental in overthrowing Chavez. Fortunately, the people intervened and Chavez was restored to power. I hope Venezuela does not allow foreigners to own media anymore as is the case with the USA.
I remember Henry Hyde, an influential IL republiKKKan when the repugs controlled Congress, calling for hearings on Chavez after he was elected with close{or over} 60% of the vote because he was a threat to the regions "democracy". B effing S.
Apparently, the administration told Hyde to cool it because a coup was on the way.

Misspelled Colombia, too. I suppose this will get fixed ...

President Hugo Chavez says a referendum victory that removed limits on his re-election is a mandate to intensify his socialist agenda for decades to come. Opponents warn of an impending dictatorship.

Both sides had called the outcome of Sunday's vote key to the future of this South American country, split down the middle between those who worship the president for redistributing Venezuela's oil riches and those who see him as a power-hungry autocrat.

"Those who voted "yes" today voted for socialism, for revolution," Chavez thundered to thousands of ecstatic supporters jamming the streets around the presidential palace. Fireworks lit up the Caracas skyline, and one man walked though the crowd carrying a painting of Chavez that read: "Forever."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/02/16/2009-02-16_venezuela_president_hugo_chavez_says_col.html

The people of Venezuela keep electing him, so I guess in that respect they are getting what they deserve. Democracy sucks huh? Were you upset when the last referendum failed? How come this tyrant Chavez didn't just toss out those results? In fact, how could the tyrant even have lost that election? Was it all just a twisted plot to fool us into thinking that Venezuela's elections are relatively fair and open?

but it also get the wrong country? Now that is downright funny, if not pathetic.

Only in America.

"Both sides had called the outcome of Sunday's vote key to the future of this South American country, split down the middle between those who worship the president for redistributing Venezuela's oil riches and those who see him as a power-hungry autocrat."

"Split down the middle"..?????

I don't think so.
Those thinking Chavez is "a power-hungry autocrat" are a distinct minority....as proven by this referendum which was approved by a 9 point MAJORITY.
That makes it not even close.
Chavez has a HUGE MANDATE in Venezuela.

This is just one more example of Media spawned propaganda discrediting Chavez and the Populist Reforms sweeping across South/Central America.
Sad that so many members of a Liberal website have bought into this Corpoganda.

VIVA Democracy !!!
I pray we get some here.

George W. Bush

Ronald Reagan

Sorry for the foul language, but it needed to be said.

is that Venezuelans are far more involved in their political process than U.S. Americans. If U.S. Americans would take the time to inform themselves about their government, their politics and their history, they would not continue to 'elect' idiots and puppets for president. Information and involvement are absolutely necessary to maintaining a healthy democracy. The founders said so.

Give me information and real choices, not term limits.

that before Chavez and the PSUV, Venezuela was exploited by imperialism, and now, under Chavez and the PSUV, it is slowly but surely removing itself from that relationship, to the great benefit of the vast majority of people there. Meanwhile, the USA has never been a victim of imperialism. Actually the USA has been an imperialist nation since its inception.

:hi:

The Venezuelan People also actually get to directly elect (or if they desire, un-elect) their President.

Don't you wish we could do that?

and Reagan had already lost his mind.........

.
.
.

Frigadee

The homophobic//racist/bible-thumping USAmericans put a BLACK MAN in office

Republicans had NO WAY to win this last election short of martial law . .

AND

Us Canuks have no limits

wouldn't trade the USA's system for ours

We end up with shit-heads like Harper now and then

but we get rid of them

SOON I hope!

I want some of those drugs you're taking. Who is your doctor? Will he prescribe me the same pills? I too would like to float on a cloud of happy denial.

congrats to Venezuelans and a curse for their fascist detractors. Your economic elitism is ending. Move over fascists.

February 16, 2009
Chavez and the Washington Post
Venezuela Ends Term Limits

By PATRICK IRELAN

~snip~
In February of this year, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) released a study of the first 10 years of the Chávez administration. Mark Weisbrot, Rebecca Ray, and Luis Sandoval wrote this report, which is called “The Chávez Administration at 10 Years: The Economy and Social Indicators.” I’ll list only a few of the details from this study.

“During the current economic expansion, the poverty rate has been cut by more than half, from 54 percent of households in the first half of 2003 to 26 percent at the end of 2008. Extreme poverty has fallen even more, by 72 percent.”

“From 1998-2006, infant mortality has fallen by more than one-third. The number of primary care physicians in the public sector increased 12-fold from 1999-2007, providing health care to millions of Venezuelans who previously did not have access.”

“There have been substantial gains in education, especially higher education, where gross enrollment rates more than doubled from 1999-2000 to 2007-2008.”

“The labor market also improved substantially over the last decade, with unemployment dropping from 11.3 percent to 7.8 percent. During the current expansion it has fallen by more than half. Other labor market indicators also show substantial gains.”

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/irelan02162009.html

There was a nine-point difference between 'Yes' and 'No'--54% vs. 45%. That is NOT "split down the middle." In fact, conventional political wisdom puts a landslide at 10%. So-o-o-o, this Chavez win was a near landslide--if anybody at Rotters was interested in accuracy.

FURTHERMORE, Chavez is currently enjoying a 70% approval rating, up from his lowest over ten years (which I think was 55% of so, back in the early century). His votes in presidential elections also steadily increased (the latest, 2006, 63% of the vote). Ergo, it is completely inaccurate to say that Venezuela is "split down the middle between those who worship the president for redistributing Venezuela's oil riches and those who see him as a power-hungry autocrat"--IF that is a fair characterization of most people's views. You vote for him means you worship him? What kind of arrant nonsense is that? You vote against him and that means you think he's an "autocrat"? Some who vote against him might, and do. But there is no "split down the middle" along these lines. That is a stupid statement.

Those who oppose Chavez have never been more than 45%, and have hovered in the 30% to 40% range most of the time. Those who support Chavez are in the great majority--and have been the majority consistently over time. The country is not "split down the middle" on approval of Chavez. It is about 60/40--lopsidedly for Chavez.

On the referendum, about 5% of Chavez's normal support decided against lifting the term limits. Neither did this create a "split down the middle," as I pointed out above--because Chavez's numbers are so lopsidedly favorable to begin with! And that 5% did not necessarily vote against lifting term limits because they see Chavez "as a power-hungry autocrat." Jeez. Where is Rotters' polling data proving that to be true? Their decision might have been based on the principle of term limits, not anything they thought of Chavez--and when you look at his approval ratings, they support that hypothesis. 5% of the people who support Chavez, in approval polls, prefer term limits.

This is an entirely mythical, Rotters-created fantasy. Venezuela is split--there is no question about that; pro- and anti-Chavez people have stark differences--but not down the middle!

-----------

Sentence #2 of the article is ridiculous: "Opponents warn of an impending dictatorship." This should never have been included without attribution. Who is saying this? On what do they base this prediction--given that, to date, after ten years of Chavez as president, Venezuela is still very much a democracy, with provable, factual, incontestable evidence that that is true. It is filthy corpo/fascist journalism to print such a statement without quotes and without any evidence whatsoever to back it up.

lol

"Effectively this will become a dictatorship," opposition leader Omar Barboza told The Associated Press. "It's control of all the powers, lack of separation of powers, unscrupulous use of state resources, persecution of adversaries."


You've got to laugh! I bet old Augusto "Pinhead" Pinochet's turning in his grave at the injustice of it all. These democratic elections are so despotic.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/i/pix/2009/02/16/article-0-03887096000005DC-512_224x360.jpg

You'd think she'd have the sense to take off her bling before weeping for the camera.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5067745

Quite the Drama Queen for a Day, isn't she? She's probably trying to remember if she did everything she needed to do before they leave for Miami.

That's one of my favorites, with her plucked eyebrows, French manicure and expensive leather bag. You'd think she was about to lose her maid service or something. those hands have not worked in years, if ever.

Her grief is etched in every pore. Are they "barrios" in Venezuela?

just saying

Are you saying the Venezuela electorate doesn't know what it's doing or what?

who posts in every thread about muslim people doing muslim stuff

lol

WE DON'T WANT YOU!!!!!!!!

in places like upper-scale Weston in Broward County, bordering Miami's Dade County. It is now known as "Westonzuela." Some arrived with suitcases full of dollars and paid for very expensive mansions in cash. Football star Dan Merino used to live there, but he put his mansion on the market some time ago.

-------------

The growing Venezuelan population has been a windfall for Miami banks, as many Venezuelans bring their money here. Ken Thomas, a banking analyst in Miami, said the amount of that capital flight was unclear, although he said it was “clearly in the billions." (NYT article below neglects to mention that the flood of cash out of Venezuela was clearly illegal.)

----------------------

According to census data, the Venezuelan community in the United States has grown more than 94 percent this decade, from 91,507 in 2000, the year after Mr. Chávez took office, to 177,866 in 2006. Much of that rise has occurred in South Florida, making the Venezuelan community one of the fastest growing Latino subpopulations in the region this decade. In many ways, the Venezuelan influx is reminiscent of the Cuban migration spurred by Fidel Castro’s overthrow of Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and his imposition of a socialist state.

--------------------

While many have been able to establish legal residency and obtain a green card, either through business or marriage, others have remained here illegally.

--------------------------

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/us/23florida.html

Viva Chavez!

Socialismo Siempre!