Chavez to U.S.: "Go to hell, gringos!"

[DroppinScience]

I LOLed at that headline.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/01/21/chavez.ap/index.html

The more aggressive he gets in his political stance, the more clown-like he's becoming.

Nevertheless, he keeps shit interesting.

[EN[i]GMA]

America to Chavez:

Don't step to us, bitch.

[Pres Zount]

Communists to Chavez:

You're getting dangerously close to fucking this up. Don't fuck it up.

[Bob]

cindy sheehan: "yeah!"

[JobDDT]

Fidel Castro:

"AREGrgionargionarognirga.... Goop Goop Goop........ (Stare)"

[Otis Driftwood]

I love Chavez cause he's one of the few dictators with style and panache. When he exiled the american oil company executives on his weekly tv-show he wore an umpire outfit, blew a whistle and yelled at each one of them:"You! OUT!".... :lol:

[GreenEarthAl]

Chavez has been been elected several times in some of the most open and closely monitored elections in the Western Hemisphere. This, in spite of the Unites States actively sending money to any and all opponents of his they can find.

So, why the label "dictator"?

[drizl]

i have always wondered why everyone hates this guy here...

to me he seems like a brave guy, who escaped assasination by the us government and is trying to stop american bullying in the region.

he is a threat. so he is demonized in our press.

i loved it when he offered free oil to our country after katrina, and bush refused. then he went on a tour around the country giving lectures right in front of the american media and government, speaking out against them, about how ridiculous and inept their rule is. bravo.

[sam i am]

I agree that Chavez is a paper tiger.

I also agree with Drizl (:eek: ) that I appreciated his gestures of oil and natural gas over the past few years to low-income American households.

The dude is a natural leader with a certain level of charisma and panache that is unrivaled.

As for his politics.....well, domestically he IS a dictator, contreiving mightily to garner greater and greater power unto the office he holds : the Presidency, whilst slowly whittling away the checks on his power through an independent judiciary and congressional oversight....

Not much of a "Democrat," IMO.

[Schmeltz]

Hmm, it reminds me of his "I can still smell sulfur" speech at the UN. Flipping the bird to the USA probably bolsters his image among poorer Venezuelans even further and cements his popularity while he accumulates more power, but probably doesn't play well internationally. Extreme, graceless rhetoric like that makes people fidgety. On the other hand, his international relations are strongest regionally (ie with Morales and Castro and maybe now Ortega) so maybe he's not too worried about that.

Chavez seems to be riding high and hopefully to the benefit of his electorate, but he'd better be careful not to overplay his hand and alienate himself.

[STANKY808]

whilst slowly whittling away the checks on his power through an independent judiciary and congressional oversight....

Not much of a "Democrat," IMO.

Hmmmm, I wonder what his stance on "signing statements" is?

[drizl]

wouldnt you give the finger when you escape the president who authorized your assasination?

i can see a very real possibility of this man becoming dangerous through too much power...but not as dangerous as dubya and the american ruling class.
so far, he's not that bad of a guy, contrary to american media. wondering what the brits have to say about chavez? and others throughout the world.

[D_Raay]

Quite simply the man is undermining the same rich fucks who have us in the position we are now in when it comes to fossil fuels.

Instead of going along and getting every last cent that can be siphoned out of the people, he seems to have a much broader agenda than just simple greed.
Whether that agenda matches his colorful rhetoric remains to be seen, although so far it has.

[Ali]

If 'Democracy' means 'voted for by the majority' then Chavez is more of a Democrat than, say, Bush.

But it's not the right sort of democracy, is it? Like Hamas, Chavez was voted for by the majority and like Hamas, Chavez is considered Anti-Democratic by a country which has endured six years of rule by a party which should never have come to power in the first place.

The hypocrisy. It never ceases to amaze me.

[drizl]

amen

[sam i am]

If 'Democracy' means 'voted for by the majority' then Chavez is more of a Democrat than, say, Bush.

But it's not the right sort of democracy, is it? Like Hamas, Chavez was voted for by the majority and like Hamas, Chavez is considered Anti-Democratic by a country which has endured six years of rule by a party which should never have come to power in the first place.

The hypocrisy. It never ceases to amaze me.

I thought we already addressed the whole hypocrisy thing eons ago, Ali....we're ALL, every single one of us, hypocrites in one way or another....NO ONE is 100% consistent every single time no matter what....soooo...

Please get over the whole hypocrite thing, K?:)

As for "democracy," I agree he's been elected, but he's fundamentally altering the Constitution of the country by attempting to have decree power (remember the same power that Hitler and Mussolini had) to overturn any decision by the OTHER branches of government he doesn't like. Even Bush, if you're intellectually honest, has not attempted such chicanery with the wheels of power.

[Echewta]

Echewta to Chavez: "Better give to the 700 Club pronto!"

[Pres Zount]

^but in all honesty, Bush doesn't need to.


What ticks me off about Chavez is that despite saying otherwise, he is making it a Chavez revolution, not a Venezuelan revolution. But I would support him, for sure.

[DroppinScience]

As for "democracy," I agree he's been elected, but he's fundamentally altering the Constitution of the country by attempting to have decree power (remember the same power that Hitler and Mussolini had) to overturn any decision by the OTHER branches of government he doesn't like. Even Bush, if you're intellectually honest, has not attempted such chicanery with the wheels of power.

Yeah, he's giving himself a LOT of presidential powers. Regardless of where you stand when it comes to his policies (this part is immaterial for right now), I'm finding that very worrying.

You know opposition parties are put there a reason, right? :rolleyes:

[Funkaloyd]

Even Bush, if you're intellectually honest, has not attempted such chicanery with the wheels of power.
Like Stanky pointed out: Presidential signing statements.

[sam i am]

Like Stanky pointed out: Presidential signing statements.

Still have to pass Constitutional muster when reviewed by the Courts and/or be approved by Congressional oversight and vote.

Decree power, which also allows dictators to remain in power past their elected terms of office, are far more dangerous and insidious than sigining statements, which if you research them have been (relatively) benign throughout their history.

[freetibet]

I was impressed when I heard he became a Kossack. And a friend of Belarusian leader Lukashenko. Word;)

[freetibet]

freetibet to Chavez: "Free Venezuela, maaan. You're not cool."

[Funkaloyd]

But we're all power-hungry sinners, so what does a little totalitarianism matter? Now, let's all look at pictures of kittens!

[freetibet]

"A good kitten pic to put you in the right mood" (y)

[sam i am]

But we're all power-hungry sinners, so what does a little totalitarianism matter? Now, let's all look at pictures of kittens!

Are you having fun yet?

No?

Alrighty then...one dang kitten picture and I'll never hear the end of it....Jeez!