Hugo Chavez, Hero or Loser ?

Answer 1

I don't see anybody sneaking through international borders to get into his country to take advantage of his great socialist generosity. I understand VISA applications from their middle class to the US are running at full throttle.

Right now, I'll mark him as a winner; but not a hero. Winners at the communist revolutionary game usually have a lot of dead, tortured and murdered political opponents.

Answer 2

The last time I was in Venezuela a few months prior to the coupe against Chavez I found myself getting off the bus downtown then negotiating around piles of burning tires with police and soldiers armed with fully automatic weapons running every which way and telling me there was nothing what so ever to worry about and pointing in which direction I should vacate the area.
CHAVEZ
He was elected by his people, subjected to a coupe by a minority with CIA involvement and reinstated by a general strike of the people.
He is no hero in so far as the likes of Exxon, and Shell and a Venezuelan elite that was in cahoots with big foreign oil.
He promises to use profits from oil to benefit the population through social programs and services and so long as he lives up to that promise he will continue to be the champion of the majority of his people.
As it stands Venezuela remains a perfectly viable capitalist society with a robust socialist political agenda and if they are able to maintain a healthy balance in this I expect them to go far.
I would submit that we could use some major fine-tuneing along these lines here in the US
The assumption of skeptics is that eventually wealth and power will corrupt the government and in the end the people will suffer a worse fate than if their fate were left in the hand of "well meaning" foreign capitalists.

Time will tell .

Personally as an American traveler I found Venezuella and its people a wonderful experience even during the worst of it's political trials.

Answer 3

He's no more repressive than other regimes that we embrace such as China. Human rights are NOT a consideration in foreign policy, unless they're useful as cover for some other, less noble sounding purpose.

Answer 4

hero to some loser to others.

Answer 5

Loser.

Answer 6

I'd say the jury is still out. If he can generate funds to help his people, then good for them. He's just pissed because Bush supported a coup against him a couple years back. I think he'll tone down the anti-american stuff once Bush is out of office, because whether he likes it or not, he needs our markets. In the meantime, at least he's a good story.

Answer 7

He's a communist dictator. I'd say that qualifies you as a loser.

Answer 8

hero

Answer 9

Actually, its his people who are losing

Losing their rights