I'm not a leftist but I'm starting to admire Chavez

[fujiyama]

I'm certainly not what you would call a leftist. I'm definetely liberal by most of society's standards.

But I'm probably only slightly left of center by DU's standards.

But lately everything I'm reading about Chavez has made him more admirable. I actually think he's sincere. I especially like how he has offered his generosity to the people (especially the poor) of the US. It's also a great way to rub it in to the face of this administration which seems to have had an agenda against him from the begining. Aside from the fact that it's an amazing gesture, it's also very smart PR.

I don't think he's perfect. Like all leaders he has an ego and I'm not fond of his association with Castro.

But I still haven't seen any evidence that he's as authoritarian as some make him out to be. He seems to be a force for the positive. I hope he has success in helping move many Venezuelans out of poverty.

[RoyGBiv]

1. I'm curious about something ...

Chavez is certainly saying all the right things. I think the jury is still out on whether he is doing the right things. Before anyone gets started on that, let me explain that I mean Venezuela is currently in a high state of flux and that while programs have been put in place with the intent of aiding the poor, those programs haven't yielded great results yet. I think it is apparent he is actually trying to do good, but whether he succeeds, and at least as importantly, whether he does so in a way that doesn't create as many problems as it solves, is not known yet.

Anyway ... my question. He's saying the right things, and one of those things said recently is that he's going to help American poor, apparently by selling heating oil to poor people and/or communities below market value. Sounds great. My question is, "How?" I am assuming he'll be doing this through Citgo since that seems to be the only legitimate method he could use. How is Citgo going to manage this? As a corollary, how are other oil companies going to react, how will the US government react, how does OPEC react, what will it do to the market? Fundamentally, is this really possible, or is it a hollow promise? These are not rhetorical nor leading questions. I'm genuinely curious.

And for those that may suggest an answer, please offer a serious reply based on something tangible. Doing something like this is not as easy as the rhetoric makes it sound, particularly for the leader of a foreign nation.

[fujiyama]

2. I agree to some extent

It's much more difficult accomplishing something than talking about it.

Granted it also makes things much more difficult when those in power here are dead set against you (and some even want you dead).

So far I like what he has to say but I think we should give him some time. Hopefully he won't disappoint.

[Melodybe]

3. Check out Nothing Without Hope's Collection of Chavez articles

Just click on the link, scroll down, and enjoy:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4439697#4441965

[1932]

4. His programs have yielded great results.

Even if you measure only by the very narrow meausre of GNP growth, Venezuela is doing very well since the oil strike ended. And even though Venezuela makes a lot of money from oil, it's important to remember that Venezueala was almost broke in 2003 because they were in heavy debt incurred by previous governments and because PDVSA had been run not for the benefit of the country before then -- their contracts were very beneficial for foreign companies and a few wealthy venezuelan families.

In 2003, Venezuela was so broke, Castro printed up 1,000,000 readers for an education project in Venezuela at no charge because Venezuela didn't have the money to pay for them.

Only in the last two years (out of over 70 of drilling oil) does that money help Venezuelans. And Chavez has been putting it to work. They've dramatically reduced illiteracy, they've given people health care who have never seen doctors before, they use the army to build railroads to small towns so that they can, for the first time, participate in commerce.

You can read all the things they've been doing in this book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1920888004/qid=1127112192/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-0913486-6351016?v=glance&s=books&n=507846.

And if you read Amartya Sen's Democracy as Freedom, you'll see that he's following Sen's recipe for development precisely: freedom is both the means and the ends of Venezuelan development. When the experiment moves forward, I have no doubt that Chavez will prove that Sen's theories work.

[RoyGBiv]

9. Chavez's book ...

I'll eventually get around to reading that book, as it has been recommended to me by many people, but I have to offer an observation about it up front. I don't believe the best measure of the success of Chavez's programs will come directly from Chavez's own mouth. That book, as I understand it, is based on interviews with and other utterances presented by Chavez and as such is hardly even the beginning of an unbiased record of the effects of his actions.

The problem, right now, is that there's not a lot in the scholarly community out that could be called a detached, objective accounting, in part because not enough tangible long-term effects have been observed.

[rman]

7. "How?" : We'll see just how "free" Free Trade really is...

Knowing the RW's idea of "Free Trade", they will probably create import tarrifs especially for Venezuelan heating oil.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. My relatives in Central America are what you might call "Republican"

My branch of the family were teachers, educators. The other side of the family were the politicians, real estate tycoons, ranchers, businessmen.

I can tell you from experience, latin America could use a good-hearted socialist president. Anybody else would be too connected to the rabi blancos to do much good for the poor.

You know, almost like what's happening here, but latin America has been doing it for centuries.

[rman]

6. Just how 'non-left' is "liberal" when compared to the RW?

Do you think everything should be privitized or not? If not, then your a leftist - at least you are according to the RW...
If you think The People rather then only a small wealthy minority should benefit from oil profits, then you darn near a socialist... Not that there's anything wrong with that, except according to the RW.

[leesa]

8. Why are you so afraid of being labeled a "leftist"? What does that mean

to you?