Had an interesting conversation with a woman from Venezuela yesterday. I asked her what she thought of Hugo Chavez. Her characterization of him was quite different than that in the American press. Seems Venezuelans love the guy.
She said he has his own TV show. It airs once a week.
For 8 hours!
Entirely un-scripted.
He talks, dances, tells jokes, reads children's stories, poetry.
What else did she have to say about this evil-doer? Well, among other things, that he enacted legislation that pays stay-at-home moms a pension.
Can anybody say, "Family Values"?
I asked her why he is portrayed so negatively in the American press, and she said it's because Venezuela has a lot of oil, and that Chavez wants to keep it for the Venezuelan people. Then I remembered that Hugo Chavez wasn't always persona non grata in the American press. In fact, shortly before he came to power he was being presented as a sort of everyman hero, a good egg. That was before he said "no" to Big Oil, though. That was before he demonstrated his commitment to the Venezuelan people. Why run him down now, after proving himself the genuine article? And why can't America elect a President like Hugo Chavez?
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