Reuters: Venezuela's Chavez re-elected to extend socialist rule

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americ...=MasterAccount

Venezuela's Chavez vows 'better' presidency

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has pledged to become a "better president" and work with the opposition after winning a tough re-election battle that betrayed simmering discontent at his socialist revolution.

The leftist president's victory on Sunday was a relief to like-minded allies in the region, with Cuban leader Raul Castro hailing his friend's "historic triumph", while the United States urged him to listen to the opposition.

After almost 14 years in power, Chavez survived cancer and the most formidable opponent of his presidency, youthful former state governor Henrique Capriles, to win the election and another six-year term.

The anti-US firebrand vowed to deepen his oil-funded socialist revolution after hailing his "perfect" victory.

But he also reached out to disenchanted voters by pledging to work with the opposition, a tacit acceptance that this was a narrower victory than in the past and that Venezuela is a country very much divided.

"I want to include everybody, including sectors of the opposition," Chavez, wearing his trademark red shirt, told thousands of cheering supporters from the balcony of his Miraflores presidential residence.

"I commit to being a better president than I've been these past few years," the 58-year-old leader said.

[Thiebear]

Most Dictators have 97%+ election participation and never lose no matter the protests.

[pjfootballer]

Yeah right Chavez Same old same old. for life.

[Teller]

So Chavez is a bum, who promises he'll do better in his next term. And Venezuelans will probably end up with even more government reliance?

Just change the headline in a few months, Reuters.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

Most Dictators have 97%+ election participation and never lose no matter the protests.

Chavez won by 10 percentage points

[Predicto]

The vote counting is fair in Venezuela. The campaigning is not.

Chavez is very careful to make sure that the actual vote counting is above reproach, because it gives him a legitimacy that he does not actually deserve from the way he governs and the way he quashes the opposition outside of the actual vote counting.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

The vote counting is fair in Venezuela. The campaigning is not.

Chavez is very careful to make sure that the actual vote counting is above reproach, because it gives him a legitimacy that he does not actually deserve from the way he governs and the way he quashes the opposition outside of the actual vote counting.

I agree with you, to an extent.

The reason why he shut that TV station down is because they actually did commit treason. Not in a "he is a dictator" way, but in a "if Fox News decided to support a coup of President Obama, then it fails and pretends like the leader of the coup is still in power" type of way.

But that doesnt mean there should not be opposition TV outlets

[Predicto]

I agree with you, to an extent.

The reason why he shut that TV station down is because they actually did commit treason. Not in a "he is a dictator" way, but in a "if Fox News decided to support a coup of President Obama, then it fails and pretends like the leader of the coup is still in power" type of way.

But that doesnt mean there should not be opposition TV outlets

He harasses the only other independent TV network with endless legal charges to ensure that they don't broadcast anything negative about him. He pulled the licenses of 250 radio stations for opposing him. He made it a criminal offense for the press to report on anything "harmful to the interests of the state," and for anyone at all to "defame the President" and uses those laws to arrest reporters, opposing politicians and activists. Any time a state elects an opposition governor, he cuts the federal money to that state to punish the voters.

Don't be a dupe. This guy genuinely sucks.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

He harasses the only other independent TV network with endless legal charges to ensure that they don't broadcast anything negative about him. He pulled the licenses of 250 radio stations for opposing him. He made it a criminal offense for the press to report on anything "harmful to the interests of the state," and for anyone at all to "defame the President" and uses those laws to arrest reporters, opposing politicians and activists. Any time a state elects an opposition governor, he cuts the federal money to that state to punish the voters.

Don't be a dupe. This guy genuinely sucks.

what part of, "I agree with you, to an extent," did you not understand?

If the media are being treasonous like in the 2002 failed coup, then he was right to cut them out. That was the, "to an extent" part.


Restricting media opposition is completely different and wrong and I agree he needs to stop that.

[Predicto]

what part of, "I agree with you, to an extent," did you not understand?

If the media are being treasonous like in the 2002 failed coup, then he was right to cut them out. That was the, "to an extent" part.


Restricting media opposition is completely different and wrong and I agree he needs to stop that.

Well, I guess I was responding to all of your posts in this thread, collectively. Things like "Americans love judging but dont like being judged" and its funny how [Jimmy Carter's] quotes were not reported on any American MSM publications tho..."

Basically, to equate the bull that is going on in Venezuela to the imperfect but infinitely better voting system in the USA is really pretty lame.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

Well, I guess I was responding to all of your posts in this thread, collectively. Things like "Americans love judging but dont like being judged" and its funny how [Jimmy Carter's] quotes were not reported on any American MSM publications tho..."

Basically, to equate the bull that is going on in Venezuela to the imperfect but infinitely better voting system in the USA is really pretty lame.

hang on, why is their system "bull" yet ours is "imperfect?" I was responding to the bull about the their voting system being rigged. Its not rigged, and is actually quite sophisticated. We can get on Chavez about controlling media outlets which is very fair, but our campaigns are being more and more controlled by money, especially since Citizens United. What that does is limit the not super rich citizen from having an equal voice in our elections.

That and the Florida debacle in 2000, and states instituting Voter ID laws this year with the intention of making sure a segment of the population cannot vote.

Then you have stuff like gerrymandering, etc.

This stuff is bull in and of itself, and is designed to make sure a certain ideology is favored over others.

And then the Electoral College.

What Im getting at is that while Venezuela's electoral process is a mess, ours is as well. It may be varying degrees, but a little poo still smells like a lot of poo.

[Predicto]

Yep, that's the kind of false equivalency that I was talking about.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

Its false equivalency to say that our system is still messed up, and has shown to be messed up even to this day?

I get it.

[mcsluggo]

No, it appears that you don't get it at all.

to compare the US electoral system (and its flaws and problems) to that of Venezuela under Chavez is, frankly, absurd. it is roughly the same as trying to equate the poluting effect of a moped in Bethesda to that of cement factory in Zimbabwe (where the regulatory regime has collapsed).

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

No, it appears that you don't get it at all.

to compare the US electoral system (and its flaws and problems) to that of Venezuela under Chavez is, frankly, absurd. it is roughly the same as trying to equate the poluting effect of a moped in Bethesda to that of cement factory in Zimbabwe (where the regulatory regime has collapsed).

nah, that is absurd.

and again, I didnt say they were the same, just that ours is not perfection.

And I didnt call Chavez a great guy, but a lot of the negative press he recieves in the USA is because he doesnt kowtow to US oil companies.