Hugo losin' the lovin'?
What's that splash sound I hear in South America? Why, it could be Hugo Chavez officially jumping the shark! I predicted (here and here) that Chavez's decision to close Radio Caracas TV for not giving him the requisite glorification would backfire, and bam! -- El Universal releases a telling poll today in which respondents span social classes and were polled across Venezuela:
79 percent thought Chavez's move to kill RCTV was an "antidemocratic whim" When asked to choose between democracy and Chavez's dream of socialism, 60 percent preferred full democracy 74 percent thought Venezuelan democracy is endangered And, interestingly, 60 percent thought Chavez's constant bloviating about the U.S. "empire" wanting to attack Venezuela is overblown and a government manipulation
Venezuela still has a long way to go -- like finding a charismatic leader fully committed to democracy to stand up to Chavez and his alliances -- but the public sentiment and protests in the streets are the first signs that all is not so rosy-red in the Bolivarian wonderland.