Mr. Chavez's Neighborhood

[Gan]

Venezuela's cocksure president, Hugo Chávez, might take a sobering glance through the latest Pew Global Attitudes Survey, conducted this spring and released over the summer. Of the seven Latin American nations polled, large majorities of Chileans (75 percent), Brazilians (74 percent), Peruvians (70 percent), Mexicans (66 percent), and Bolivians (59 percent) express little or no confidence in Chávez "to do the right thing regarding world affairs." As Pew puts it, "He is widely recognized--and widely mistrusted--throughout Latin America." Even in Argentina, perhaps the most anti-American country in the region, a full 43 percent of respondents have little or no confidence in Chávez.

That's not all. Majorities in Brazil (65 percent), Chile (60 percent), Mexico (55 percent), and Bolivia (53 percent), along with a plurality in Peru (47 percent), agree that "most people are better off in a free market economy, even though some people are rich and some are poor." Indeed, a whopping 72 percent of Venezuelans agree with that statement. "There is broad support for free-market economic policies across Latin America," Pew reports, "despite the election in the past decade of leftist leaders."

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http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/116buscn.asp

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Not that I'm a huge fan of opinion polls. I wonder if this even comes close to accurately describing South America's opinion of Chavez.

[TheEschaton]

Congrats to globalization for brainwashing people into thinking it's good for them.

[Gan]

Congrats to globalization for brainwashing people into thinking it's good for them.

:lol:

Speak it loud from a high place comrade.
:lol:

[Parkbandit]

Now all we need is Backlash, er I mean GS-Phoenix, er I mean Mosquito, er I mean Haywood J., er I mean Good Karma to come on and say he's never considered Chavez his hero.. then we can have half the PC pulling out the quote and then making fun of him.. until he changes his name.

[Kembal]

Not that I'm a huge fan of opinion polls. I wonder if this even comes close to accurately describing South America's opinion of Chavez.

I seriously doubt it. Unless Pew got a very good sample that's representative by economic class, chances are this poll is skewed. Those numbers make no sense compared to who's getting elected in those countries.

Edited to add: Bolivia is at 53%? Morales got elected with 54% in 2005. Those numbers don't mesh.

[Latrinsorm]

Those numbers make no sense compared to who's getting elected in those countries.And if you can't trust elections on a sitting quasi-dictator, what can you trust?

[Gan]

And if you can't trust elections on a sitting quasi-dictator, what can you trust?

LOL

Word.

[senorgordoburro]

The voting in re-elections in dictatorships is really simple. Vote for dictator, or you nd your family can be thrown out of your house, have all of your money taken by the government, and maybe even killed.

And if he still fails to win the majority of the votes, it is rigged anyways so that before anyone actually voted, the election was already won.

[Landrion]

I can't imagine why people don't express confidence in Chavez on world affairs. He comes off about as rational as Hulk Hogan during a wrestling interview. I half expect him to challenge Bush to a steel cage match at the garden.

Come to think of it, it would be pretty funny to dub Randy Savage over a Chavez interview. OOOH YEAH, BUSH IS THE DEVIL YEAH! MACHO MAN HUGO CHAVEZ.

Speaking of which, I hate to say it, but I suspect that Chavez could win a similar poll against Bush right now. For, as Gan said, all that polls are worth.

[Warriorbird]

Chavez is hilarious. Wins points from me.

[DeV]

Chavez is hilarious. Very.

“The devil came here yesterday,” Chavez said, referring to Bush’s address on Tuesday and making the sign of the cross. “He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world.” Standing at the podium, Chavez quipped that a day after Bush’s appearance: “In this very spot it smells like sulfur still.”