Sorry, but I’m on the record of not agreeing with him, any support was only for the reason that the opposition was even worse and willing even to call a coup a “democratic effort”, And international observers could not find much of any evidence of elections being fixed.
I’m actually ambivalent of him dying, not really sad, nor happy, I only do agree that good will come as the cult of personality is gone.
He didn’t die of cancer.
He banned Hallowe’en and then died?
The Gypsy woman was right!
What did he die of? I can’t find any sources that say the cause at all, although most sources imply it was cancer.
AFAIK, there were indeed many cancer operations, but it was reported that a lung infection did him in the end. Not so strange as the American Cancer Society reports:
Wither Venezuela? Does anyone really care?
I’m not losing any sleep over this.
Well I’m guessing 29 million odd Venezuelans might have a bit of an interest in their fate.
My guess is absent its leader, Chavez’s political movement slowly withers and the opposition wins the next election.
Only if you are interested in the politics of the Western Hemisphere, I suppose. Venezuela has had very important influence on a number of other countries, including Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Not to mention providing at least moral support to states such as Iran.
Chavez aspired to be President for Life. Ultimately he got his wish.
Come to think of it, if the CIA can give you cancer, why is Fidel still alive?
And, some of the biggest oil reserves in the world.
Don’t cry for him, Venezuela.
Is that one of those “be careful what you wish for” things?
What makes you think that?
Assuming that’s what actually happened, and there wasn’t some Weekend at Hugo’s tomfoolery going on.
I somehow missed this the first time around, but Slate re-ran an article by Christopher Hitchens about meeting Chavez while in the company of Sean Penn. It almost reads like parody, but I presume Hitch was reporting accurately. If so, Hugo was already deeply into crackpot territory years ago.
Nothing concrete, just the impression that the Chavenistas are all about the man rather than a coherent ideological movement. If he’d hung for another few years (ala Castro) and had time to organise the transition my impression would be different.
All this is wild speculation on my part based on cursory following of events in the media rather than any in depth analysis of course.
Someone on NPR this morning said Maduro will probably cut Cuba’s line of cheap oil to shore up the Venezuelan economy, which mostly sucks. This would not be good for Cuba and I’d say that the People’s Soviet Socialistical Republic and Fried Plantain Stand of Cuba is toast. And since they sold much of that cheap oil to get foreign currency about all they have left is doctors, who can go to other countries and send hard currency back to their mamacitas.
I think Peron being still alive (yet far away) was an important element in Peronism surviving.
He’s been dead for almost 40 years, and Peronism is still going strong.