Via the CSM: Could an Obama win hurt Chávez?
Mr. Chávez has made an art out of insulting President Bush and his “imperialist” foreign policy. His anti-Bush diatribes resonate in Venezuela and have helped insulate him from growing criticism that he neglects domestic affairs. And every time he launches into his famous oratory, he impresses a slew of left-leaning international admirers who wonder at his defiance of the world’s sole superpower – which they say has taken an arrogant and aggressive tack.
A McCain victory would allow him to sustain that message: Mr. McCain, after all, hails from the same party and shares many of the same policies as Bush. But Senator Obama is a different story. It remains to be seen how Obama, who has never visited Latin America, would actually shape his policies here, but many in the region identify with his mixed-race heritage, share more similar politics, and would welcome what they consider a newcomer to the Washington beltway.
Indeed, I think that there is something to this. While hardly an event that would derail him, there is little doubt that Obama would be a less appealing target for Chávez than would McCain. Of course, it isn’t as if he wouldn’t find a way to continue to criticize the Empire.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Indeed, it is not as though Obama shows any inclination to cease imperialist policies.
(I find it interesting that no “respectable” news agency can use that term without quotation marks.)
July 16th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I’ve got mixed feelings about Obama, but his stance on Venezuela is actually what breaks the deal for me: http://mikeely.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/obama-is-a-truly-democratic-expansionist/
It’s sad, really…
July 16th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Ok, so Hamas has endorsed Obama, and Chavez favors McCain–has anyone come out for Barr or Nader yet?
I’m thinking Kim Jong Il will endorse Ralph given that they both wear exactly the same outfit daily.
Not too sure about Barr, though….
July 17th, 2008 at 12:34 am
So, the best way to hurt Kim Jung-Il would be to elect a Juche communist dictator? We could to real damage to Ahmadinejad by electing a veteran of the Islamic Revolution?
Seems a bit of a stretch to me, rather like arguing Democrats should vote for a Republican to give Rush Limbaugh less to talk about. Maybe some McCain operatives ought to make that argument over at the Daily Kos to see if it gets any traction.