December 1, 2007
Chavez Calls Referendum Opponents "Traitors"
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is getting more hysterical in his condemnation of those who would deny him his "constitutional coup" in a referendum scheduled for early next week.
Chávez's behavior appears increasingly unpredictable, but some political analysts say the bluster may be a tactic designed to generate support for the constitutional changes that Venezuelans will vote on in Sunday's referendum.If Chavez is nervous, it could very well be that he's concerned that the overwhelming vote in favor of the referendum may not be forthcoming. No one doubts that Chavez won't engineer its victory through manipulation of the vote. But it's not going to look good if he gets 60-70% of the vote with recent polls showing the issue so close.
Although a few weeks ago the proposals had been expected to receive easy approval, polls released last week showed that the opposition could ultimately prevail in a tight contest.
He's decided that his best tactic to recover the control of his movement is to instill fear in his people that there's a world conspiracy against Venezuela," said Demetrio Boersner, a political analyst and former diplomat. "It's a tactic that uses histrionics as a weapon to unite the people so they vote for him on Sunday."
The government says the rhetoric is no scare tactic, but rather a response to concerns that a destabilization plan is in the works. Officials point to negative press coverage, coupled with the Bush administration's statements questioning the fairness of the vote.
So Chavez blusters and resorts to the most childish kind of name calling in order to rouse his backers to turn out in force on election day. He has also threatened to cut off the supply of Venezuelan oil to the US - an empty gesture given that he would be forced to dump his supply on the spot market which would then be snapped up by American customers anyway, albeit at a premium.
Momentum is building against Chavez in these closing days. But few observers doubt that if Chavez wants the measures to pass, he would have little trouble in making his wish come true.
To comment on this or any other American Thinker article or blog, you must be a subscriber to our ad-free service. Login to your subscription to access the comments section. You can subscribe on a monthly basis for $6.79 a month or for a year at $69.99
Login
Subscribe / Change PwdAd Free / Commenting Login
FOLLOW US ON
Recent Articles
- Trump-O-Phobia Drives Some Americans to Questionable Greener Pastures Overseas
- A Businessman and a Brilliant Strategist
- A Remarkable Headline for a Fascinating Story
- Democrats Unmask Themselves
- How Mexico Became China’s Trojan Horse in U.S. Trade
- Covid Redux: The Bird Flu Scare
- A Taste of the Swamp
- Do We Have 677 Unelected Presidents?
- Global Relations beyond the Prime Directive
- The Democrat Party: The Enemy Within?
Blog Posts
- The CDC website really needs to update its COVID protocols
- Hands in your back pocket
- Birthright citizenship: The facts
- ‘She’s my little Musk coupe’
- The Biden White House mixed it up with not one but two autopens
- The Shakespeare National Trust determines that Shakespeare is ‘not to be’
- Carville tells Democrats to quit making asses of themselves
- About that Texas congressman who called the transgender member of Congress 'Mister' ...
- A federal district court judge erases Trump’s ability to rid the country of enemy aliens
- In the UK, rape gangs are OK, pictures of women sans hijabs not so much
- Bacha Bazi still being practiced in Afghanistan; young boys sexually abused
- UN judge convicted of forcing a woman into indentured servitude
- What are capital gains, really?
- Trump begins restoring law and order