Caracas calling: A new mecca for the left

Via Maria, Juan Forero writes about Hugo's popularity among the Sandalista elites. The Forero article doesn't mention Chomsky, but you can be sure he's proclaimed that Venezuelan political process as an example for Latin America and the rest of the world, but he's not alone. Apparently there's a tourism industry focusing on those believing the charismatic-leader-helping-the-poor-offering-free-health-care-education-adult-literacy-and-job-training-initiatives-that-help-millions-of-Venezuelans meme.

Let's take a brief tour of what those tourists won't see:
The legal but not legitimate election

The list of 54,900 dead people listed as eligible voters.

The Vargas Hospital emergency room in Caracas.


The fallen Caracas Viaduct, which they won't see because they'll be driven to and from the airport down the "scenic route", which will take them past some rough neighborhoods, where the housing is deplorable.

However, if the sandalistas were to travel to Argentina, they'd have a chance to visit the house that belonged to dictator Perón, of which Hugo's financing the restoration using Venezuelan public funds.

I hope their tour includes a t-shirt.

Update, Saturday, March 25 We don't need another hero:

Chavez is not a leftist, he is not a rightist, nor is he truly a democrat. He is an authoritarian, the paradigm of the Latin American strong man. Chavez has one true love, and that is himself.

Read it all.

(technorati tags Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, revolutions)