Face Value

The article that was of interest to me this week was about how few Venezuelans support changes to the Constitution. This article cites two pollsters that show Chavez (current president of Venezuela) losing support from 69% and to 61% and how the opposition has gained from 21% to 29%. A recent newcomer to the opposition was Raul Baduel a former defense minister of Chavez who also helped him return to power after the April 2002 coup attempt on him but now advocates for a coup on Chavez now. Both pollsters say that Chavez’s reforms will pass because of low turnout from the opposition side. If all this information is taken at face value then it is very interesting how still a majority supports Chavez, and that Chavez is looked upon as a dictator to the minority (29%) and how many senators and congressmen in the US support any attempt in his defeat, as they also did in April 2002 according to the article “Venezuela Between Ballots and Bullets”. Although claimed by the Los Angeles times as being independent pollsters Alfredo Keller and Luis Vicente Leon have been shown to be rather anti Chavez instead of being biased. Alfredo has been quoted to say in reference to the current situation between the opposition and Chavez to the LA Times “a fight to the death…between two counter-posed ideological forces: an authoritarian socialism with a spirit of revenge against a democracy that is open to the market.” Luis is less of an anti Chavez if he is one at all compared to Alfredo, although several articles name him “opposition pollster”. The basic truth is that the Star Tribune article should not be taken at face value.