[Green-Activist] Anything new in the US? The Venezuela Elections will tell...

[Clemens Vermeulen]

Hi List,

It appears to me the upcoming elections in Venezuela on December 3, will show 
if anything at all has changed in the US after the mid term elections there. 
Progressives everywhere might take careful note.

This enlightening article by Stephen Lendman and other articles published on 
http://altnews.com.au/ give a good overview of the machinations of the US 
government and their meddling in the affairs of another sovereign nation:

Chavez Holds Commanding Lead Eight Days Before Election
 - by Stephen Lendman
 
 Hugo Chavez holds an insurmountable lead in two late November polls - one by 
Ipsos Venezuela/the AP-Ipsos Poll and the other by Zogby 
International-University of Miami. Both were released on November 24 and are 
the most current and reliable data available and are consistent with most 
independent poll results for months. This is in stark contrast to several 
fraudulent US National Endowment of Democracy (NED)-financed oligarch-run 
ones published to create a false perception of public sentiment in 
preparation for cries of fraud once the election results are in. 
 
 This is now standard US operating practice in all developing countries when 
Washington fears an unacceptable electoral outcome, so it tries to subvert 
the democratic process by engineering one in its favor. That's how it's 
playing out in Venezuela now where things are in place to create the myth of 
what's impossible to achieve in fact to help Washington pull off its scheme 
to remove the main "threat" to its hegemony in the hemisphere. It's not 
likely to work any better now than in the failed 2002 coup attempt, but there 
will be mass-staged street protests that may get violent before it's over 
proving it.
 
 Here's what's now going on. The Washington-based and NED-funded Penn, Schoen 
& Berland polling organization is part of the scheme to depose Chavez and has 
set up camp in Venezuela working with the opposition to do what they're 
expert at - putting out phony polling data currently showing main opposition 
candidate Manuel Rosales closing the gap and almost pulling even with Hugo 
Chavez as the December 3 election date approaches. Baloney, but that doesn't 
stop the Venezuelan corporate media from reporting it saying "The momentum is 
clearly with Rosales," and it looks like he can win. 
 
 If past Penn, Schoen & Berland tactics are prologue, expect their 
pre-election poll number-rigging to be supplemented with equally fraudulent 
exit polls on election day showing the same kind of cooked results. More 
baloney, smell included. That will be following by blasting them all over the 
Venezuelan corporate media airwaves and front pages to convey the false 
impression Rosales may have won to shape public perception in preparation for 
whatever Washington-concocted scheme is planned likely beginning on December 
4.
 
 Rosales has no chance whatever of even coming close to winning on December 3, 
and the Venezuelan people know it. They'll never tolerate a result made in 
Washington that's contrary to the way they'll vote that's pretty obvious from 
some "real" polling data. Here's what the oligarchs, corporate media and 
Washington suppress - and for good reason because it's so lopsided in favor 
of Hugo Chavez.
 
 The latest Ipsos/AP poll shows Chavez getting overwhelming support from 59% 
of likely voters with Rosales trailing far behind at 27%. The margin of error 
is from 2.2 - 2.9%. Zogby International confirms this showing Chavez at 60% 
and Rosales at 31%. It's margin of error is 3.5%. Both polls thus show Chavez 
with an insurmountable 2 - 1 lead with eight days to go before the election. 
Moreover, these polls are consistent with nearly all independently-run 
pre-election surveys showing Washington-selected Rosales has no chance to win 
(something he knows), and Hugo Chavez will be reelected for another six year 
term as president with an impressive margin of victory - because the great 
majority of Venezuelans love him and won't allow anyone else to serve as 
their president as long as he wants the job. 
 
 Here's the rub. That's not what the Bush administration wants, virtually 
guaranteeing post-election cries of fraud followed by staged street protests 
with likely violence and a fourth Washington-directed attempt to oust Chavez 
to prevent him from continuing as president. The people of Venezuela won't 
tolerate this kind of interference, and that sets the stage for a turbulent 
period just ahead - the many millions of Venezuelans vs. George Bush and his 
failed administration visibly consumed in the burning sands of Iraq. If some 
variety of that template is the way to defeat a hegemon, it bodes well for 
democracy in Venezuela but not without a struggle to achieve it. History 
shows even superpowers are no match for mass people-action when it's 
determined enough to prevail. We'll soon know if it proves so 
Venezuelan-style again.
 
 Stephen Lendman can be reached at lendmanstephen at sbcglobal.net. Also, 
visit his blog site at http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/

-- 
Clemens Vermeulen
web:     http://clemens.vermeulen.id.au/
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contact: http://clemens.vermeulen.id.au/contact