- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- Stephen Lendman can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also, visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com
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