So chavismo started today its campaign for the SI! However from a first overlook of the situation chavismo is far from rising much enthusiasm for a reform that will nail the coffin for Venezuelan democracy. I saw it already yesterday. The local chavismo of San Felipe tried to set up some supermarket of sorts where people could go and get specialty red shirts for the circumstances and I suppose other little gadgets. Yet, if the noise was loud, at no time did I see the crowd outnumber the attendants of the show (I live close by and could check about every half an hour)....
Today we got in Caracas as usual all the buses from state institutions carrying fervent chavista supporters to Caracas. That is right, Chavez supporter transport paid, as usual, at tax payer expense. Hence the first certifiable electoral fraud of this new cycle. Unfortunately if the buses cost a significant amount they did not carry their usual amount of political tourists in Caracas. Globovision was delighted in filming the line waiting for the opening of the Sambil where many red shirts were seen waiting to do some little shopping instead of attending the march.....
I did not follow the march however I saw live the Avenida Bolivar bust. Of all the chavista events I have followed through the years, this one has got to be one of the biggest fiasco. Globovision filmed it live from a high tower near by and even split its image to show what VTV was passing: two countries somehow at the same place and at the same time. Many videos have already made it to TuTV:
This video shows the split image of VTV and Globovision. With the incendiary words of former VP Rangel desperately trying to get back into the good side of Chavez now that his TV show is floundering badly.
This one shows from afar the Bolivar Avenue at 2:10 PM.
At 4 PM this video shows when Chavez arrives, which is supposedly the high tide of the moment. For those who have seen such arrival in the past, well, this one is pathetic. By the way, not much improvement between 2:10 and 4 PM, even though the video this time is not as clear.
At 5:25 PM, in full Chavez speech (a horrible speech by the way, he must have been mad as hell for the low turnout) the camera shows the wide gaps in the Bolivar avenue and even zooming the "packed" area we can see that there is a relative free flow that tells us that it is not as packed as the far picture would suggest.
Finally the pathetic night shot, with Chavez still berating, still threatening the students with arrest, threatening with violence, threatening even CNN (who replied by lovingly showing the half empty Bolivar Avenue of earlier) .
Why such a bust? Besides the obvious, that people cannot be made ecstatic about something that they confusedly fear, there is that all of these chavistas officials have no incentive to help chavez. After all unlimited reelection is only reserved for the boss so why help the guys that will put you out of a job soon by refusing to remove your term limits? Duh! Watson!
-The end-