Seriously.
I'd love to hear it.
Forgive me for jumping to conclusions but does it go something like "...evil corporate interests were the ones who provoked the Bolivarian revolution with their callous disregard for the common man. Chavez might be a little crazy but he's improving Venezuela, and of course he hates America because of the evil corporations that were here!" Am I totally off base? Because, admittedly, I might be.
Also, the theory that "if oil prices had not dropped, Venezuelans living conditions would not have plummeted and the revolution would not have happened" is pretty mainstream scholastic thought, so you can't call me an apologist.
That's not something I disagree with.
...so Chavez gets a mulligan because he's ignorant?
The Fedecámaras are what they are -- a group representing big business. I'm not going to debate whether they are saints or sinners, because the truth probably lies somewhere in between. But if Chavez is such a righteous anti-corporate crusader, would you care to explain to me why he burns the candle at both ends and ALSO represses the Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela? That's a labor union, not a corporation. Are they ALSO trying to get their land and their factories back? The International Labour Organisation and International Confederation of Free Trade Unions panned Chavez's interference in the Confederación. Are they also playing the "evil socialist" game? It's not a question of how he treats corporations and, if you look at my previous posts, it never was (...hell, Mossadegh did the same thing in Iran and I will OPENLY admit that killing him was a mistake). I merely said that the PDVSA was nationalized and, since 2002, has represented the will of the government. It's a question of how he treats people, and what his foreign policy goals are. More on that below.
(Also, I am assuming you know of all the groups I just mentioned, since you have asserted your knowledge of Venezuelan history.)
Attempted to destabilize the legitimate government of Alvaro Uribe by sponsoring the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, a terrorist group that kills civilians, smuggles cocaine, uses child soldiers. For what purpose? Why, to spread the Bolivarian revolution!
Is this ringing any bells yet?
Well in that case, you should be able to plainly see that I am not playing the "evil socialist" game.