Chavez, Si or No?

While I was in Venezuela, I only met one person who liked Hugo Chavez. Or, at least, I heard that this particular person thought Chavez was great, but she didn’t say anything about it while I was there. Everyone else I met – every doctor, nurse, clinic employee, driver, housewife, and other assorted people told me they didn’t like Chavez. All of them volunteered this information (I certainly didn’t ask). They don’t like his domestic policies, they don’t like the 32% inflation rate, they don’t like having Caracas be the murder capital of the world, and they don’t like the way he fights with everyone. A few people did comment that he and George W should go a few rounds in the boxing ring. But there was way more anti-Chavez discussion than any anti-American sentiment. Everyone was actually very friendly and interested in US culture and life.