Friday, February 24, 2006
Maria does Antimano
The news from Venezuela is getting a little slow given that Carnival is beginning and most people are heading out to party or go to the beach. So I thought the time might be right for something of a fluf post. And low and behold Maria Corina Machada, of SUMATE fame, goes and gives it to me. You may recall the last time she was making a splash it was to visit W in the White House. Well, the other day she went to a slightly more downscale place - the Antimano section of Caracas.
Antimano is an area I'm familiar with as I have relatives that live there and have visited it often. It is in the western most valley that runs south from Caracas. It is sort of like El Valle that I posted on before but somewhat smaller and without the big appartment blocks running down the middle of it. It is a poor area and largely consists of ramschackle housing built up the sides of very steep valley walls.
It is also very pro-Chavez. In fact, I think Chavez got one of his highest vote percentages in the RR in Antimano - over 80% if I recall correctly. So apparently Maria decided to visit this local to maybe make some point about how SUMATE has a following even in pro-Chavez areas? If that was her intention she didn't do a very good job. From what is said she was afraid to walk down the street to get there (Antimano is right on the Metros number 2 line). Rather, a car pulled up and she quickly ran into the building where the meeting was. Then she spoke to about 10 very bored looking people. Impressive, 10 people in an area that probably has a population of 100,000!!! What a pathetic showing. And what is even more amazing is they post this junk on the internet to show what? How little support they have? Or that they can actually sneak into a building on the west side of Caracas? Or that she is women of the people because she held up someones little kid? Whatever the reaon, they really do just look pathetic.
Note the paper in the foreground says "popular clamor". Yeah sure, 10 people show up in a city of 5 million and that is popular clamor!
BTW, she really does need to eat more. The anorexic look is out. But at least the light blue shirt doesn't clash with the squalor.
And here is one of the commical titles the folks at Aporrea added:
Maria points and says "no sooner I gave them the money than they ran off over there" while her assistant adds "they screwed us again".
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Antimano is an area I'm familiar with as I have relatives that live there and have visited it often. It is in the western most valley that runs south from Caracas. It is sort of like El Valle that I posted on before but somewhat smaller and without the big appartment blocks running down the middle of it. It is a poor area and largely consists of ramschackle housing built up the sides of very steep valley walls.
It is also very pro-Chavez. In fact, I think Chavez got one of his highest vote percentages in the RR in Antimano - over 80% if I recall correctly. So apparently Maria decided to visit this local to maybe make some point about how SUMATE has a following even in pro-Chavez areas? If that was her intention she didn't do a very good job. From what is said she was afraid to walk down the street to get there (Antimano is right on the Metros number 2 line). Rather, a car pulled up and she quickly ran into the building where the meeting was. Then she spoke to about 10 very bored looking people. Impressive, 10 people in an area that probably has a population of 100,000!!! What a pathetic showing. And what is even more amazing is they post this junk on the internet to show what? How little support they have? Or that they can actually sneak into a building on the west side of Caracas? Or that she is women of the people because she held up someones little kid? Whatever the reaon, they really do just look pathetic.
Note the paper in the foreground says "popular clamor". Yeah sure, 10 people show up in a city of 5 million and that is popular clamor!
BTW, she really does need to eat more. The anorexic look is out. But at least the light blue shirt doesn't clash with the squalor.
And here is one of the commical titles the folks at Aporrea added:
Maria points and says "no sooner I gave them the money than they ran off over there" while her assistant adds "they screwed us again".
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