Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Is Chavez’ golf rant a hole-in-one or a bogey?

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has received extra attention recently with his rant against the sport of golf. "Golf is a bourgeois sport" said Chavez on Sunday after officials have moved ahead to close two of Venezuela’s top golf courses. His comments were criticized by a State Department spokesman and ridiculed by some in the press.

Despite the seemingly silly nature of Chavez’ disdain for golf, the government’s shutdown of the Maracay and Caraballeda courses has a vital political purpose:
A housing shortage has also pushed the government’s hand, Mr. Chávez said last month, when he questioned why Maracay had so many slums while the golf course and the grounds of the state-owned Hotel Maracay, a decaying modernist gem built in the 1950s, stretch over about 74 acres of coveted real estate…

In Maracay, officials are considering building low-income homes on the golf course or turning it into a campus of Mr. Chávez’s Bolivarian University. In Caraballeda, plans are advancing to turn the course into a park for children.
By planning to use the golf courses to ostensibly help the common people, Chavez is strengthening his support among some of his most loyal backers: Venezuela’s poor. With support for Chavez wavering over increased crime and the faltering economy, closing the golf course for the public good could help him. In short, despite the media’s snickering of Chavez’ golf comments he may ultimately have the last laugh.

Any thoughts?

Image- CBS News
Online Sources- AP, The Telegraph, Scripps News, NPR, New York Times

6 comments:

Hodad said...

golf is for little boys chasing one ball because they do not have 2
golf courses ruin pollute and poison the environment one of the main reasons not much seafood here and ALL golfers are arrogant obnoxious pricks

good for Sr. Chavez
build my domes on these courses,
for folks

Defensores de Democracia said...

Venezuela and Ecuador are being undermined by Narcos, by the Criminals that deal with drugs.

The first stages of that sickness are very pleasant, there is a lot of dollars available. The rich can sell their Real Estate for astronomic prices, there is an increase of sales for merchants, services are well paid.

They are in the first stages of that horrible disease. Since Colombia is targeting the Narcos and extraditing them to the USA, then the criminals find that Venezuela and Ecuador are fertile ground for their business.

These countries are very unfriendly to the Drug Enforcement Administration and in General to all American Agencies and Officials.

As the Venezuelan and Ecuadoran Economies have troubles with decreasing oil prices, then Demagoguery becomes a very efficient method of controlling the Poor and Ignorant.

They also gain internal support by taking MACHO positions in Foreign Policy and by being very aggressive against the USA, Colombia, Israel, etc ...

Venezuela is becoming a base for Russian Ships, harbors and ports open to the Soviets, next airports.

But Chavez rants that they USA wants to invade Venezuela from Colombia.

The Imprudent WarMongers that have mobilized troops are Chavez and Correa. The ones that spit venom before microphones are these two Tropical Dictators ( closing TV and Radio enemies and giving money to friends in the Media )

Milenials.com

Vicente Duque

Anonymous said...

Chavez and Correa are the laughing stock of the free world. They continue making fools of themselves with their daily rants. Chavez keeps talking about the poor in VE but what has he done for them. It looks like he has been eating all their food. Venezuelans, do yourself a favor and compare the country of Colombia to VE. It is far better run and a better place to live. It is time for Sr. Chavez to go back to boot camp and lose all his fat.

Angelina said...

The United Nations must do something about this! Narcopoltics is very widespread in the country and claiming lives of the innocents - yet, all that has been done is are mere verdicts of petty thieves!

Golf Club Las Vegas said...

Is Mr. Hugo really knows something about golf?

Online Business Degree said...

"one of the main reasons not much seafood here and ALL golfers are arrogant obnoxious pricks"

HAHA! I would say you have a point, quite a valid one.