Henrique Capriles says in this Q&A interview with the Miami Herald that he has his own polls and that he's confident of a victory over President Hugo Chavez in the 7 October presidential election. I hate polls; they are part of the "horse race" mentality in all elections, and people can put too much emphasis on them, whether they are winning or losing. So, is he being naive in proclaiming that he's bound to beat Chavez, or is he simply putting a positive face out there for the sake of his supporters? I don't know.
More important, however, are his statements to the Herald about what is at stake in the election and what sort of government he would lead if he is elected. As I said in an earlier post, Capriles is as different from Chavez as a mango is from a pineapple. Venezuelans have a very clear choice in October. It's still to be seen whether the days leading up to the election, and the vote itself, will be peaceful or filled with violence and confrontation. Supporters of both Chavez and Capriles are, shall we say, exuberant.
Capriles's statement about America ignoring Latin America since Obama took office is germane. And nothing new.
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