An American Hugo Chavez is Coming

[Buncheong]

"Today, an American Chavist movement looks more likely than Red Caesarism. Americans are primed to support its message thanks to popular media and real-world conditions. Plus, Chavism has a natural economic base that consists of gig workers, people stuck in the service sectors, low-skilled immigrants (both legal and illegal), the “lumpenbourgeoisie” (failsons who can’t achieve the lifestyle of their parents), and others who feel left out of American abundance. These growing demographics are turning to left-wing champions as seen in 'the Squad,' whose constituency will only grow with time.

This is the multiracial working class. Chavism would unite them in a coalition of have-nots. It is one charismatic leader away from becoming a dominant political force."

https://amgreatness.com/2023/02/02/an-american-hugo-chavez-is-coming/

[ABNAK]

The RKBA is perhaps at it's most relevance in 230+ years, for the very reasons you mention. In a "have vs have-nots" contest those of us who have worked our years productively will be demonized as greedy curmudgeons. It comes down to which group has the largest voting block (unless it's a Presidential cycle, then we know who that will miraculously be).

I saw a thread on TOS mentioning that Millennials ostensibly blamed "Boomers" for not leaving them anything......like selling your house, downsizing and buying a big-ass boat instead of thinking of your kids and their inheritance. :rolleyes: I'm not into the inter-generational warfare thing, there are good and bad at any age. Having said that, I can certainly see many Americans being easily manipulated into buying into the "someone owes me" diatribe.

[Buncheong]

Astute observations, all very true.

Wishing you a pleasant and restful weekend, friend.

[BoringGuy45]

The one major thing that works against the squad is their lack of support among blue collar workers and the middle class. I agree though that that ideology is a strongman away from being an armed, organized paramilitary.

[flenna]

Hence the ComDems’ ongoing fight to abolish (or nullify) the 2nd Amendment. Can’t have a communist paradise with armed serfs.

[Todd.K]

My prediction is a lot more dark. I see more Pol Pot. Be honest, how close were we to unvaccinated concentration camps?

But it’s also possible we get Pinochet instead. So there is that bright spot.

[SomeOtherGuy]

My prediction is a lot more dark. I see more Pol Pot. Be honest, how close were we to unvaccinated concentration camps?

Really f'ing close, given that Australia actually had them, and Canada and the UK had them for air travelers.


But it’s also possible we get Pinochet instead. So there is that bright spot.

Brighter than Chavez / PP, yes, but not exactly bright.

I see hope in the political polarization among states. It might mean I have to move out of my current state, but a decent number of "red" states seem to be completely unwilling to go along with WEF / Great Reset / whatever.

[ABNAK]

My prediction is a lot more dark. I see more Pol Pot. Be honest, how close were we to unvaccinated concentration camps?

But it’s also possible we get Pinochet instead. So there is that bright spot.

Free helicopter rides?

[AKDoug]

The left is as leaderless as the right. The key component to a movement or a revolution is a leader a large group can get behind. BLM ate themselves up as soon as their general supporters found out they were being bilked by the movement's creators. Antifa can't get anything going because nobody is steering the ship. The TikTok generation is all about making money with social media, not being dirty stinky hippy Antifa activists. The beauty of America is its fractured culture. We're united enough to survive, but fractured enough that one group cannot gain control of everything.

[BoringGuy45]

My prediction is a lot more dark. I see more Pol Pot. Be honest, how close were we to unvaccinated concentration camps?

It would depend on where the revolution began. If a strongman emerged from within the government, a Chavez-like socialist regime would be more likely. Chavez was elected; he didn't overthrow the government. He used his cult of personality to seize more power as time went on. If that happened here, things would get bad, but it would be a slower slide as the strongman would probably want to masquerade his power grabs as "reforms" and pretend like he was protecting the current system from itself (admittedly, that's par for the course for pretty much every ambitious U.S. politician currently in office, but obviously, I'm speaking of a hypothetical scenario where someone is able to manipulate the system enough to grab an unprecedented amount of unchecked power).

However, if a revolution started in academia, which is where most of the major communist revolutions started, it would more likely resemble Mao's China, the Khmer Rouge, Shining Path, etc. The MO of communists, especially Maoists, is that violence is the only tool used in the revolution. You don't reform the system, you wipe it off the map. This scenario would be much more violent, but less likely to succeed, as the country is still too strong to fall an army of students led by professors.


But it’s also possible we get Pinochet instead. So there is that bright spot.

Pinochet would be equally horrible. I don't want a right wing strongman any more than a left wing guy. Yeah, he did modernize Chile, but it was still a horrible place to live when he was in power.

[Todd.K]

Equally horrible? It’s that kind of thinking that will make the communist dictator inevitable. I don’t want a right wing dictator either, but it’s far preferable to a communist.

Pot Pot killed at least 25% percent of his country in just a few years.

[Sidneyious]

Equally horrible? It’s that kind of thinking that will make the communist dictator inevitable. I don’t want a right wing dictator either, but it’s far preferable to a communist.

Pot Pot killed at least 25% percent of his country in just a few years.

and fed that percentage to the rest of people

[BoringGuy45]

Equally horrible? It’s that kind of thinking that will make the communist dictator inevitable. I don’t want a right wing dictator either, but it’s far preferable to a communist.

Pot Pot killed at least 25% percent of his country in just a few years.

Totalitarian is totalitarian and it should be resisted no matter what philosophy the dictator holds. And, if you put one extreme wing of thought into power, it just pulls the pendulum up higher so that it swings harder in the other direction when the regime ultimately falls.