The Commonalities Of Michael Bloomberg And Hugo Chavez

It might be hard to imagine the Mayor of New York and the President of Venezuela sharing much in common but if you strip everything away and just consider the trappings of power, the two are one in the same. Yesterday a small majority of Venezuelans (or so the polls say) voted to abolish term limits so that Hugo can run indefinitely. It must have made George Bush cringe and boiled the blood of neo-cons everywhere. Though I doubt they weren't too concerned when Michael Bloomberg decided he wanted to run for a third term despite New Yorkers having had approved of term limits by referenda twice in the 1990s.

A few months ago, the blood was boiling on the left side of New York's political side and in the veins of all people that decry political power plays such as what the Mayor and Council undertook. Yet for as much outrage as his opponents could muster, the Council, with Speaker Quinn's prodding, made sure that everyone was able to run for a third term, get extra benefits and allow the Mayor to drop $80 or $100 million on a campaign that some would call buying victory.

Of course, it isn't exactly the same set of circumstances. Our Mayor has never been the target of a U.S. backed coup, nor bashed President Bush day in, day out, and he doesn't even try to appear in touch or connected with the people he rules over attempts to govern. Bloomberg also has no shame, as he now tries to cajole the Working Families Party into letting him run on their line. Despite their differences, both are clearly obsessed with power, and will do whatever it takes to hold on to that. The means may differ because of where they each are, but the ends are all the same.

South American Leftists Laugh At Bush's Hypocrisy

George Bush's advocacy of the bailout for Wall Street has smacked many across the aisle as a form of socialism. Cenk Uyugr points out some of the reactions from Latin America and those "evil socialists" that have yet another reason to yell "hypocrite" to the bully in the White House.

New Hampshire Accepts Free Venezuelan Heating Oil

When Hugo Chavez first offered free heating oil to New Hampshire for their chilly winters, the state turned him down. Instead of making George Bush look bad, they declined the opportunity to reduce the economic cost for New Hampshire residents during the bitterly cold nights of December through March. Now that heating oil is expected to be nearly double the cost this coming winter, the times, they are a'changin.

From The Huffington Post:

With the state's blessing, New Hampshire residents will be receiving some of the fuel this winter.

New Hampshire becomes the last state in the Northeast to embrace the offer.

"A lot of people have said, `We need help and we value any help we can get,'" said Amy Ignatius, director of New Hampshire's office of energy and planning.

The oil giveaway will be managed by Citizens Energy, a nonprofit organization set up by former Massachusetts Rep. Joseph Kennedy to help the poor stay warm. But the state energy office plans to help Citizens publicize the aid and sign up fuel-oil dealers.

New Hampshire may be one of the more conservative states in the Northeast, but in 2008 and the coming winter of 2009, they aren't stupid. When you have a chance to keep people warm....and alive when the bitter elements of nature arrive, it is far more important to make sure the supply is there and it is affordable than to stand on false pride.

"The War On Democracy"

Seeing who is fighting for the ideal and against it could shock many Americans to their core: