As usual, Juan Forero of the New York Times, does his shoddy job in reporting about Venezuela and the referendum. (One can not talk about Forero reporting from Venezuela, he seldom has a byline from Caracas, is an unknown to the international press circles and some people even question that he really exists). Let’s look at today’s article on the opposition mobilizing to ask for a recall referendum:
-“Tens of thousands of antigovernment demonstrators clogged streets in Caracas”. Well, the question is not tens of thousands, it is whether there were enough hundreds of thousands to make the million or not.
-“For an opposition led by a haphazard coalition of big businessmen, labor groups and media owners”. Curiously, Forero leaves out political parties, ignoring the fact that starting at the far left (Bandera Roja, Causa R, Socialists) to the middle (socialchristians, socialdemocrats) all political parties except Chavez’ MVR and miniscule party Patria Para Todos are part of the opposition. (There are no significant political parties in Venezuela that can be considered to be part of the “right”)
-“The most immediate obstacle is that a new electoral board must be chosen to oversee the recall. Venezuela’s Supreme Court has said it would pick the board, possibly by early next week”. This is not considered to be an obstacle except by Forero’s ignorance. The Supreme Court said it would pick a Board ten days after the omission by the National Assembly was declared. This means there will be a Board by August 24th.
-“Some government officials have also raised deep concerns about the way the signatures were collected. They say the process is illegitimate, arguing that the signatures could only be collected after the half-way point of the president’s rule”. Interesting, the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled that this was not an issue, it seems only Chavez’ lawyer and Forero have not heard about this important decision.
-Polling companies in Caracas have said that if there were a referendum on Mr. Chávez’s rule, two of every three Venezuelans would vote to remove him”. Well, all polls, including those that Chavez used when he was a candidate give numbers of 70% or more, none say or have said two-thirds for quite a while. Picky? Maybe, but the article does try to give the impression that Chavez has more popularity than he does.
I have never understood why Forero remains at the New York Times, he has always been sloppy, ill-informed and biased. In my book that is three strikes and you are out, for a reporter from a newspaper as important as the New York Times.
The Devil's Excrement 
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