Chávez numbers tank just when it matters the least

Quico says: Teodoro Petkoff spills the beans today on Chávez’s god-awful poll numbers these days. In the latest IVAD (Seijas) poll, Chávez gets whooped by two-to-one margins on...

Quico says: Teodoro Petkoff spills the beans today on Chávez’s god-awful poll numbers these days. In the latest IVAD (Seijas) poll, Chávez gets whooped by two-to-one margins on all kinds of domestic issues (the electoral law, private property, whether he’s a threat to democracy) and by closer to three-to-one margins on most foreign policy questions (how he’s dealing with Colombia, with the US, etc.)

All this from a Seijas poll, mind you – we’re talking about the government’s in-house “serious” pollster, who’s had a pronounced pro-government lean in the past.

The August poll even has Chávez losing in the generic “would you vote for Chávez or for another candidate?” question, which – forget about 50% – now puts Chávez below 40%.

Read all about it here

What’s ironic is that all this happens as Venezuela enters a period when poll numbers really don’t matter any more. Back in the “hybrid regime” days, when our authoritarianism was at least competitive, these poll numbers would’ve been a real problem for the government.

These days? Hell, the guy just got through telling us how Gaddafi is to Libya as Bolívar was to Venezuela! He’s well past caring.