[SmoothTalker]

Not good.

[kstewskis]

Why do I get the feeling that socialism and communism is growing like a wild cancer to the south of us?

We were worried about the USSR once upon a time. They were oceans apart from us.

These guys are practically at our doorstep.

[eleni121]

So a drug dealer cartelista becomes a president...that's nothing new for Latin Americans. The UN just awarded the Marti Prize to the lunatic in Venezuela Chavez.

[operation clinton cleanup]

"If (the U.S.) wants relations, welcome," Morales said after voting, holding a news conference where piles of coca leaves were spread atop a Bolivian flag. "But no to a relationship of submission."

So long Bolivia, nice knowing ya!

[socialismisinsidious]

another Socialist nation in S. America...disturbing trend

it will come back to bite~it always does.

[Malesherbes]

Morales has said that Bolivia should collect reparations from Spain for colonialism. That should give his fellow socialist, the Spanish premier Zapatero, a few nightmares of his own.

[oblomov]

At least now the refugees from Bolivia will be capitalists and former landowners. Assuming they go through the right legal steps to get here, I heartily welcome them.

[Jewels1091]

held an unexpectedly strong lead ...Ap must be out of touch....Fox news has been saying this would happen for 2 days.

[Alissa]

I wonder how much money George Soras has paid for this candidate?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Hate to say it, but it's working very publicly for Chavez, and nothing's happened to him. Castro's been doing it for decades. It's the essense of machismo - thumbing their nose at the biggest guy in the neighborhood.

Why wouldn't others adopt the approach?

Are we asleep?

[3AngelaD]

Then Senor Morales can kiss goodbye that $180 million a year we send to Bolivia and see how his socialist workers paradise turns out.

[Koblenz]

Normally, I'd sort of yawn at this -- Bolivia is really not important strategically, and if they want to adopt socialism, go ahead and let them. Then they'll see perhaps why it's been so discredited.

Only problem with this is that while these people think that socialism will bring prosperity, they'll soon find out that this isn't the case. Then anyone there with enough cash to get up through Central America and over the Rio Grande is going to be in the United States. Some of them will of course be productive members of society, but a lot won't be.

We need to have some sort of immigration reform, mainly because this crap seems to be happening more and more to the south of us. I'm probably not a "normal" freeper in my beliefs here: I'd favor an expanded legal immigration but much stronger enforcement against illegal immigration. For legal immigrants, I'd say let them in if they'll be productive within our system (i.e., pay taxes, not collect welfare, work in a legal enterprise, etc and not demand that government services be offered to them, much less in their native language). Don't let the moochers in.

[chilepepper]

Chavez has been grooming and financing this guy for a couple of years now. Buckle your seatbelts folks... its going to be a bumpy ride.

[A. Pole]

The wide margin means Morales, a coca farmer who has said he will end a U.S.-backed anti-drug campaign aimed at eradicating the crop used to make cocai

Hey, he seems to me more like a free trader than socialist! After all it was XIX Britain which made money on free drug trade to China (Opium War was for freedom of trade).

If drug trade was good for UK it should be good for Bolivia.

[gedeon3]

We need to take this guy out quick.

To those bleeding hearts who may disagree with me; good for you. I make no apologies.

[Stentor]

You're talking about people who hunt and eat monkeys. Quarantine these cretins and forget them.

[ChicagoHebrew]

I was in Bolivia during several of Morales' protest marches. Anyone want to dig up the threads I posted about them? I was in an internet cafe when one got a little out of control and police started shooting blanks in the air. From the internet cafe, it sounded like a revolution was breaking out.

Bolivia (and La Paz in particular) is a gorgeous country. Too bad the people are so commie.

[dfwgator]

South America is another Zimbabwe in the making.

[B Knotts]

Many Indians blame the country's free-market policies for enriching white elite at the expense of the majority poor.

Now every Bolivian will be equally poor.

Well, at least, everyone except for the members of the politburo.

[chuckles]

America will long for the "good ole days" when J. Edgar would order these thugs to wake up with Columbian necktie. Send a couple of guys down and make it a dope deal gone bad, case closed. Have a new vote.

What the hell has happened to my country?