Posted on 07/31/2021 3:58:37 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Back in 1988, General Augusto Pinochet had run Chile for 15 years. He overthrew President Salvador Allende in 1973 and took over a country in total chaos. His free market policies turned Chile around and created an economy that was the envy of the developing world. Unfortunately, he never had the legitimacy of an election. So he did something strange. He asked the people if he should continue and they had a "plebiscite." Pinochet lost and left power. This is the story:
Gen. Augusto Pinochet's bid for eight more years in power ended in defeat today, as a united opposition beat him soundly in a presidential plebiscite of Pinochet's own design.
After a long night in which the opposition continued to announce returns showing a 60-percent vote against Pinochet and the government gave out practically no totals at all, a government spokesman announced early this morning that with three-fourths of the vote officially counted, Pinochet was losing with 53 percent of voters rejecting him. There would be no further vote totals until midday, he said.
Later, Interior Minister Sergio Fernandez, who had run Pinochet's campaign, announced that the regime would recognize the results of the vote, which he characterized as still provisional. Because of the democratic process that had transpired, "the great winner is the country," Fernandez said. Pinochet himself made no statement.
Chile said no and Pinochet accepted the verdict. Let me add that it was time for Pinochet to go as much as I admired his economic accomplishments. As a Chilean told me back in 1988, Pinochet did a good job but it was time to get our democracy back.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
First they need a Pinochet to step up to overthrow the Communist regime. Just like Pinochet did in Chile. Unfortunately, the regime in Cuba makes sure it’s military is commanded with completely loyal party hacks. It’s no different in Venezuela.
And, if Joe Xiden’s handlers have their way, it will be no different here.
Excellent picture; I’ve got it archived.
Unfortunately, the handwriting of “Pinochet” is different from “communist swine”.
Genuine question for someone with more knowledge of Pinochet than me: if his regime was so good why was he defeated?
*Genuine question for someone with more knowledge of Pinochet than me: if his regime was so good why was he defeated?*
It’s a tough question that brings up the real question: does the end justify the means? Chile is more prosperous and free than the rest of Latin America. It was Milton Friedman’s Chicago Boys that ran it. Collectivism was the siren call.
Canto is Cuba’s version of Gordon Chang-only more doable.
We should bombard Cuba with little packets of food with American flags stamped on them. Insurrection + overthrow. Then give them 2 weeks to identify and imprison all the enforcers that intimidated the people. We then sweep in with a TSAR to oversee their pedal-to-the-metal development to be done in ONE generation.
In preparation we give them every old Ford Fiesta & truck laying around to replace their Russian maintained Hudsons. Then there’s the oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Give it to them in increments they can handle. My choice for (economic) TSAR would be Marco Rubio=OJT for the WH. I’ve posted this b4.
No free stuff.
“*Genuine question for someone with more knowledge of Pinochet than me: if his regime was so good why was he defeated?*”
I’m not a Chile expert, but I suspect 2 reasons:
1: Universal suffrage, giving people who contribute nothing to society as much voting power as people who work their tails off. If you don’t file a tax return showing that you’re a net taxpayer, you should NOT be permitted to vote.
2: Allowing women to vote, as that opens the door for emotion-based campaigning, which always ends badly.
No free stuff.
*************
Free stuff => vote buying => powerful constituencies => more demands for government largesse => bigger government => overbearing government => end of democratic republic.
“Pinochet did a good job but it was time to get our democracy back.”
And so the idiots started electing socialists. People get the government they deserve.
Like somebody said, you can’t fix stupid. First they elected Allende and then they got rid of Pinochet. Isn’t democracy wonderful!
Relentless collectivist propaganda in the international media played its part. A man like Pinochet - one of the few in history who actually rolled back collectivism at gunpoint - was considered the ultimate villain in media circles.
See post #12.
Bottom line, most people are fools. They have no clue of figuring out what is in their best LONG term interest.
The same thing applies here.
After his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists, socialists, and political critics, resulting in the executions of from 1,200 to 3,200 people,[16] the internment of as many as 80,000 people, and the torture of tens of thousands.[17][18][19] According to the Chilean government, the number of executions and forced disappearances was 3,095.[20] Operation Condor was founded at the behest of the Pinochet regime in late November 1975, his 60th birthday.[21] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_Pinochet
Many liberal link the Jan. 6 event with this, but the Left is moving toward squashing all who oppose it.
Thank you, my expectation when clicking on this thread has been fulfilled.
+1
They should have kept him.
Now they are headed back to communism because they didn’t.
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