tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post116579877138194687..comments2024-02-21T05:16:22.788-05:00Comments on Two Weeks Notice: A Latin American Politics Blog: The end of PinochetGreg Weekshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-1166038681705668262006-12-13T14:38:00.000-05:002006-12-13T14:38:00.000-05:00As more details come out in the corruption case, a...As more details come out in the corruption case, and as Pinochet's role in ordering killings becomes more clear (as it very likely will as people talk and documents are unearthed) that number will shrink.<BR/><BR/>Nonetheless, nineteen percent is still a lot of people.Greg Weekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-1165957186110939672006-12-12T15:59:00.000-05:002006-12-12T15:59:00.000-05:00Well, a search in English on Lexis-Nexis turned up...Well, a search in English on Lexis-Nexis turned up one poll this year that asked about Chileans' views on Pinochet. Quoting Marta Lagos, described as "a pollster who oversaw a public opinion survey last week indicating that Bachelet would finish with 53 percent of the vote to PiƱera's 47 percent," the report says:<BR/><BR/><BR/>"In our poll, 19 percent of those [who responded] said they believe Pinochet was a good government for Chile, and those are the people who will be staying at home this election."<BR/><BR/>Nineteen percent.<BR/><BR/><BR/>(The source here was Washington Post, January 15, 2006.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-1165856047099546462006-12-11T11:54:00.000-05:002006-12-11T11:54:00.000-05:00Again, I'm not saying that no one supports him, ju...Again, I'm not saying that no one supports him, just that the number is dwindling, and has diminished significantly in the past several years. The fact that a lot of people in Las Condes are waiting to see his body doesn't change that. You'd have to show me poll data to convince me otherwise.Greg Weekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-1165854757917186222006-12-11T11:32:00.000-05:002006-12-11T11:32:00.000-05:00I am looking out my office window to the Escuela M...I am looking out my office window to the Escuela Militar. There is a line of THOUSANDS of people waiting to see the body, which is lying in state today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-1165844191740011422006-12-11T08:36:00.000-05:002006-12-11T08:36:00.000-05:00In the business community, yes. Outside that bubb...In the business community, yes. Outside that bubble, much less so. Polls in recent years show how small the group of supporters has been getting.Greg Weekshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15765114859595124082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21674624.post-1165842519161686482006-12-11T08:08:00.000-05:002006-12-11T08:08:00.000-05:00Today is a fascinating day to be in Chile. I feel...Today is a fascinating day to be in Chile. I feel as if I am witnessing history. In the spirit of telling both sides of the story, today I see a lot of long faces and I hear a lot of sadness in people's voices. While it is true that the majority in Chile are happy that he is dead, Pinochet's support runs very deep in this country among his former supporters. I don't know if that means that his supporters forgive him for his crimes (which were crimes committed against the other half of society and not his supporters) or if simply choose to overlook the negatives and only focus on the favorable aspects of the Pinochet years. But I can assure you that almost everyone I have talked to since yesterday credits Pinochet with creating the Chile that exists today. The debate centers on whether his tactics were too extreme or justified. But Pinochet is a hero to his supporters; that much is very, very clear this morning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com