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Culture War Roundup for the week of March 31, 2025

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The reigns of Chavez and Maduro have been characterized by concentrated support for the government among the poor, as was that of Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose program appealed disproportionately to rural indigenous communities.

It is important to remember that both Chavez and Morales did deliver substantial bennies to their voters in the early years of their time in power, before they ran out of other people’s money.

Three years into power, hordes of natives streamed down from the mountains into the settler city of Caracas to defeat the CIA coup attempt against Chavez in 2002. He really did build schools, social housing for people who had previously lived in shanty towns, handed out countless jobs for the poor. Was it unsustainable? Sure, but it happened.

The consequence of Trump's current economic policy will be not be that. The uncertainty it creates will slow or freeze corporate hiring and investment; inflation will make it harder for the fed to cut when it needs to. If Trump wanted to build a large working class of people who owe him economically, it may have been possible, but I doubt it’s this.