ABSTRACT
Hugo Chávez saw the opposition take a large share of seats in the September 2010 elections to the National Assembly. When the legislature convened the following spring with its new members, he had to deal with a significant resistance in government for the very first time since the passage of a new constitution in 1999. At first glance, the comments of Hugo Chávez appear to be just another example of his blunt, blustery politicsanother effort by the populist politician to demonize his enemies and portray himself as righteous and conscientious. But the sentiments actually capture an extreme version what is felt and what is required of every politician and political party.
