South America Electing Anti-American Leaders

Globalization American style doesn't offer much to the average people in the world. South America is doing something about it. They have elected leftists in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and now Bolivia. All enjoy good relationships with Cuba. The US has to learn that it can not impose it's will on the world, it must attract interest much like any competitive business environment. One of these days, American voters are going to figure out the Republicans routinely act in ways that are not in the majority's interest.
Los Angeles Times

Evo Morales, a former coca farmer who has pledged to torpedo U.S. anti-drug efforts here and be a "nightmare" for Washington, appeared set to become Bolivia's first Indian president after a surprisingly strong showing in Sunday's election. Media tabulations of official results showed the leftist Morales with as much as 51% of the vote and his nearest rival, U.S.-educated former President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, with 31% to 34%.


[...]Morales' supporters celebrated in the streets of this capital and other cities by the thousands, chanting, "Evo, presidente!" Fireworks illuminated La Paz and Cochabamba, the city where Morales, as representative of the growers of coca leaf — the raw ingredient in cocaine — rose to national prominence. Morales has pledged to decriminalize coca cultivation if he attains the presidency.


His career arc, from llama herder to coca farmer to activist and presidential candidate, has captivated many in this nation of 9 million, which is notorious for its lack of social mobility — particularly for Indians, who make up at least half the population.


Many here echo Morales' complaints that U.S.-backed economic and anti-drug policies have done little to enhance prosperity in a nation where an estimated six of every 10 residents live in poverty, with deprivation rife among the indigenous masses.


"This is the new history of Bolivia," Morales declared in an emotional victory speech in Cochabamba. "We, the indigenous people, have been called animals and savages…. That is not important anymore."


The Movement to Socialism alliance has grown from a regional group representing coca farmers to the nation's most important political group in a decade.


[...]In recent years, left-wing governments wary of Washington have taken power in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and Morales' rapid ascension is another blow for U.S. policy in South America.


Among the first chief executives to call and offer congratulations, an aide to Morales said, were Venezuela's Hugo Chavez — an ardent U.S. critic — and Argentina's Nestor Kirchner, who has also followed a populist, left-wing political path.


[...]Morales voted Sunday in the coca-growing Chapare region and repeated his belief that the coca leaf had been wrongly demonized. He said any increased production during his rule would be for traditional uses — such as chewing, religious ceremonies and tea — not for the production of cocaine.


The firebrand candidate also has pledged to end what he terms foreign exploitation of Bolivia's natural resources, especially its massive natural gas reserves, second on the continent in volume to Venezuela's.


In the La Paz suburb of El Alto, a hub of social protests in recent years, strong support was evident for Morales and the Movement to Socialism, known by its Spanish acronym MAS. Most people interviewed there expressed disdain for a political order long dominated by the white and mixed-race elite.


"We are all tired of the old parties and their broken promises and their corruption," said Alvaro Blanco, a 28-year-old university student who was riding through town on a bicycle after voting. "And we don't want to be slaves of the Americans anymore. At least Evo represents something different."