re: #380 dragonath

THAT’S the comparison I was thinking of. Hugo Chavez was Huey Long, writ large.

Early Chavez, yeah, before he embraced guys like Castro and Ahmadinejad.

Also, for all of Long’s faults, even though he had some Populist/Socialist leanings, he was very much against communism. He did some very admirable things during the Great Depression years, notably in building up the state public education system as well as bringing the state highway system up to a much higher level than was present in most of the American South during that period. Finally, he was an avowed enemy of the racist bloc that controlled much of the state’s politics - taking liberal positions that were unheard of for another 25-30 years in the heart of “Dixie”. Long’s legacy was, in my opinion much, much more admirable than he was given credit for.