Observers on the ground in Venezuela are saying that despite overwhelming advantages, Hugo Chavez is in trouble and, in a fair election, could very well lose to Henrique Capriles, the charismatic 40 year old former state governor. New Republic: The 40-year old state governor has run a nearly flawless campaign: sidelining the opposition's reactionary wing in favor of a much more moderate Social Democratic stance. Young, nimble and energetic, Capriles has spoken to working class Venezuelans in less urban parts of the country in their own language-certainly much more so than the more conservative leaders who led the opposition before him. Running on a record of achievement in his home state of Miranda, Capriles has capitalized on people's growing day-to-day frustration with the dysfunctional chavista state, promising to keep its popular social programs while radically cracking down on the runaway waste, corruption and political sectarianism that hobble every chavista ...(Read Full Post)