Chávez builds base with grass-roots circles in U.S.

By Pablo Bachelet
Miami Herald
Monday, Nov. 21, 2005

Miami's Jesús Soto supports Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's vision of ''participatory democracy.'' Valerie Pusch of Chicago backs Chávez because of his policies on behalf of the poor.

And they say so loudly, as heads of their local Bolivarian Circles -- among the dozen or so U.S. copies of the groups Chávez has set up throughout his country to mobilize Venezuelans on behalf of his socialist ``revolution.''

Even as Chávez attacks President Bush as his sworn nemesis, his government is running a strong campaign to curry favor with U.S. citizens through leftist grass-roots groups, paid lobbyists and public relations operatives and offers of cheap fuel for America's poor.

The Venezuelan leader is running a ''grass-roots foreign policy,'' said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Washington based Center for Economic and Policy Research, a group that supports Chávez.

''Obviously the government of the United States has not been very friendly and figure they have a better chance at dealing directly with the people who don't have any particular reason not to like Venezuela,'' he added.