Against expectations, and possibly despite vote-rigging, the Venezuelans have shot down Chavez’s latest power grab in a referendum. From my distant and ill-informed perch, this sure seems like fabulous news. The Bolivarian revolution Chavez helped kick off could turn very nasty if the politicians who are elected in the name of for-the-people politics corral that power to dictatorial ends. Venezuela was moving swiftly down that path. This is a significant turn-around, and it comes because the Venezuelans got organized and protested and out-communicated the state-owned media. Turns out they like the meaning of democratization, not just the sound of the word, and are going to try and hold their leaders to it. A socialist-themed administration that is afraid of the people could yield good results. Lets hope this holds as a precedent for the other South American countries that are facing similar choices.