Challenging Chavez...Is He Joking?

Posted By Ben Fryer Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 2:07 PM Share

Hugo Chavez has a new challenger in the upcoming presidential election, and no one's taking him seriously. But that shouldn't bother Benjamin Rausseo, a shoeshiner-turned-comedian who declared his candidacy on Friday. After all, people have been laughing at him all his life.

Running without any apparent qualifications but plenty of name recognition, Mr. Rausseo

has slim hopes of winning. But if nothing else, he'll add some humor to what is likely to be a humorless (and less-than-fair) race. And even if he fails miserably, he can always go back to the funny business.

We're both ugly, we both have kinky hair, we both come from the lower class--but the difference is I live here in Venezuela"--candidate Benjamin Rausseo, alluding to Chavez' frequent trips abroad

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