talking about how everyone hates the US, and it's like "have you actually traveled abroad?"

These are not conservative, rightwing countries they sampled either.

That is latest breaking news?

Are you upset at the favorability ratings indicated?

But a poll taken last year has nothing to do with how people feel today.

When we were there, we were not received well as Americans in many parts of Panama city. Apparently they are still not happy about Poppy Bush bombing the the Panama city slums and killing 500 civilians.

Panama is generally very pro-USA, and has been for some time.

That was certainly our experience, no one mentioned how they missed Noriega.

The Nicaraguans have a lot more reason to resent the US (we didn't build their infrastructure or lay the foundation for their economy).

...where the street market goes into slum neighborhoods towards El Chorrillo. We talked to an old man there with a little table set up as sort of a shrine to Noriega. He was actually fairly cordial towards us, but man did he not like George Bush. Apparently Noriega is still considered a hero in that particular neighborhood. In Chinatown they just looked at us like we were nuts. I don't think they have seen many, if any, caucasian gringo's on that particular street before. The only hostile reaction we got outside of slum areas was from a worker in a Subway restaurant in downtown PC. We drove up the Pan American highway to the northern part of the country, and nobody seemed to care where we were from. Only in Panama City did we get a reaction.

We got no hostile reactions whatsoever in Nicaragua. It is probably the safest third world country we have ever been to. It was also the most extremely poor of all the countries we have been to, outside of Haiti.

We certainly didn't see any in Chiriquí. Then again the violence didn't occur out there.

PC's slums are not for the faint of heart.

How was the Chinese food there?

PC is the most Americanized area other than Boquete. There's probably some class/gentrification resentment mixed in there.

Panama's new presidente seems to be a good one, unlike Martinelli.

Agree on Nica, very friendly place though the poverty definitely shows--strongest sense of community we've seen in Central America.

The other poster may have been right 10-15 years ago, but that sentiment is long gone.

That may be a factor.

Working class Argentinians are better educated than working class Mexicans, etc.

a more favorable view of the US. Argentina would seem to be an exception to that trend.

Obama is just a nice, thoughtful, reasonable guy, even if the US is still the US.

If they knew, for instance, that the Pentagon budget request for Latin America included statements on the 'need' for complete political, economic and military dominance of all of their countries, they might see things differently.

As in, all human misery can be attributed to the USA and its policies.

If the US government is violating a half-dozen or so multilateral treaties that guarantee all countries their political and economic sovereignty, it is in violation of international law, plain and simple. Anyone should be able to understand this. Other countries do not violate our sovereignty.

only its policies that lead it to commit egregious crimes against other people in the world, like covert wars for resource dominance and attacks against other countries that result in mass murder. I could never regard those things favorably, even if it is my own government committing them. 'My country, right or wrong', is not something I can get behind.

Its disturbing that so many DUers live in this Hollywood Western movie where the USA always wears the white hat. That it only acts as a benevolent father like Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke.

as we were tasked to do by the founders of our country, is 'anti-American'.

Just crude propaganda.

oblivious to mistakes the US has made.

lol

Its no surprise you emphasize the term "has made"....as in past tense. They couldn't possibly be meddling in Venezuela as we speak. They used to try and assassinate populist leftist leaders, they used to have an incestuous relationship with giant corps like the United Fruit Company and now there are no American based multinationals that have any influence in Washington to make them fight covert dirty wars. They used to use the American MSM to bad mouth any leader that wouldn't play ball.

Now, if some government wants to nationalize some oil company they'll just sit back and say whatever. Sure thing Steve.

It must be nice to live in your 50's TV show.

so predictable.

on your point...This OP was concerning Venezuela, which is where I was focusing my comment. So its funny that you laugh and laugh at the notion that anyone would doubt US meddling and yet at the same time you yourself still can't bring yourself to admit the US with the CIA and moneyed interests, multinationals plus the native 1% establishment who rose during the right wing - US friendly pre-Chavez times...were and are actively trying to destabilize and foment discontent if not outright assassination attempts and successes.

You laugh and laugh at the notion that no one disagrees with this, while at the same time, from reading your previous posts on this topic, you show nothing but disdain for anyone that does agree with it. Very confusing. I guess your brain just triggers a massive giggling fit when you get wires crossed.

it would still be interesting compare data from a poll here to those expressed in the LA polls.

I agree with much of your reply.

Those folks believe any negative attack on the US no matter how ridiculous

My concern is for policies and laws. Working class people, throughout the world, is where my loyalties lie.

for comparison to the Latin American countries' poll.

One in which the country is not identified, only its actions and policies.

that they lean much further to the left, than conventional wisdom says they do, when the questions are devoid of ideology.

The fuck do they know?

is probably about as well informed as the average US American.

Your post is an amusing failure of logic.

how when people in other countries do or say things favorable to the US, they're being played by the MIC/PNAC, influenced by the CIA, or just don't know shit.

However, when people in other countries all of a sudden take an anti-US stance, they've "awakened."

is no longer part of South America?

Panama, Belize, Costa Rica come to mind.