Ramtin Arablouei and Randa Abdel-Fattah

But the same leader is not the one who can necessarily rebuild.

He also left behind an almost mythical legacy, making it hard for anyone to follow in his footsteps.

And when we look at what's happening in Venezuela today, we can see the shadow of Chávez looming, just as Bolívar's has loomed over the country for centuries.

One of the great paradoxes that are parallel to Bolívar is that there is no succession.

No one can fill Bolívar's shoes just as no one can fill Chávez's shoes.

In the common parlance of Venezuela's popular lingo, Chávez es un portaaviones.

He's an aircraft carrier.

He carries everything within it, right?

And so what happens when the aircraft carries him longer there?

All those planes collapse to the ocean, right?

And so he's understood by both foes and friends alike as irreplaceable.

That's it for this week's show.

I'm Ramtin Arablui.

I'm Randa Abdel-Fattah.

And you've been listening to ThruLine from NPR.

This episode was made by me.

And me.

And Jamie York.

Jordana Hochman.

Lawrence Wu.