Story Time with E: Hugo Chávez and the Downsides of Democracy

Posted by Enrique on 08.30.2007

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez continues to tighten his grip on power, marching his country toward totalitarianism. And yet he has been consistently successful at the ballot box. Portrait of a democracy breakdown…

You may be familiar with Hugo Chávez. He's the President of Venezuela, which is America's fourth largest oil supplier, shipping us over one million barrels per day. He fashions himself a crusader against poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and other social injustices. He's also an admirer of Fidel Castro, a comrade of Jimmy Carter, and an idol of Sean Penn. And he's the Latin American version of Vladimir Putin – an elected leader that's made it his mission in life to roll back democracy in his country. And no, he's not the moral equivalent of Dubya, but you wouldn't know it from the press he gets. His "up with people" shtick and his über-shit-talk about George Bush gets him a pass in many circles. Until recently. I sense that the benighted lefties who had been optimistic about Chávez are starting to come to their senses. And how often does that happen?

The story so far…

Hugo Chávez was elected as President of Venezuela in 1998, and he has won re-election twice, as well as survived a recall referendum in 2004. Prior to his current stint in public service, Chávez was a career military officer. In 1992, he attempted a clumsy coup to overthrow then-President Carlos Pérez. Chávez had his ass handed to him, gave himself up, and spent two years in prison for his trouble. However, he had succeeded in making himself a hero to the Venezuelan poor, who saw him as standing up to government corruption (Castro and Che worked a similar angle in Cuba in the late 50's). Upon his release from prison, Chávez formed a political party dedicated to reinventing Venezuelan society, based on creating equality for the poor. His 1998 presidential campaign gained a lot of traction due to Chávez's folksy, "man of the people" demeanor, as well as the fact that previous Venezuelan presidential administrations had been notoriously corrupt. He basically ran on a Throw The Bums Out platform – an oldie but goodie – and won. The one-time political prisoner had finally achieved the power he would use to uplift the downtrodden. In many ways, it's a beautiful story, which may explain why he gets such a far-reaching benefit of doubt. Just look at some of his celebrity endorsers:


Sean Penn doesn't just hear – he listens.


Danny Glover finds himself lost in Hugo's winsome eyes.


Harry Belafonte is evidently still alive.


Anti-war militant Cindy Sheehan doesn't mind that Hugo's the "grabby" sort.

(Holy crap, Hugo only owns one shirt. Poor bastard.) In fairness, these aren't A-list celebrities. Sean Penn hasn't turned in a decent performance since 2001's "I Am Sam," which I didn't technically see, but I'll give any guy props for playing a mentally retarded character. That can't be an easy role. But at least Penn has/had chops – poor Danny Glover hasn't had a high-profile job in nearly a decade. His career is at the point where you see him in a movie or in a television role and you think to yourself "Danny Glover's still working? Well, good for him." At least, that's what I thought when I saw him in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." I love that movie. As for Harry Belafonte, I think I speak for everyone under 60 when I say, "Who in the blue hell is Harry Belafonte?" And Cindy Sheehan's not really a celebrity – she's merely a tragic woman whose grief has been cynically manipulated by professional activists and lazy journalists.

But clearly, Chávez has some eclectic admirers, and he didn't win them over on charm alone – he's won them over with his charitable actions of behalf of the world's poor. Thanks to those record-high oil prices you've been hearing about, the Venezuelan government is so flush with cash they can give it away. Chávez has made quite a name for himself by offering cheap gas to poor people – not just the Venezuelan poor, mind you; he gives it away to neighborhoods in New York and Massachusetts, as well as in Europe. His latest deal is with London mayor Ken Livingston, in which about one million Londoners on welfare will be able to ride buses for half-price. It's a tidy racket – no one can complain about his charity, so Chávez earns tremendous good will among self-styled social justice advocates. He even landed a posh Barbara Walters interview earlier this year.

In other words, he's got a slick PR operation. So slick that most Western journalists can't be bothered to dwell on his domestic policies. Make no mistake - Chávez has instituted socialist policies that have benefited the poor of Venezuela. The country has more than enough oil money, a good chunk of which Chávez has spent on road construction, health care, education, and housing development. There is no doubt that a significant number of Venezuelans' lives are better because of Hugo Chávez. I have to acknowledge that if I'm going to spend the rest of our time pointing out how he's a power-mad autocrat. Oh yeah, waaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than Dubya.

In 2004, Chávez survived a recall election, two years after an (allegedly) American-supported coup against him. He got a handy 59% is his recall victory, which was quickly blessed by Jimmy Carter and the Bush administration. Maybe they just didn't want to get their hands dirty, because there was credible evidence of electoral fraud:

The new study was released this week by economists Ricardo Hausmann of Harvard and Roberto Rigobon of MIT. They zeroed in on a key problem with the August 18 vote audit that was run by the government's electoral council (CNE): In choosing which polling stations would be audited, the CNE refused to use the random number generator recommended by the Carter Center. Instead, the CNE insisted on its own program, run on its own computer. Mr. Carter's team acquiesced, and Messrs. Hausmann and Rigobon conclude that, in controlling this software, the government had the means to cheat.

Can you imagine if Dubya tried to pull something like that? Bush wouldn't have the gall, and that's saying something. At this point, it's perfectly natural to imagine that perhaps Chávez's electoral victories might be just a bit suspect. But that could just as easily be rightist propaganda. And besides, that was years ago – Chávez has since won a RESOUNDING re-election in 2006 with 63% of the vote. And it's no wonder when you consider some of the more nuanced campaign techniques Chávez employed:

According to an internal memo obtained by ABC News, workers at Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) were recently instructed to support Chavez's re-election campaign or else be terminated.

Can you imagine if Dubya tried to pull something like that? Luckily, Bush doesn't have that kind of power because, unlike Venezuela, the federal government doesn't own everything. This is one of the reasons Republicans used to get such great mileage out of that "limited government" thing (before they became the majority and turned into wussy socialists themselves). Limited government isn't such a bad idea, when you consider the alternative. Buoyed by his electoral victories, Chávez has expanded his executive powers to a degree that makes Bush's warrantless wiretapping seem like child's play. In January, the Venezuelan National Assembly passed a bill allowing Chávez to rule by decree. Why would the National Assembly give away its legislative power? Because there is no opposition party in the Assembly – they've boycotted elections since 2005. The Assembly is made up of Chávez supporters, all too happy to make him their monarch.

And now, at long last, Chávez is planning to pass constitutional amendments that will allow him to be re-elected indefinitely, thus putting the final stake in the heart of democracy in Venezuela. This is such a bald-faced power grab that even the New York Times blanched:

Indeed, Mr. Chávez's plan to allow himself to run for re-election as many times as he wants — to achieve his stated goal of governing until the 200th anniversary of Venezuelan independence in 2021 — could lock Venezuela in the grip of an all-powerful strongman for years to come. It's participatory democracy in which only Mr. Chávez and his friends get to participate.

Can you imagine if Dubya tried to blah blah blah? You know how lefties like to portray Bush as this grave threat to democracy and civil rights? That's a caricature – Chávez is the genuine article. I'm thankful that a significant portion of the left is waking up to that. Because a flamboyant, oil-rich, anti-American, pro-Iran madman President For Life like Chávez will need to be dealt with eventually. And we'll need all the help we can get.