Hugo Chávez: Stalinist Totalitarian Part II

Hugo Chávez: Stalinist Totalitarian Part II

I love this new Times article on the Chávez diaspora:

The Dunaevschis are part of a wave of Venezuelans, mostly from the middle and upper classes, who have fled to the United States as Mr. Chávez has tightened his grip on the country’s political institutions, imposing his socialist vision and threatening to assert greater state control over many parts of the economy.

I think the last line is a wonderful bit of FUD on behalf of the corporate media. Why does this insane, John Birch Society bullshit continue to manifest itself, despite the fact that Chávez not only LOST the last referendum, but ACCEPTED that loss without declaring himself Premier (despite the claims of the media in the lead up to the referendum). And since when is expanding state power such a problematic issue? Is it only problematic if its a socialist doing it? It’s fairly evident that the U.S. political establishment cared very little about it with the passage of the PATRIOT Act… or its renewal…

“The principle reason is fear of change of daily life, the loss of private property, loss of independence from the government, fear of the loss of constitutional rights and individual liberties,” said Mr. Corao, who relocated permanently from Venezuela in 1996 and runs Venezuela al Dia, a thrice-monthly tabloid with offices in Doral, a Miami suburb where Venezuelans have settled.

What the media fails to understand is precisely the difference between political versus social democracy. While political democracy involves institutions, authority, party politics and bureaucrats, social democracy involves the equitable distribution of resources. The contrast between Florida and Venezuela in this regard is comically delightful.