Chavez soundly defeats challengers in re-election bid…

No this hasn’t happened yet. In fact, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez won’t be up for re-election until next year, but you can rest assured that this headline will stand. Above all, Chavez is a demagogue, which is someone who uses his passion and charisma to play on people’s prejudices to gain (and maintain) power. What we at the Phalanx call: pulling a Mussolini. Chavez has done this with expert skill. Chavez has taken advantage of the fact that rightist leaders in his country made a mockery off democracy and exploited their power for their own personal reasons. Chavez on the other hand, appealed to the pinned up anger among the nation’s poor and even those who yearned for true democracy. Chavez has promised a socialist paradise, modeled on the wonderful successes [sic] of Fidel Castro in Cuba. Chavez frequently finds he is the target of criticism, both at home and abroad. When this happens, Chavez does what any sensible demagogue would do, he changes the subject. What he most frequently does is accuse the US of planning to invade his oil rich nation and championing himself as Venezuela’s only savior, thus the people of Venezuela rally to his cause and all past failures (and abuses of power) are forgotten. Chavez has also taken advantage of his country’s vast mineral wealth, namely oil and natural gas, to win friends in Latin America. He has promised cheap and steady oil supplies for Caribbean nations and now for his neighbors in South America. Chavez repeatedly denies that he is a dictator and that he is a proponent of democracy, but socialism by its very nature is anti-democratic. Far from being a democratic guide, socialism is inherently undemocratic and unequal. At its heart is the primacy of the state. As a result, the rights of the individual become secondary to that of the state, thereby laying the foundation for authoritarianism. Chavez has argued that capitalism is a failure and is the wrong course of action for Venezuela. He wins supporters with this argument, because the poor and lower classes in his country, mistakenly believe that what they experienced before Chavez was capitalism. It wasn’t. Capitalism goes hand in hand with the rule of law, without which we simply have a different type of dictatorship. Chavez’s popularity may also extend from the fact that among a growing number of people around the world, there exist a vibrant entitlement mentality, which is completely divorced from the concept of personal achievement and individual responsibility. Capitalism allows for success or failure based upon the merits of ingenuity, initiative and hard work. Invariably, there will be those in a capitalist system who will not prosper, as they have not employed the qualities essential for success. Rather, these individuals have chosen the path of least resistance, opting to squander opportunities, waste resources and rest on their laurels. The capitalist system does not reward sloth, and it is certainly not kind to those averse to hard work. Make, no mistake about it, if unchecked such a mentality and government system based on that mental state may soon visit our shores if we aren’t careful. In spite of Chavez’s professions, what he supports, is not democracy but a new form of slavery with the people subservient and dependent upon the state. This coupled with his attempts to silence opposition make Chavez no champion of democracy and make no mistake about it, given his absolute authority, he will most certainly win “re-election” next year.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/12818202.htm