New York Times: Chavez "likely to win" referendum. Sorry Chavez' haters

[antiimperialist]

Come on, Hugo Chavez' haters, explain to me how a dictator can behave in such a strange way. He is holding a referendum in order to make changes to the Constitution. Could it be that most Venezuelans love their "dictator"? This was certainly the case when Chavez won all those elections in the past, but now he is supposed to be a dictator who curtails Venezuelans' freedoms and is hated by most.

I don't remember Rafael Trujillo or Anastacio Somoza, or Augusto Pinochet, holding free elections or referendums. This must be a new kind of dictatorship.

Among the new measures in these proposed changes we have:

-By law, the workday would be cut to six hours.
-Street vendors, homemakers and maids would have state-mandated pensions.
-President Hugo Chávez would have significantly enhanced powers and be eligible for re-election for the rest of his life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/world/americas/17venez.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Our friends will latch on to the last point.

And ignore everything else. And just so I can be fair and balanced, I would prefer that Chavez did not significantly enhance the powers of the president. About term limits and the abolition thereof, I could not care less. If the people of Venezuela choose to re-elect Chavez until he dies of old age, that is their business.

Meanwhile, wouldn't it be nice if we had a government that was looking at how to make working life and life for us peasants better? How about universal healthcare? How about improving social security pensions, rather than scheming about how to chisel the geezers out of what is theirs? How about mandating vacation benefits on par with the EU? How about universal access to higher education instead of confronting the middle class with $20-50,000/year college costs? How about we Stand Down Our Imperial Expedition Forces garrisoned all over the planet and use that money to make life better here at home, to overcome the challenges of peak oil and catastrophic climate change, how about we start to grow up as a people and a nation?.

[brazos121200]

2. Perhaps he should be a man of the law

and have respect for the lives of others like Pat Robertson did when he called for Chavez's execution for having the gall to have a different opinion.

[rjones2818]

3. B...Bu...But he shut down an opposition TV station!

:grr:
:nuke:

Viva Bolivarianism!

[rudeboy666]

4. For some liberal critics

Chavez's surge for power (even if it is popular) is disturbing.

I think any reasonable liberal or anti-authoritarian would be foolish to give Chavez a free pass.

I guess only time will tell.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. Those 'liberal critics' tend to be critics first,

liberal, not so much.

[1932]

11. Why do liberals want to be unpopular and unsuccessful?

[Basileus Basileon]

5. "This must be a new kind of dictatorship."

It is. See Mr. Putin for another example of the modern dictator.

[zeemike]

7. We had our own president elected for life

Franklin D Roosevelt
Elected 4 times and died in office...and had he lived longer he may well have been elected to a fifth term.

[Steepler0t]

8. Good point

The righties back then also called FDR a dictator same as Chavez.

[killbotfactory]

10. And, like they did with Chavez, they also tried to overthrow FDR in a coup.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/051118.html

[Warren Stupidity]

9. Yeah that was terrible.

Oh how the people suffered.

[Balbus]

12. And of course there's his unwritten change...

Attend an anti-chavez protest and he'll have your ass shot. Strong persuasion to love your dictator, I'd say...