Posted on 08/20/2007 6:16:44 PM PDT by neverdem
Now that Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has shown his hand and officially announced that he will seek to become president for life, let me offer some suggestions on what the Venezuelan opposition, Latin American democracies and the United States should do to return democracy to that country.
Chávez, as you may know, announced last week that he will ask his 100 percent loyalist National Assembly to change the constitution and extend the presidential term from six to seven years and allow him to run indefinitely. In addition, he asked to end the autonomy of the Central Bank, and to create a ``popular militia.''
His plan to grab absolute power -- sweetened with a proposal to reduce the workday to six hours -- will go to the National Assembly, where it is likely to be approved by a near-unanimous vote and must be later ratified in a national referendum.
Here's what should be done:
• The Venezuelan opposition should not repeat its mistake of the 2005 congressional elections, when it boycotted the vote citing Chávez's curtailment of campaigning freedoms, believing that would delegitimize the election. Chávez simply ignored the opposition, went ahead with the vote and installed a totally partisan National Assembly.
Granted, the opposition will have to compete in an even less level playing field today: Chávez has more powers to use state resources, will control virtually all mass media -- especially after his recent de facto takeover of the independent RCTV television network -- and will use the army and public employees to get out the vote in the referendum.
But mounting a campaign against Chávez's proposal would not only help Venezuela's opposition stay alive, it would also provide it with a golden opportunity for a comeback.
Public opinion polls show that Chávez's escalating narcissism-Leninism is beginning to irk some of his own supporters.
''Chávez is overreaching with this president-for-life plan,'' says Michael Shifter, a Venezuela expert with the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington. ``This presents an opportunity to reach out to Chavistas who may be disillusioned.''
A new poll by the Venezuelan firm Hinterlaces says that 54 percent of Venezuelans disapprove of Chávez's proposal to change the constitution, while only 26 percent support it. Interestingly, 48 percent of respondents in the same poll described themselves as Chávez sympathizers, which suggests that many Chávez supporters are not happy with the indefinite reelection proposal.
• The 34-country Organization of American States, the Carter Center and other international election monitoring groups should not repeat the mistakes they made in the 2004 referendum on Chávez's rule, when they accepted Chávez's decision to only allow them into the country a few days before the vote.
This time, they should demand to monitor the process starting several months in advance, and certify that the elections are free, rather than simply certifying the Election Day vote counting.
• Brazil and Paraguay, whose congresses have yet to ratify Venezuela's entry into South America's Mercosur trade union, should at least put that decision on hold. Mercosur has a democracy clause, and allowing Chávez in now would amount to a tacit green light for others -- like Bolivia and Ecuador -- to impose ''constitutional'' dictatorships.
• The United States could do more than anybody to stop Chávez's megalomania if it stopped subsidizing it. Indeed, the United States is spending $34 billion a year on oil imports from Venezuela.
The White House should impose a $2 a gallon tax on U.S. gasoline imports from petro dictatorships around the world, or a 50 percent tax on Hummers and other needlessly gigantic SUVs, or demand Detroit carmakers double the fuel efficiency of American cars.
Reducing America's foreign oil addiction should be the single most important issue in the 2008 presidential election. In addition to being the most effective U.S. weapon against Middle Eastern countries that support terrorism, it would weaken oil-rich autocrats like Chávez, and would help reduce global warming.
My conclusion: Chávez may have become his own worst enemy. His latest bid to become a lifetime tropical emperor may provide an opportunity for his political adversaries to regroup and -- like judo fighters -- use his offensive impetus against him.
Let's hope they do it right this time, and that foreign democracies don't condone what could be the official beginning of an unequivocal dictatorship.
since when does the white house legislate taxes?
They almost had me until they went over the “eco-bonehead-cliff-of-doom”
What’s wrong with one between the eyes?
I started to get suspicious when the author expected the Carter Center to actually hold Chavez’s feet to the fire. However, I know he lost it at the end when the “real” answer was to tax SUV’s out of existence, as if that was the way to face down a dictator.
This guy is a wimp!!
See mt tagline.
What ridiculous ideas. I am happy for anyone, from anywhere to come to this country and become a loyal American citizen—but give up the fight in the old country. If you live in this country—your concern is no longer Cuba, Ireland, China, Israel, Venezuela, or anywhere else.
Chavez is a harmless carnival-barker. NOTHING more. He has no other markets for his oil, unless he wants to keep giving it away to Latin America. He cannot sell it to China, because it cannot be transported effeciently there. END of story. Because some immigrant community has a chip on their shoulder about communism in Latin America is no reason to pay an extra $2 at the pump or have SUV’s taxed out of existence. What folly.
chavez ain’t long for this world...tic tic boom...
Has Hugo written his version of “Mein Kampf” yet?
It's not about stopping Chavez .... this is about screwing the american automobile owner.
His oil can only be processed in quantity here in the US. He can be shut down at any time if it really became serious. Chavez is a fool.
It started our okay but turned into liberal madness.
Weak-kneed liberal. How to get to Chavez? Increase taxes on consumers in this country. What a croc. This is a perfect example of how a liberal thinks. Get you to agree on something you would reasonably not do. They get you on the Chavez thing and slap you with a tax. Guess what Oppenheimer, in the end Chavez will still be in power and taxes will be on the books. Let the country go to the shits then move in and take over.
What? Bush isn't President For Life? Don't tell the Kos kiddies...
Seriously, the author is more than a little naive to assume that a dispproval of Chavez in a public opinion poll is going to translate to votes. It's who counts the votes that matters. Sending Jimmuh Cahtah down there at any point is merely to do for Venezuela what he has done for Zimbabwe. Good luck with that one.
This, however, is painful to read: The White House should impose a $2 a gallon tax on U.S. gasoline imports from petro dictatorships around the world, or a 50 percent tax on Hummers and other needlessly gigantic SUVs, or demand Detroit carmakers double the fuel efficiency of American cars.
That would include Saudi Arabia but not Iran. Not good. Moreover, what on earth is a "50% tax on Hummers and other needlessly gigantic SUV's"? 50% of what? Is it "needlessly" gigantic when you have to carry 7 kids and construction supplies? And a "demand" that Detroit produce cars that are twice as fuel efficient is like demanding the Oil Fairy touch us with her magic wand. Even if it could happen it won't happen soon.
I don't wish to seem overly pessimistic but let's face some basic facts - Chavez is a demagogue, a dictator, and is solidifying control of his country by promising to rob one part of the population to benefit the rest. He will end up robbing them all. He has imported or is importing a vast array of weaponry and is solidifying internal controls along the Cuban model. He has a guaranteed income from an extraction economy and is following a well-established pattern of conversion of a populist movement into a police state. It will succeed.
And you will hear nothing but cheers from the Venezuelans because only those who cheer will be allowed to be heard. Control of the country's television and radio has already been achieved. Control of the newspapers will follow shortly.
The economy will eventually fail, but not as long as the Chinese are buying oil. They have far more at stake in keeping the oil flowing than they do in ridding South America of yet another pumped-up little uniformed caudillo. That's how it is in the early 21st century. He is setting his teeth in and the Venezuelans are as little likely to do anything about it as the Iranians have been, and for most of the same reasons. When a people willingly chooses chains and gives the key to a master, they don't get it back.
• The United States could do more than anybody to stop Chávez's megalomania if it stopped subsidizing it. Indeed, the United States is spending $34 billion a year on oil imports from Venezuela.The White House should impose a $2 a gallon tax on U.S. gasoline imports from petro dictatorships around the world, or a 50 percent tax on Hummers and other needlessly gigantic SUVs, or demand Detroit carmakers double the fuel efficiency of American cars.
Reducing America's foreign oil addiction should be the single most important issue in the 2008 presidential election. In addition to being the most effective U.S. weapon against Middle Eastern countries that support terrorism, it would weaken oil-rich autocrats like Chávez, and would help reduce global warming.
OK, this guy doesn't understand the most basic nature of market economics, but the rest sounds like a nice quaint editorial. Coming from Miami these journalists should be at the fire and brimstone stage of the agitation campaign... Much too little too late.
A tax of $2 per dictator gasoline/gallon? A single .308 bullet doesn’t cost that much. Why do we always have to go the expensive route?
VZ's gov't owns a company that makes voting machines and has sold them to some of our states. Does anyone really believe that if every last Venezuelan gets out there and votes against Hugo, he still won't win the election on his machines and have the results of the election ratified by the likes of Carter?
In a single party state, the bullet is actually stronger than the ballot; after all, when someone is president for life, there’s only one way out of office...
President for life” = DICTATOR
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