Is Hugo Chavez a military dictator?

[Flubadubya]

On Lou Dobbs' show he had Jesse Jackson and some scummy creep from an "Evangelical group" who not only would not condemn Robertson's statement, but actually was trying to defend him.

Twice this man called Chavez both a dictator, and then a military dictator. This is news to me. I thought Chavez was the duly and democratically elected President of Venezuela. Since when did dictators get elected?

The saddest part about all this was the fact that neither Dobbs nor Jackson called him on the lie. So now it's out there, unchallenged, in the public discourse that "Hugo Chavez is a military dictator." :banghead:

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Chavez was elected twice

by a large majority of the people in Venezuela.

He did serve in the military and was a paratrooper but he does not meet the qualifications to be a military dictator.

However, the rich absolutely hate him, so that should tell you something.

[1932]

23. And his party has won 6 consecutive elections by increasing margins.

[BrotherBuzz]

2. Call me crazy, but Bush*, as CIC, is a military dictator, too.

:shrug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Even if that were the case, Robertson was quite cozy with Charles Taylor

who actually WAS a military dictator.

[sniffa]

4. is bush a miLitary dictator?

chavez was eLected more than he was.

[hiley]

5. makes me furious

too.

[KG]

6. christo-facists fundies have no problem telling lies.

[Poiuyt]

7. He was elected by the people and formed a new constitution written by

an elected constitutional assembly. He was, however, a military general who tried to seize power with an unsuccessful coup in 1992.

[1932]

24. He wasn't a general. He was a lieutenant-colonel.

see next post below.

[achtung_circus]

8. He was a member of an attempted coup, but

here's more, including his election wins.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez>

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (born July 28, 1954) is the President of Venezuela. A former paratroop lieutenant-colonel who led an unsuccessful coup d'état in 1992, he was elected president in 1998. A highly polarising figure in Venezuela, his presidency has seen sweeping changes throughout the country, including a new constitution, many new social programs, and a new foreign policy distancing Venezuela from the United States.

Since he was elected in 1998 on promises of helping the poor, Chávez's influence over Venezuelan politics has grown. One year after a majority of Venezuelans voted to keep him in office, the populist leader has consolidated his power, striking a harsh anti-USA tone. He is up for re-election in 2006, and recent polls suggest he has about 70 percent popularity.

Chávez and his administration have been opposed through confrontational methods by some established sectors in Venezuela, including the business federation Fedecámaras and union federation CTV, resulting in a coup d'état, general strike/lockout, and recall referendum, all of which failed to remove him from office. Although the opposition charged that there was widespread fraud in the recall vote, Chávez and his allies have won consistent political victories, occupying the vast majority of elected municipal, state, and national posts, as well as majorities in the supreme court, national electoral council and national assembly.

Chávez has been married twice and is currently separated from his second wife, Marisabel Rodríguez de Chávez. He has four children: Rosa Virginia, María Gabriela, Hugo Rafael and Rosinés.

[CityZen-X]

9. Hugo My Hero!

Chavez was duly elected by the people,(not like some real dictator we all know), the rich hate him, (not like some real dictator we know), Chavez actually served in the military. Not like some Bu$h*t we know!

[Al-CIAda]

10. I saw it and agree, they dropped the ball big time.

...also, he lied about the economy, The Ven.people are doing quite well.

[KerryOn]

11. I was watching as well....

Rev. Jackson didn't help any at all. In fact I think his remarks were rather absurd. I laughed when he said the FCC should be contacted about Robertson's remarks, trying to compare Robertson's remarks to Janet Jackson. Give me a break!

I have a notion to send Lou a note and ask if he was sleeping during his own broadcast.

[koopie57]

12. I saw on another channel pictures of

Chavez being good buddies with Castro, he thought of Castro as his brother. I don't know how we can have credibility in the world without impeaching * or bringing charges against him after he is out of office. Each day I think 'this has to be the last straw', but the next day something worst happens.

Whoever thought we would see the day when a religious leader gets on tv and calls for the murder of another AND people are okay with it. I think we better make sure Chavez stays healthy and alive or we are going to have more trouble with terrorism that we have seen anywhere.

[The Revolution]

13. He was elected.

They even had a recall election about a year ago, and the people voted to keep him in office. Jimmy Carter even observed the election. And if Carter says it was a legitimate election, then that's good enough for me.

[ignatius 2]

18. And there was a coup attempt in 2002, we had funded(covertly) of course

the opposition party and had recognized the new president(who would have been our puppet of course.) It seems a memeber of OPEC had clued Chavez about the coup attempt and it was quickly thwarted.

It seems to me, Robertson is saying what this administration is thinking and most likely someone in the administration has talked to Robertson about an assassination attemp or at least the idea.

Ironically, this may serve as protection for Chavez as the entire world will be watching Bush and his maniac minions quite closely.

[tritsofme]

28. Fair elections do not necesarily lead to the governing of a free country

Someone could be fairly elected and still rule with an iron fist and as a dictator.

I don't know enough about Mr. Chavez or the situation in Venezuela to pass judgement myself.

[jsamuel]

14. just like CNN with associating him with Castro in this story FOR NO REASON

this story has nothing to do with Castro, yet LOOK ---> Castro with Chavez on front page of CNN.com!

Are they trying to suggest that a President is the same as a military dictator?

CNN.com is despicable in this:



I mean you can even see more of Castro's face in this picture than you can see Chavez's...

[Al-CIAda]

16. Yep, giving him the 'tar-baby' treatment. WTF does THAT have to

do w/anything. Propaganda.

[SofaKingLiberal]

20. Well,

associating Saddam with Bin Laden worked. The ease at which the American public can be manipulated is amazing. I'm hoping people won't fall for it a second time, but I'm not about to hold my breath.

[bribri16]

15. He's more legitimate than Musharaff that's for sure. n/t

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. Not only was he duly elected by strong majorities each time

but the United States spent money funding opposition organizations hoping he would be removed. If anything, it was the U.S. working against the forces of democracy and the people's will in Venezuela. So what does that make us?

[durutti]

19. No.

http://www.venezuelaanalysis.com

[Democrats_win]

21. Asking the right questions; you must not be in the MSM.

[1932]

22. Not only was Chavez elected, he uses military to build roads, hospitals,

and build train tracks to serve remote villages.

You can read about it in Aleida Guevara's book on Chavez, available at www.amazon.com.

[yurbud]

25. president=we like / dictator=we don't like

I just found out recently that the Sandinistas got into power through elections.

I was a teenager then, and I never got that impression from the news.

[1932]

29. Acutally, the got in power through an armed revolution

and then lost the first elections to Violetta Chamora who wasn't Sandinista, but whose husband had been a prominent editor who was assassinated by the Somoza dictorship years earlier. Chamora was the candidate the US wanted in that election.

[yurbud]

31. yep, but Chamora was one their junta & they won an election in 84

From Wikipedia:


In contrast to the Cuban revolution, the Sandinista government practised political pluralism throughout its time in power. A broad range of new political parties emerged that had not been allowed under Somoza. Following promulgation of a new constitution, Nicaragua held national elections in 1984. Daniel Ortega and Sergio Ramírez were elected president and vice president, and the FSLN won 61 out of 90 seats in the new National Assembly, having taken 63 per cent of the vote on a turnout of 74%. Independent electoral observers from around the world, including the UN, stated that the elections had been free and fair. However, the U.S. refused to recognise them, alleging that the opposition had been marginalised in the media and elsewhere by the government; President Reagan denounced the elections as a sham.

[Cocoa]

26. not according to the CIA

their World Factbook classifies Venezuela's government as a "federal republic."

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ve.html#Govt

[LSU_Subversive]

27. funny you should mention that. i, too, was outraged that neither LD or JJ

corrected him. it's practically their duty to do so. much of the public, to this date, has not demonstrated a great deal of analytical and independent thought and it's a sure thing that most people watching the segment would then think, "okay. chavez. dictator." rather than thinking, "no. widely supported and elected. not dictator!"

anyone else watch the msnbc show (i forget what it's called, but it has ron reagan, who i'm really starting to dig, and that #!^* bull-dog mouthed repuke pundit, i forget her name) where they were discussing the issue? it was actually a rather good segment and the former CIA operative (i think) was very clear and well spoken. it's refreshing given the tendency of news shows to pair up some well-meaning, but unprepared guest with someone like the chair of the rnc.

[wli]

30. Bushler is the military dictator, not Chavez.

He should leave functioning democracies alone.