Opinion
For a decade now, President Chávez has been leading Venezuelans to a destination where they never agreed to go: Cuba under Castro. The vast majority of Venezuelans, including political supporters of Chávez, has rejected the communist dictatorship of Cuba and favored good relations with the United States and free market democracy. This was the case in 1999 and it is the case in 2010. Nevertheless, believing that he was right and Venezuelans were wrong, Chávez has spent thousands of hours preaching his revolution on TV, billions of dollars buying friends and influence internationally, and many billions more to buy out Venezuelans who would not collapse before his will on this fundamental point. For a leader whose original campaign was against subordination and slavery, he tried to subordinate or enslave everyone to his belief -and he does believe it- that his way of thinking is the only way Venezuelans should think about fatherland, socialism or death, as he says.

For most Venezuelans, this dangerous trip has taken the country to the cliff's edge or over it. The domestic economy is a shambles. After a trillion dollars passed by in Chávez's extended terms, half the population is still poor, the wealth-creation capabilities of the country have been bludgeoned, its democratic institutions were demolished, its infrastructure has collapsed, and its respect for life was murdered in a dark alley for pennies. And internationally it's worse. Deny it if you want, but Venezuela is viewed as a rogue nation conspiring with terrorists, money-launderers, kidnappers, cocaine dealers, and corrupt politicians. Venezuela's closest allies are a police line-up of global rogues: Iran, Cuba, Libya, Zimbabwe, North Korea, Belarus, and Nicaragua. It's a disgrace.

The few hopeful democrats remaining in Venezuela are looking for the elections of 2010 and 2012 as the answer. Unfortunately, they are hoping for a negative vote against Chávez instead of a positive vote for a new vision of what Venezuela is and could be, which is really what the population longs for.
michaelrowan22@gmail.com