It's just really frustrating though that people just accept it as good, as if government can save people from themselves.
I'm still angry about the world not learning from the fallacies of the fascist and socialist states of the WW2 era.
It's hard to get over.
A freedom revolution would be nice.
Who said anything as accepting Chaves as "good"? The people of Venezuela elected him in a democratic election as a reaction to right wing lead governments that had exploited the Venezuelan people for decades. The Palestinian people elected Hamas because of the corruption of the PLO and similar. The US people elected Obama and the Democrats as a reaction to Bush and the failures of the Republican policies. The Germans elected Hitler because of the weakness of the right wing governments in post WW1 Germany. This happens in a democratic state.
Now the problem comes in democratic states that have weak governmental institutions and democratic traditions. Venezuela is one of them. Zimbabwe is another, Iraq is a third. There are many such examples. When this happens, when there is a reaction to some sort of "wrong doing" in the eyes of the electorate, then we end up in the Chaves situation.
You and I dont like him, but the people who elected him like him far better than the right wing alternatives. The last 30+ years of right wing "democracy" and dictatorships in Venezuela gave nothing to the majority of the populace. The elite and rich became richer.. that was it.
That he cant live up to those expectations thanks to his own policies and the subversive movements internally and externally, means that he will keep grabbing for more power and in the end yes we will end with a dictatorship. But this is something we have to accept is happening. It is up to the people of Venezuela to understand this, and considering the points of reference for the people, then frankly that will take a long time.
And it does not help one bit, that the US still supports the same people that held power for 30+ years. It is only ammo for Chavez to rally his "people" against the same "people" that oppressed them for so long. That will keep Chavez in power longer, and that is also a fact. Look at Mugabe, look at Saddam, look at the Mullahs in Tehran, look at Hitler, look at random king/queen through history...it is classic politics.. blame someone so people rally around you to fight this "enemy" regardless if it is a real threat or not. Kings and Queens used this excuse on the Jews for centuries for example.
But yea a freedom revolution would be nice, but that would require massive education and information to achieve in any country and the very forces you hate (and I hate) will do anything to combat such things.. and this is regardless if it is right wing or left wing.