Chavez Becoming Dictator

The BBC reported today that Venezuela's National Assembly is approving sweeping changes for President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela's National Assembly has given initial approval to a bill granting the president the power to bypass congress and rule by decree for 18 months.

President Hugo Chavez says he wants "revolutionary laws" to enact sweeping political, economic and social changes.

He has said he wants to nationalise key sectors of the economy and scrap limits on the terms a president can serve.

The bill allowing him to enact laws by decree is expected to win final approval easily in the assembly on its second reading on Tuesday.

Venezuela's political opposition has no representation in the National Assembly since it boycotted elections in 2005.

Several points come to mind from this. The first is that Bush-hating, Chavez-supporting leftists like Cindy Sheehan and her handlers probably see this as a good thing. A year ago, Sheehan visited and hugged Chavez, and later she said she'd rather live under his rule than Bush's. Now's her chance! Maybe she'll move there.

There's a real problem with people who aren't bothered by strongmen setting themselves up as Dictator For Life. And there's an even bigger problem with people who welcome the establishment of DFLs. There must be some sort of medication for this.

Chavez's nationalizing of "key sectors of the economy" must warm the cockles of Socialist hearts throughout America, many of whom have taken up residence in the Democratic Party. HillaryCare would have more hope in Venezuela than here. For the moment anyway.

But the biggest point that jumped out was the last one excerpted here. The opposition to a Socialist dictator boycotted the election. They stayed home. They didn't vote. And now there is not one voice in the National Assembly that can be raised in opposition to Chavez's policies.

Conservative purists take note. Too many of you stayed home in November, because Bush and the Republicans just weren't conservative enough. And now we're looking at Congress trying to: bring back the Fairness Doctrine, thwart the troop surge in Iraq, bring the troops home without victory, stop the building of the border fence, raise your taxes, and cause no end of Democrat--nay, Socialist--mischief.

Do not stay home next election! Choose whichever of the candidates on the ballot will move us closer to the ideals you hold or will move us least far away from those ideals. Protesting imperfection or waiting for perfection will see you on the sidelines forever, and it will reward the very people who are most repugnant to you.

Let Venezuela be a lesson learned.