Chavez - the Evita Sequel
First, Bill's quote from Wanniski. Agreed that it often takes Nixon to go to China, but I suspect anyone who has Chavez's views and ties is NOT going to go supply side. Remember this isn't Brazil. Chavez has tons of oil money coming into the country; he's not a leftist who's being forced by market forces to compete and liberalize. Call me crazy about this (it wouldn't be the first time), but I don't see Chavez calling up the Chicago econ department for advice anytime soon.
Let me address Keith's lengthy blog with a lengthy reply. I think he and I may disagree slightly less than it appears on the surface. Let me start there.
I agree that basically if the election result is" certified" by a collection of various international organizations, that's fine - give the people what they want as the Kinks would say. I would hope you and I would agree that elections as preference aggregation tools are deeply flawed, as public choice theory has shown us, but ok, I'll grant you in some vague way the"people" have spoken. But I'd say in very much the same way that I'm always pretty depressed when the people speak in the U.S. after elections, I think this result in Venezuela fits that category.
And let's not kid ourselves. Chavez is a bad guy who violates basic human rights, intimidates opponents and uses state power to oppress people. Let's leave the BBC out of this and go to Human Rights Watch who in April sent Chavez an open letter condemning the actions of the military in beating opponents and random by standers, throwing tear gas in their eyes, shocking them with electric batons, and spraying them with high pressure hoses. Did that change the results so that he won? Maybe, maybe not, but I for one wouldn't defend his human rights record.
Moreover I'll take serious issue with two of the broader claims you seem to be making (and if I'm wrong here I apologize). First, you seem to say that Chavez is, in fact, helping the poor of Venezuela. Nothing could be further from the truth. He's violated the rule of law and basic property rights; he's invited thousands of Cubans into the country to promote socialism; he's not introducing markets, rule of law, or any limits on his own power. He opposes the proposed FTAA that would open up free trade throughout South America. If state run literacy programs and other" crumbs" can be seen as some strange bread and circus advantage to the poor I don't understand it.