"SHUTTING
UP VENEZUELA'S CHAVEZ " by Roger Cohen: A Critique
By
Thomas Riggins
02 December,
2007
Countercurrents.org
Roger
Cohen is an editor at The New York Times and columnist for its op ed
page and for The International Herald Tribune. The above column appeared
in the Times on 11-29-07. It is tendentious in the extreme, poorly argued
and factually incorrect.
Cohen is
in Caracas, presumedly to observe Sunday's constitutional referendum,
and this column reveals the thoughts of a man who has no sympathy at
all for the interests of the people of Venezuela but every sympathy
for the interests of US imperialism and its supporters.
He begins
his article by saying, "It was a fascist general in 1930s Spain
who coined the phrase "Viva la muerte" or 'Long Live Death.'
We are then told that although Hugo Chavez doesn't like fascists "he
has not hesitated to deploy the imagery of death to bolster his leftist
brand of petro-authoritarianism, now operating under the ludicrous banner
of 'Fatherland, Socialism or
Death.'"
Somebody
should tell the patriarchally inclined Cohen that Patria, Socialismo
o Muerte means 'Motherland[or Homeland], Socialism or Death. It is no
more "ludicrous" than the slave owning Patrick Henry's "Give
Me Liberty or Give Me Death" and means about the same thing. It
also means just about what those New Hampshire fascists meant when they
turned to the imagery of death for their state motto: Live Free or Die.
It should also be pointed out that what Cohen calls "petro-authoritarianism"
is actually a government that has been democratically elected by its
people in a country with a vibrant opposition press and ruled by a constitution
approved by the Venezuelan people.
Knowing this,
when Cohen calls Chavez an "oil-gilded caudillo", he is just
being emotional and abusive. He might just as well write for the New
York Post or the Washington Times. The Times is in fact slowly approaching
that level of writing by adding Cohen's right wing blather to that already
provided by David Brooks.
Cohen's rant
against Chavez stems from his aversion to his policies leading Venezuela
towards socialism and especially the new powers he may get as a result
of the democratic choice of the people in the Sunday referendum. Cohen
fears his new powers will allow him "to expropriate private property"
[God forbid!] "and create the second formally socialist nation
in the Americas alongside Fidel's" [it's about time].
"The
measures amount to a constitutional coup," laments an opposition
newspaper editor quoted by Cohen. So now he doesn't know the difference
between a coup [Pinochet] and a free election. This is typical of the
American mass media and its pundits.
Cohen certainly
doesn't embrace the notion of People Before Profits. He grudgingly admits
Chavez "has reduced poverty [the UN says "extreme poverty"
has gone from 15.9 % to 9.9] but this has been at the "expense"
of the underfunded oil industry.
I don't understand
Cohen's concern about the establishment of "socialism." He
says Chavez has actually been instituting a "crony capitalism"
for his own benefit. The US has lots of experience dealing with crony
capitalist regimes, so what is all the fuss about? In the rush to see
all things evil about Chavez [Cohen has seemingly only interviewed opposition
people, not one supporter of Chavez has anything to say] he can't make
up his mind about what kind of regime is being built. Is it a second
socialist state that is coming to be, or just another run of the mill
Third World crony capitalist state with lots of oil?
Here is some
really keen reportage. Cohen says you can't find eggs or chickens to
buy due to "price controls." "Chavez's socialism [so
he a socialist again, good] delivers subsidized gasoline and glittering
malls but no milk." But is it really "price controls'? Other
reporters have pointed out that the real reason for these sorts of shortages
is hoarding by producers trying to sabotage economic reform and create
a climate to help defeat the referendum. The pro-capitalist Cohen can
only see the bumbling hand of socialism at work and not the invisible
and criminal hand of price fixing capitalists creating an artificial
shortage to further their class interests.
Cohen reveals
his ignorance of what is going on when he says that since the US buys
so much oil from Venezuela, "Chavez's 'socialism' [now its back
in quotes] and his chumminess with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [what
has that got to do with anything: Saudi Arabia is even worse and the
US is very chummy with it] do not extend to cutting off the 'imperialist
empire'. Chavez is too shrewd to sever his lifeline." Nevertheless,
despite the malinformed Cohen, that is just what Chavez has threatened
to do. He has publicly stated that he would cut off oil to the US if
it continues to interfere in Venezuela's internal affairs. The Chinese
will take all the oil they can get, by the way. But poor Americans would
suffer as Chavez sells discounted
oil to poor communities in the US whom he cares about more than their
own government does.
Towards the
end of his article Cohen appears to have completely lost his mind. He
says that, in effect, by taking his socialist vision of Venezuela's
future to his people to vote upon, his actions are as "grotesque
and dangerous-- as Fascism was-- a terrible example for a region that
has been consolidating democracy." That's right folks. By putting
his ideas before the people to vote on them, Chavez is a bad example
for democracy. It's positively Fascist!
He then approvingly
quotes the hereditary Bourbon monarch of Spain, installed by a real
Fascist, Franc, who told Cheney to "shut up" recently at an
international meeting. He thinks Venezuelans should "follow suit
on Sunday" by voting down the proposals in the referendum. Fair
enough, the voting is free after all.
But as a
journalist there is only one word for Cohen. That is "hack."
I wish the New York Times had higher standards and told him to "shut
up, already."
Thomas
Riggins is the book review editor of Political Affairs and
can be reached at [email protected].
Leave
A Comment
&
Share Your Insights
Comment
Policy
Digg
it! And spread the word!
Here is a unique chance to help this article to be read by thousands
of people more. You just Digg it, and it will appear in the home page
of Digg.com and thousands more will read it. Digg is nothing but an
vote, the article with most votes will go to the top of the page. So,
as you read just give a digg and help thousands more to read this article.