Oil Dictators, Putin and Chavez, Try to Consolidate Power

History is repeating itself. The world is headed for a return to the fascist/totalitarian-type of government we saw in the 1920s. We know how that ended up:

Voters in two major oil states run by two increasingly difficult dictators go to the polls today. In Venezuela, up for referendum is a constitutional change that would allow Hugo Chavez to keep running and running for president until his decides not to. Given the way he has stacked the electoral deck over the past year or so, it would amount to giving him the Venezuelan presidency for life. Chavez has waged an anti-US campaign and threatened to cut off Venezuela’s supply of oil to the US if he sees or imagines any sign of American influence on the vote. Venezuela currently sells about 60% of its oil to the US; Chavez would be crippling himself if he cut off the oil. Currently polls say that NO will win out by a few points and Hugo won’t get the presidency for life, but with Chavez anything is possible including outright fraud. The blog to watch on this election is Venezuela News and Views.

In Russia, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is expected to solidify its grip on the Russian parliament. Putin has waged an anti-US campaign to fire up the paranoia and stoke old memories of the Soviet empire. Different dictators, different countries, using the same villain to stoke up the hate.