Defending The Indefensible

Michael Van Der Galien does a masterful job of fisking Libby Spencer over at Newshoggers. I'll let him cover this one:

At The Newshoggers. Libby writes: “Now I don’t want to get into a debate over whether Chavez is crazy, or a communist or pursuing the right policies for Venezuela. I honestly don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that he is a democratically elected leader who still enjoys significant support among the majority of that nation’s poor.” And, more importantly to the left, of course: “These are the people who take to the streets to protest Chavez and his programs to help his country’s poor and in a way one can understand their hatred for him. Chavez, whom they consider to be an upstart meztito, has instituted socialist policies that have redistributed the wealth and power more equally and it came at their expense.”

To top it off, she also compares Chavez to Bush: “It strikes me that all this talk about his tyranny is more than a little misplaced considering Venezuelans have more of a voice in their government than we do under Bush.”

Now that is misplaced. Lord knows I respect Libby and consider her a friend, but she’s way out there on this one.

Firstly, it does matter whether Chavez is a wannabe dictator or not.

Secondly, he’s amassing so much power that it’s already difficult to say whether the majority truly supports his reforms or not.

Read the rest. MVDG points out one glaring fact here that explains much in the reasoning of the left:

Fifthly, it never ceases to amaze me that for all the talk about freedom, many progressives actually only care about one thing: distribution of wealth.

That insight is probably one of the best one-line descriptions of the left yet. Because economic egalitarianism does appear to be the main driver for many, if not the vast majority on the far left. No other issue comes close to it and it trumps everything else. Literally any behavior can be excused so long as the economic misery is spread evenly. (And it is misery under the socialist system.) Excusing dictatorial behavior because the dictator promises to spread wealth around until everyone gets a pittance is a horrible standard to use. Comparing the absolute power Chavez is taking – by using a mask of democracy – to Bush's behavior is more than disingenuous. It is dangerous. It shows a complete disconnect with reality.

Which American broadcast network has been taken off the air by executive order? Which loud, dissenting American voices on the left have been silenced by gunfire? How much trade in blood diamonds has the American government indulged in? Oh, that's right, none of those things happened here, it happened in Venezuela.

I have quoted this line by Winston Churchill before: "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." Paying attention only to the even distribution of misery is a terrible philosophy.

UPDATE: Libby Spencer has updated her post with an explanation that she was misunderstood. Unfortunately, she then updates a second time and goes right off the deep end.

Meanwhile, even as my critics decry my equivalences, they make their own and suggest that dissent has not been stifled by this administration. Perhaps, they don't remember free speech zones, or how many have been arrested for wearing tshirts and holding signs, or that you can't get into a live speech by the president except by invitation. Perhaps they have forgotten the photos of injured demonstrators hit by rubber bullets. Oh wait, maybe they didn't see them because they only ran on Indymedia when they had their servers seized and didn't hear about them because almost all the low power broadcasters have been shut down by the FCC in deference to Clear Channel.

The servers seized thing may or may not be this event as documented by Truthout. I'd only point out that this is the same outfit that swore until they were blue in the face that Karl Rove had been indicted. I'd also just point out that not everything you read on the internet is Stone Tablet Truth® and that there may be more than a few liberties taken by the less than credible. But if you believe all you read, we know a good place to get some rat cheese.

Seriously, Libby, you really are making this worse – and sounding more unhinged by the minute.

• 

  By Quilly Mammoth, November 22, 2007 @ 4:28 pm

  I just came across this bit of insanity. Sheesh. Soon you can add (T)Hugo’s Corner to Bobby’s Corner as Venezuela descends into a socialistic dictatorship.

  Meanwhile, Gaius, I wish you and your’s a happy food coma. We’re having Turkey as the Ham and Roasted Oysters are slated for Christmas. Old Virginia custom, you know…but I always thought it was because Smithfield and the James River offered them up. And it’s a hard chore to get real Chesapeake oysters here to flyoverville.

• 

  By Libby Spencer, November 22, 2007 @ 7:19 pm

  You misread the intent of my post Gaius, as did many others. I updated so I’m not going to repeat the explanation, but in no way should that post be taken as advocating for Chavez’ policies.

• 

  By Americaneocon, November 22, 2007 @ 7:32 pm

  I am so pleased that you guys are getting on Libby Spencer. I’m telling you, this is making my day! I’m tickled writing this.

  I’ve been having a war with Ms. Libby for some time. In addition to her Newshogger hatchet-jobs, she blogs over at the nihilist Bush-bashing page, The Impolitic.

  I noticed Libby’s posted a disclaimer to the Chavez post, obviously in response to Michael’s penetrating riposte.

  I could tell you more stories, but one’s of interest: When The Moderate Voice’s Pete Abel included The Impolitic in a “Center of Attention” roundup, I took Ms. Libby down in the comments, with links to my exchanges on an Iran post she wrote. Libby responded that I was trying to “smear” her (similar to Clinton’s victimology of late). Pete Abel defended her and then Moderate Voice deleted my comments as violating the blog’s comments policy.

  Ms. Libby, despite her protests, certainly does love Chavez. She loves him because he hates President Bush, just as she does. Chavez is in league with the Axis of Evil, which gets Libby giddy with glee at the thought of an anti-American axis of power positioned against the U.S. and that evil “neocon” policy cabal in Washington that got us into this “disaster” of a war.

  Here’s the thread on Libby’s denial of Iran’s nuclear development program:

  http://theimpolitic.blogspot.com/2007/09/administration-pushes-insane-iran.html

  My post on the whole Moderate Voice deal is here:

  http://burkeanreflections.blogspot.com/2007/09/vigorous-discussion-and-moderate-voice.html

  Thank you, thank you for this!

  Newshogger’s is a disaster of a blog, and Ms. Libby’s one of the most hardline anti-American bloggers online.

  No one should lend any credence whatsoever to her disclaimers or pleas of victimization. Calling her out again and again might actually be the only thing that gets this trash out of the blogosphere.

  Now, back to having a Happy Thanksgiving!

Other Links to this Post

1. Excusing Chavez « The Van Der Galiën Gazette — November 22, 2007 @ 3:13 pm

2. justbarkingmad.com » Blog Archive » Ultramaroon — November 22, 2007 @ 5:05 pm

3. American Power — November 23, 2007 @ 9:09 pm