PBS’s Frontline, television’s most notorious left-wing documentary series, covered Venezuela?s, soon to be totalitarian dictator, Hugo Chavez last night.  I only saw bits and pieces of the program, because if I watch the entire program I usually lose my dinner.

The parts of the program I did see were very revealing, but not for what Frontline?s ?journalists? wanted to convey. Power has already gone to Chavez’ head and he is quickly turning into a megalomaniac.  This clip shows how he noticed a nice piece of vacant land in the countryside and decided to make it into a “new socialist city.” His supporters canvassed the shantytowns for people who wanted to move to the new urban paradise. Most said no thanks. They wanted to remain in the their shantytown homes.  When one of Chavez’ supporters reports this to him, he attacks the messenger. This information is false and the messenger is a subversive trying to destroy the new socialist society. Frontline fails to mention that this is the same technique that Stalin used during the purges of the 1930s.

 This clip also shows the technique Chavez is using to create his “cult of personality.”  Since his socialist policies are utter failures, he needs to find scapegoats. To remain popular with the masses, he blames his failures on the mismanagement of his ministers. The clip shows his a weekly live call-in television program where ministers face angry questions from the public and Chavez.

It is not hard to understand why he has had a turnover of 130 cabinet ministers since 1997. Next come the real purges. A very interesting use of modern technology by this soon to be totalitarian dictator.  He is making Stalin and Castro proud.

Another clip shows the failures of his “cooperatives” that he is using to replace the free market.  Of course, Frontline does not explain that what we are witnessing is the failure of a centrally planned economy.  Instead, Frontline “journalists” reinforce the party line: “Social programs like housing, job training, fall victim to gross mismanagement.” We all know that socialism would work if we had better managers.

Chavez? next step toward absolute power is to get rid of the president?s term limit in the Constitution.

 If you want to be amused, look at Frontline’s “Guidelines on journalistic styles and practices” here.

Specifically, fairness means that producers:

  • will approach stories with an open and
    skeptical mind and a determination, through extensive research, to
    acquaint themselves with a wide range of viewpoints;
  • will try to keep personal bias and opinion from influencing their pursuit of a story;
  • will carefully examine contrary information;