Venezuela's Chavez seen wanting office "for life"

[Psephos]

Source: Reuters (AlertNet)

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - Insecurity, "malignant narcissism" and the need for adulation are driving Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's confrontation with the United States, according to a new psychological profile. Eventually, these personality traits are likely to compel Chavez to declare himself Venezuela's president for life, said Dr. Jerrold Post, who has just completed the profile for the U.S. Air Force. Chavez won elections for a third term last December. Since then he has stepped up his anti-American rhetoric, vowed to accelerate a march towards "21st Century socialism" and suggested that he intends to stay in power until 2021 -- a decade beyond his present term.

But Post -- who profiled foreign leaders in a 21-year career at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and now is the director of the Political Psychology Program at George Washington University -- doubts that Chavez plans to step down even then. "He views himself as a savior, as the very embodiment of Venezuela," Post said in an interview. "He has been acting increasingly messianic and so he is likely to either get the constitution rewritten to allow for additional terms or eventually declare himself president-for-life."

Post portrays Chavez as "a masterful political gamesman" who knows that his popularity largely rests on being seen as a strong leader who takes on the United States, the Venezuelan elite and a host of other perceived enemies -- often with public insults that are rarely used by other leaders. "To keep his followers engaged, he must continue outrageous and inflammatory attacks," Post said.

Even Chavez's most determined opponents concede that he is a gifted orator and has a rare ability to mesmerize audiences. In the language of political psychology, this is a "charismatic leader-follower relationship."

<snip>

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26353270.htm

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"Malignant narcissist" or "gifted, charismatic leader"?

Post does say one thing that almost everyone can agree with: "Chavez views himself...as the very embodiment of Venezuela."

[Hissyspit]

1. Typo in headline...

It's supposed to say "U.S.'s Dick Cheney..."

[Bonobo]

2. "Seen Wanting"!? Is that what passes for journlism now!!

That's worse than the "Some people say" thing... Jeez.

What a bunch of mumbo-jumbo!

[El Supremo]

3. Gee, sounds like some other guy down there in the Caribbean!

[bemildred]

4. 'Saddam, tell me about your mum'

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Post, who is also a professor of political psychology at the capital's George Washington University, believes Saddam will never give up his chemical and biological weapons, or his nuclear programme, and will lash out with everything he has in his arsenal if he feels he is cornered, launching toxins and germs at invading US-British forces, and at Israel.

This is a widely shared opinion among national security pundits. What sets Post apart are his reasons for thinking that way, which involve Saddam's "wounded self", and which stretch back to his traumatic upbringing, his infancy and even beyond.

"It all goes back to his mother's womb," Post declares with some professional satisfaction. "During the mother's pregnancy with Saddam Hussein, his father died, and another son died when he was only 12 years old. She both tried to commit suicide and to have an abortion."

As the story goes, Saddam's mother, Subha, was prevented from killing herself and her unborn child by a compassionate family of Iraqi Jews. That family is now reported to be living in Israel, where it may think itself the tool of some huge cosmic joke. In any case, it does not seek publicity for its act of kindness.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,839391,00.html

[killbotfactory]

8. yep, no agenda with this guy

[bitchkitty]

5. A steaming pile of crap. n/t

[pork medley]

6. how could an expert from the CIA ever be wrong!

this is shocking! truly shocking

[Old and In the Way]

7. Pure propaganda.

Quite a crystal ball this guy's got going. Maybe he can give of his analysis of Rick and George....I'm a helluva lot more concerned with their future plans.

[markk]

9. another factual error

Chavez won elections for a third term last December.

He won his third election, for his second term. One election was the recall election. Their Constitution dictates 6 year terms, he was originally elected in 2000, with a recall election in 2004 I think it was. He was than elected to his second term in 2006.

[Peace Patriot]

10. Like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who ran and won four terms as President, and

died in office in his fourth term? Does that parallel not occur to these so-called "pundits"? And FDR was ALSO called a "dictator" by the rightwing of that era, cuz, ya know, the rightwing oligarchs don't like it when the left has a strong leader. The reason FDR kept running--and winning!--is because the country needed him. Venezuela faces similar crises, brought on by decades and centuries of brutal exploitation by the rich elites and their U.S./corporate allies, and they are further threatened by villainous plots against the Chavez government hatched in the Bush State Department, including a recently uncovered plot to assassinate Chavez, by the rightwing paramilitaries in Colombia with very close ties to the Uribe government (head of the military, former head of intelligence, many Uribe office holders), on whom Bush (and the DLC) have larded billions of US taxpayer dollars in military aid. These are the folks cutting up union organizers, peasant farmers and political leftists with chainsaws and throwing their parts into mass graves. They push the peasants off the land with US "war on drugs" pesticide spraying, so big drug traffickers (and Monsanto et al) can move in. They are, even now, pesticide spraying on the Colombia/Venezuela border, to create angry incidents and destabilize the border areas.

Also, in recent Venezuelan history, there was the US/Bush-supported violent military coup attempt in 2002, followed by the multinational corporation-sponsored oil professionals' strike (aimed at crippling the economy and bringing down the Chavez government), the US-taxpayer-funded (and absurd and wasteful) recall election against Chavez (which he won with 60% of the vote), a second plot to destabilize the country and install a military coup after the 2006 elections (which the opposition candidate--to his credit--disavowed), the Bush/Rice directive to Latin American leaders that they must "isolate" Chavez (which they all laughed at), and God knows what other dastardly and devious plots even now being thought up by Bush's news Secretary of State, John "death squad" Negroponte.

The people of Venezuela and their government have a lot to worry about--with dangerous fuckheads like Bush and Cheney in power in the US--and they have the problem of chronic and vast poverty to solve. They need a strong leftist (majorityist) leader. Strength is not the same thing as "authoritarianism." And the reason that the Bushites and their lapdogs in the corporate media--and whore academics like Dr. Jerrold Post--keep pushing the rightwing/corporate "talking point" that Chavez WILL BECOME "authoritarian" is that they have no evidence--zero, zilch--that he is. They have to say that he is "tending" that way--they have to make it a PROGNOSIS, based on hot air and sterotypes--because the evidence that he IS "authoritarian" just isn't there. He's been president of Venezuela since 1998, and there has been no repression, no state violence, no unlawful behavior by Chavez or anyone in his government--indeed, Chavez's government has been scrupulous about the rule of law, and has furthermore made every effort imaginable to increase citizen participation in government, and scrutiny over the government. So they have NOTHING to base it on.

"...increasingly messianic...", "increasingly authoritarian", "increasingly dictatorial" repeated over and over and over again, in the classic "Big Lie" technique. And yet, when you look even superficially at the items they cite in support of this allegation, they dissolve into the Wonderlandish mist of BushWorld. He denied a license renewal to a rabid rightwing corporate TV station, which had actively participated in the violent military coup attempt against the elected government. Well, yeah. Something that any other government would do, under the circumstances. The airwaves belong to the public, which has a perfect right to regulate their use IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST--something we should be doing here. And I think this example perfectly illustrates why fascists like Bush and Cheney, and their corporate puppetmasters, revile Hugo Chavez and want to topple and/or kill him. His Bolivarian revolution might spread north, and start giving us some ideas about toppling our Corporate Rulers.

It would be no surprise to me at all if the people of Venezuela want to keep Chavez in office. It cannot happen without their vote on the two-term limit. And they just keep voting him and his government in, by bigger and bigger margins each time, in the most highly monitored elections on earth. Now why would they do that? Vote him in again and again? Could have something to do with the fact that they approve of his policies--no? Up here in the north, we have the WORST PRESIDENT EVER, whom more than 70% of the people despise, and we can't get rid of the demon. Down there, in Venezuela, they lucked out with a strong leader who advocates for the poor, acts strongly on behalf of social justice, and has not only pulled Venezuela's economy out of the dark ages of exploitation--with all indicators now up, and the most growth in the private sector--but he is developing a REGIONAL strategy that stresses self-determination and mutual aid among Latin American countries. Why wouldn't they want to keep him in office?

The contrast between Bush and Chavez couldn't be greater. That's another reason Chavez is vilified. He actually has a big support base. He is actually doing some good! And US-based global corporate predators hate him for it.

This asshole Post hurls a stunning insult at Venezuelans--and at their long hard work on transparent elections and other democratic institutions--by implying that Chavez is "mesmerizing" them. And this insult is implied in every corporate newsbite and rightwing blather point about Chavez being "increasingly messianic," "authoritarian" or "dictatorial." Do they think Venezuelans are fools? Do they think Venezuelans don't know the history of real dictatorship in Latin America, and can't smell a "dictator" a thousand miles away?

This is the part of the corporate campaign against Chavez that is so stealthy--and also racist and classist. Venezuela has the liveliest political culture in the western hemisphere, and the highest literacy rate. They've all READ their Constitution. And when the military coup attempt occurred in 2002, it was the suspension of Constitutional government that most offended them, and that brought tens of thousands of Venezuelans out into the streets of Caracas to stop the coup.* It is an insidious "Big Lie" to imply that Venezuelans would be ruled by a dictator.

It is the BUSHITES, and the corporate media, and corporate financial and resource profiteers, who want dictators and military juntas in South America, because they ARE dictators and tyrants themselves. They HATE democracy.

The economics of Bolivarian regionalism is biting into World Bank/IMF and other global corporate predator profits. That is another reason they hate Chavez. Please see my post on this today, at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2893835

Dr. Post is shilling for terrible and brutal exploiters, who want to destroy democracy and efforts at social justice in South America. There are many, many lives at stake in this contest between the corporate liars, and the truth, in Venezuela and throughout South America. This is not a game of words. This is preparation for violence and horror. And it is aimed at U.S. citizens and voters, to keep us stupid, so that we do not know what is really going on, and will be conditioned not to care about it, when they pull more fascist crap against Venezuela and the other new leftist (majorityist) Andes democracies (Bolivia, Ecuador, and possibly Argentina). I don't think they will succeed in their continuing dirty plans. But, to succeed, they need us to be brainwashed. That's why they're doing it.

They did it on Iraq, for the oil. They've done it on "the war on terror," for police state/war profiteer beneficiaries, and to terrorize US--to steal our elections, and to remove us as the only sovereign power on earth--we, the people of the U.S.--who have the right and the theoretical power to regulate these corporate predators. And now they're doing it on Venezuela, to get the oil, gas, minerals, forests and other resources of the Andes region. We need to awaken to the brainwashing, and fight against it, and we need to restore our democracy here.

[marmar]

11. Debbie, check-out clerk at CVS, sees Chavez as wanting office "for life"...

Who is Mr. Post and why should we care what he thinks? Perhaps now we should consult Miss Cleo or the Psychic hotline about Hugo Chavez?
:wtf:

[Lilith Velkor]

12. US's Post seen as spouting "fearmongering bullshit"

[MasonJar]

13. What garbage! How about a profile of the idiot-in-chief, Dr. Post?

That seems ultimately (and currently) more relevant to "the people" of the USA.

[Judi Lynn]

15. He only seems to profile people the right-wing doesn't like!

Found a small bio. of the completely above politics Dr. Post:

Dr. Post has published widely on crisis decision-making, leadership, and on the psychology of political violence and terrorism, and recently has been addressing weapons of mass destruction terrorism: psychological incentives and constraints, as well as information systems terrorism. He is the co-author of a study of the politics of illness in high office, When Illness Strikes the Leader: The Dilemma of the Captive King, Yale University Press, 1993, and Political Paranoia: The Psycho-politics of Hatred, Yale, 1997. His other books include: The Psychological Evaluation of Political Leaders, With profiles of Saddam Hussein and Bill Clinton (University of Michigan Press, 2003); with Barry Schneider, Know Thy Enemy: Profiles of Adversary Leaders and their Strategic Cultures (Air Force Counter Proliferation Center, 2003); and Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World: The Psychology of Political Behavior (Cornell University Press, 2004).

http://www.gwu.edu/~elliott/faculty/post.cfm



Dr. Jerrold Post, not to be confused with Brother Theodore, below.

[Bo]

14. I said this months ago, CHAVEZ IS NOT LEAVING OFFICE!

Everyone in South America Knows this...why is this so hard to fathom. He will not step down,ever.

[Judi Lynn]

16. Dr. Jerrold Post kick!

:kick: :kick: :kick:



Dr. Gerrold Post