Don’t let Chavez have the last word

May 8, 2009 by Tom Bowden

There can be no doubt what social system Hugo Chavez upholds. At his most recent inauguration, in 2007, the Venezuelan dictator pledged: “Socialism or death–I swear it!” Then he added: “I swear by Christ—the greatest socialist in history.” More recently, he called on President Obama to “ally with us on the path to socialism, it’s the only road.” Commenting on the G-20 summit, Chavez said: “Capitalism needs to go down. It has to end. And we must take a transitional road to a new model that we call socialism.” And at a recent summit meeting, he gave our President a book claiming that capitalism has impoverished Latin America.

What has been our president’s response to Chavez’s insolent declarations? I haven’t heard anything of substance. Have you? The disgraceful truth is that the leader of the most capitalist society in history is unequipped to contrast capitalism’s virtues to the vices of socialism.

Ayn Rand, who was a careful observer of social change, once observed: “When opposite basic principles are clearly and openly defined, it works to the advantage of the rational side; when they are not clearly defined, but are hidden or evaded, it works to the advantage of the irrational side.”

What are the “opposite basic principles” at work today in the realm of politics? Capitalism vs. statism. Chavez, by openly and uncompromisingly championing socialism, has done his part for the irrational side of this issue. But the basic principles of capitalism (the rational side) continue to be hidden and evaded. In contemporary politics, capitalism has no morally righteous defender to answer the thug Chavez. Neither President Obama, who leads the Democratic Party, nor anyone from the Republican Party can match Chavez’s unwavering commitment to the moral propriety of his political system. As a result, capitalism’s reputation worldwide continues to deteriorate.

Capitalism needs defenders. Who’s willing to join us?