Sorry, lefties, but Pinochet looks better every day

We remember that Augusto Pinochet was born on this day in 1914. He died in 2006. Back in 1988, General Augusto Pinochet had run Chile for 15 years.  He overthrew President Salvador Allende in 1973 and took over a country in total chaos.  His free market policies turned Chile around and created an economy that was the envy of the developing world.  Unfortunately, he never had the legitimacy of an election.  So he did something strange.  He asked the people if he should continue, and they had a "plebiscite."  Pinochet lost and left power.  This is the story:

Gen. Augusto Pinochet's bid for eight more years in power ended in defeat today, as a united opposition beat him soundly in a presidential plebiscite of Pinochet's own design.

After a long night in which the opposition continued to announce returns showing a 60-percent vote against Pinochet and the government gave out practically no totals at all, a government spokesman announced early this morning that with three-fourths of the vote officially counted, Pinochet was losing with 53 percent of voters rejecting him. There would be no further vote totals until midday, he said.

Later, Interior Minister Sergio Fernandez, who had run Pinochet's campaign, announced that the regime would recognize the results of the vote, which he characterized as still provisional. Because of the democratic process that had transpired, "the great winner is the country," Fernandez said. Pinochet himself made no statement.

Chile said no, and Pinochet accepted the verdict.  Let me add that it was time for Pinochet to go as much as I admired his economic accomplishments.  As a Chilean told me back in 1988, Pinochet did a good job, but it was time to get our democracy back.

Down in Cuba, the situation is ripe for such a plebiscite.  Cubans have never voted in a free and multi-party election.  Yes, they vote in Cuba, but it's a sham, because the Communist Party is the only on the ballot.

President Biden should call for such a plebiscite with international observers.  It should also say the U.S. will recognize the winner as the legitimate government and end the embargo immediately.

Will the Castro regime accept the challenge?  No, but let's keep the pressure on.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Still talking about Pinochet after all these years

We remember that Augusto Pinochet was born on this day in 1914. He died in 2006. 

Back in 1988, General Augusto Pinochet had run Chile for 15 years.  He overthrew President Salvador Allende in 1973 and took over a country in total chaos.  His free market policies turned Chile around and created an economy that was the envy of the developing world.  Unfortunately, he never had the legitimacy of an election.  So he did something strange.  He asked the people if he should continue, and they had a “plebiscite.”  Pinochet lost and left power.  

This is the story:

Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s bid for eight more years in power ended in defeat today, as a united opposition beat him soundly in a presidential plebiscite of Pinochet’s own design.

After a long night in which the opposition continued to announce returns showing a 60-percent vote against Pinochet and the government gave out practically no totals at all, a government spokesman announced early this morning that with three-fourths of the vote officially counted, Pinochet was losing with 53 percent of voters rejecting him. There would be no further vote totals until midday, he said.

Later, Interior Minister Sergio Fernandez, who had run Pinochet’s campaign, announced that the regime would recognize the results of the vote, which he characterized as still provisional. Because of the democratic process that had transpired, “the great winner is the country,” Fernandez said. Pinochet himself made no statement.

Chileans said no, and Pinochet accepted the verdict.  Let me add that it was time for Pinochet to go as much as I admired his economic accomplishments.  As a Chilean told me back in 1988, Pinochet did a good job, but it was time to get our democracy back.

Down in Cuba, the situation is ripe for such a plebiscite.  Cubans have never voted in a free and multi-party election.  Yes, they vote in Cuba, but it’s a sham, because the Communist Party is the only on the ballot.

President Biden should call for such a plebiscite with international observers.  It should also say the U.S. will recognize the winner as the legitimate government and end the embargo immediately.

Will the Castro regime accept the challenge?  No, but let’s keep the pressure on.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

We remember Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006)

Augusto Pinochet was born on this day in 1914.   He died in 2006.

There are no shades of gray with this man.  People love or hate him.

Many of us remember Pinochet as the man who saved Chile from misguided socialism and created the most successful economy in Latin America.

Like any dictator, he was also responsible for attacks on his political enemies.

To be fair, Pinochet's opposition had a huge advantage over dissidents in Cuba like Armando Valladares or the torture chambers of North Korea.

Pinochet was bad but he allowed the foreign press to cover domestic events.

Let me ask you this:  How many times did the international press visit a Cuban or North Korean political prison?

Did the Kremlin allow Western reporters in The Gulag Archipelago?

Some of us are old enough to remember what Allende did to Chile or the country that Pinochet inherited.

By the summer of 1973, Chile was a disaster.  It was pure economic chaos.  To be sure, Allende had gone too far and most Chileans were scared. 

In other words, Allende was not the romantic figure that the anti-US left created.  He was an incompetent leader who started a leftist revolution in a country that did not vote for one.

On September 11, 1973, Pinochet overthrew Allende.

Pinochet quickly moved to fix the Chilean economy.    In fact, he presided over an economic miracle.   Pinochet inherited triple digit inflation and left an economy that is the envy of the continent.    .

Later, he brought in Milton Friedman's "The Chicago Boys".

They cut spending, privatized public enterprises, provided generous incentives for foreign investors, deregulated the banks, lowered trade barriers and promoted exports.

It worked. Chile has been the best economy in Latin America for many!   No one disputes that!

Pinochet also made mistakes. However, he accepted a referendum and walked away from power in '88.

How many dictators have held a referendum and respected the results?   

For many years, Chile has had elections and no one has reversed Pinochet's economic plan.

The left hated Pinochet. The left criticized Pinochet for human rights abuses and kept its mouth shut on Fidel Castro's excesses. As always, the international left showed its selective indignation on human rights abuses.

Like any strong leader, Pinochet leaves a mixed record. However, I would rate him as a positive for Chile.

He gets low marks for "human rights" and very high marks for economic policies.

My overall grade is very good!

Latin America has had a lot of bad leaders. Pinochet was not one of them!

In fact, I would argue that Pinochet ranks rather high compared to his contemporaries:   the aforementioned Fidel & Raul Castro, Mexico's disastrous Echeverria and the corrupt Lopez-Portillo, Venezuela's irresponsible Carlos Andres Perez and the Hugo Chavez disaster still ongoing, and some of the juntas that governed other South American countries.

In sum, Chile could have done a lot worse than Pinochet!

By the way, Secretary Kissinger wrote about Pinochet and Chile 1973 in this book.

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