1It's the same old story, isn't it?
Dictator takes over country, jails those who disagree with him, destroys free press, closes down television stations who dare to criticize his policies, changes constitution to allow himself to be re-elected indefinitely (i.e., in effect, declaring himself dictator-for-life), destroys the economy by the usual inefficient, kleptocratic "socialist" nationalization (read: "let me and my close associates steal the assets of foreign companies and move them to Swiss bank accounts"), etc., etc.
The usual gang declares that (because the dictator is a "socialist") that we don't really have evidence he's a complete dictator yet, that they are sure the elections were totally fair and it's so nasty to think otherwise, that the dictator is just executing the "will of the people" and those newspapermen or opposition leaders he arrested surely had it coming for "lying" about him, etc., etc.
The next step is usually claiming that those nasty claims about famine (USSR, China) or genocide (Cambodia) or unapologetic police state (Cuba), etc., are totally exaggerated, due to paranoia and conspiracy theories by right-wing loonies who just hate the thought that socialism has been so wonderfully successful in those countries, and besides, if it is true, it's probably the nasty ol' USA's fault anyway.
We've seen this all before, numerous times. Eventually, the usual gang confesses that they were wrong -- but it usually takes years, and only happens after the lives of millions of ruined, and only when there's some other "socialist" dictator to glorify.
Otherwise, you see, they would have to admit they were wrong and naive yet again about yet another "socialist utopia", which, surprise surprise, turns out to be a corrupt kleptocratic dictatorship; and what are the lives and misery of millions compared to their precious sense of self-importance and being on the "correct" side of history -- that of victorious socialism, as opposed to the evil "late capitalism", which is sure to completely collapse by 1920, I mean 1930, I mean 1960, I mean 1980, I mean 2020, as the world realizes that Russia, I means the USSR, I mean China, I mean the communist Block, I mean Venezuela, is the way of the inevitable just and wonderful future?
