Conspiracy Theories in Venezuela

Hugo Pérez Hernáiz and David Smilde both for Chavistas and the opposition. They end with this:

What is lost by both sides when they resort to conspiracy theories is politics: the forthright recognition of differing views and interests, negotiation with foes, and the attempt to convince voters on the issues.

Sound familiar? It's just like the United States, where it predominates with the right. Instead of grappling with complex policy issues, just say Barack Obama is a Kenyan Communist trying to establish a dictatorship (with lots of "what the media doesn't want you to know" sorts of statements). I mean, we even coined a new term, "birthers," that refers to crazy people. I expect some similar word to pop up in Venezuela for those who believe that Hugo Chávez's cancer was cooked up in a CIA lab.