How's Socialism Doing in Venezuela?

So what part does the US take in this? We are notorious for making "leaders" and governments that are favorable to us, and when we find they turn on us, we suddenly have an issue with the country and feel the need to reinvent the wheel.
"When celebrities do whatever"....that is their right to choose to do it. If a countries leader sings, we should be afraid? That was a direct slap to Obama who DID sing, but not on his own TV show, and not to prop himself up. If celebs go to said leader....so what about when Bono went to see PM Blair, When other celebs see other democratically elected officials?
Is socialism so bad when the populace expects the federal government to take over and assist them in their time of need....like Houston maybe?

Hugo Chavez's 1999 Hope & Change is really no different than when Barack Obama parroted the same in 2008. I really believe that Chavez was surprised at the response that then President Obama gave him in 2009. And that image is not an apples and oranges comparison.
It is also a reminder of the hot/open mic incident that so many either want to downplay OR use as an example - some would claim that that is also an apples to oranges comparison.