If he is a despot, he is the weirdest despot in the history of mankind. He wins election after election, which even President Carter and the EU have recognized as clear and free, while here in the US our last 2 presidential elections have been more than irregular.
He pardoned all of the people involved in the coup against him in 2002. The marches and protest against him are never repressed, while right here in the US protestors get arrested and abused regularly, even the press.
He has not shut down a single media outlet, although all the private media rails against him on a daily basis claiming no freedom of speech (ironic).
He has not abridged any civil liberties, while here in the US we are spied on without the need of any due process, we can be arrested without charge and detained indefinitely if we are charged with being an "enemy combatant".
No one is tortured in Venezuela, while we in the US waterboard people and send them to third countries where they are treated much worse.
But our current government hates an uppity socialist within our own back yard, so Chavez is demonized by our leaders and the world capitalist media. Just like they convinced everyone there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
I would say Chavez' traits would be:
Charismatic - the guy is full of charm.
Financial - he could be, the Venezuelan economy has had 19 consecutive quarters of growth, and most of it not in the oil sector.
Creative - he has created more schools, libraries and universities than any other previous president. He has eliminated illiteracy, provides free university education and scholarships to foreign universities, free health care. He has promoted Venezuelan music, movies.
Protective - He has greatly expanded the army reserve/militia, and continues to upgrade obsolete military gear.
Traits that do not fit:
Aggressive - He may have a strong rhetoric, but he has hardly instigated any wars of aggression or invasions.
Favorite civics:
Free Speech - Opposition media regularly insults Chavez, even going as far as calling him a monkey and making racial slurs against him, yet these media outlets have not even faced a fine over such things. You can go to any public place in Venezuela and rail against the government until you are blue in the face, but try walking into the Mall of America with an "Impeach Bush" T-shirt on and see how fast you are thrown out.
Emancipation - This is the one I would probably pick. Chavez has actively sought to address the centuries of exclusion and oppression against Venezuela's black, mixed and indigenous populations by instituting land reforms and returning lost tribal lands to several tribes.
State Property - He is a socialist after all, although France and Norway have much more government ownership of industry than Venezuela.
Environmentalism - Drag fishing has been banned and huge reforestation efforts have been made.