I'm not exactly a Chavez fan, but anybody that seriously believes he is a "dictator" (and isn't just trolling) moves up a great deal on my idiot scale. Is it the American media?
Ironically, those are often the same who praise Pinochet. Democracy matters a great deal to them, indeed.
Not really often, outside of a few internet sites. I'd say the majority of Americans who know about both rightly consider both to be horrible authoritarian scumbags. There's more Chavez love on the left than there is Pinochet love on the right, even in America.