What about prior to 1999? The people running Venezuela had many decades and centuries to create a "robust economy" in Venezuela. I wasn't seeing constant US headlines about how Venezuelan leaders were mismanaging the economy in those times.
Venezuela is being hurt by the same thing hurting every oil producing state - low oil prices.

Those in Venezuela who wanted to create a "robust economy" had decades to do so. As soon as power falls from their hands, everything becomes a crisis, they suddenly notice Venezuela lacks a "robust economy".

So it's okay for the economy to be mismanaged now, because it was mismanaged before 1999, as long as the people doing the mismanagement are different? We shouldn't criticize the current leadership and wish for something new because the previous one was also bad?

The people running Venezuela now have had over a decade in power with the highest oil windfall in its history, you'd expect things to be better or at least the same as before 1999, not far far worse, as they are now.

The PSUV has been continually reelected since 1999, they must be doing something right, the people of Venezuela keep putting them into power.

They must be doing something right to keep getting elected, which is not the same as doing something right to improve social conditions and the lives of Venezuelans for today and in the future.

Remembering the New York Times editorial page celebrating the coup d'etat against Chavez's elected government, by the head of the Venezuelan business council, who, surrounded by the heads of the military, abolished the parliament, I'm slightly skeptical of the concern of the owners of US media outlets for the economic well-being of the average Venezuelan.

The fact that US media outlets are not concerned about the well-being of the average Venezuelan does not mean that the rampant crime, sky-high murder rate, shortages, inflation, lack of disaster prevention in poor areas prone to flooding, government-promoted homophobia, government control of the media, gross environmental mismanagement, use of state funds to promote the ruling party, pervasive corruption, lack of medicines and medical supplies, etc. don't exist.