Venezuela: the fat lady hasn’t sung
Remember the election in Venezuela? Well, it’s not over yet:
The self-declared winner, Nicolé¡s Maduro, is behaving very much like a man who knows he lost on April 14. In resorting to violence and brute force to silence the opposition’s demand for an honest recount, Maduro has signed the death warrant for chavismo’s legitimacy.
Numerous videos of soldiers and other chavista thugs chasing, beating, and shooting unarmed protesters have circulated around the world since last month’s election. Last night, video from Venezuela’s national assembly showed opposition members being beaten as they protested a gag rule imposed by assembly president Diosdado Cabello.
Maduro may be widely thought to be illegitimate, but he may still be able to hold onto power if his thugs succeed in intimidating both the opposition and the voters.
The hand of Cuba can be seen:
It is remarkable to see assembly president Cabello leading the charge against the opposition ”” in other words, doing the dirty work for Maduro and Havana. Cabello was thought to have the confidence of many in the military who chafed at the heavy hand of Cubans who are desperate to micromanage the post-Ché¡vez succession to ensure the flow of aid and oil to the bankrupt Castro regime. By following Havana’s instructions, Cabello is leading Venezuela’s military into a moral ambush ”” putting soldiers in a position of having to murder peaceful protestors in the service of a foreign regime and a corrupt, illegitimate despot.
Oil again—the kingdom of earth.
Obama’s friends.
Neo, thanks for covering Venezuela. A LOT has happened this week in Venezuela. The article you quoted from came from The American Enterprise Institute. The beat-down in the National Assembly- one female Assembly member went to the hospital to treat cheekbone fractures- is a turning point. Think of the caning of Senator Sumner in 1856. That was a good indication that there was no reconciliation possible between North and South, short of an armed conflict. Regarding how Venezuela will turn out, I have not idea. But it is a turning point. Or as Dubya would say, a decision point.
It is possible that Diosdado Cabello [translation: Godgiven Hair. Really. And Mr. Cabello is bald.] stood by during the beat-down -or planned the beat-down- at the behest of Maduro and the Cubans. Others beg to differ.
Godgiven was an army officer who was involved in Thugo Chavez’s 1992 coup. Godgiven and Thugo go back a long way, to the military academy. Godgiven is a corrupt thug who wants to be President. Godgiven also realizes that if this government is turned out of power, by electoral or other means, he is headed for jail. He is thus in this to the end. Godgiven has until recently bided his time, supporting Maduro. I and others see the beat-down as Godgiven’s Declaration of Independence. He is now out to grab power for himself. Not that all the power for Godgiven was never Godgiven’s goal, but previously he saw it was more expedient to play the good team member.
Maduro cannot make a decision without consulting his handlers in Havana. He trained in Cuba before Chavez was elected. Maduro recently made a trip to Havana to consult with his handlers- perhaps to get new instructions, because the previous instructions hadn’t been working. Things are going downhill fast for Maduro.
The beat-down is Godgiven’s throwing down the gauntlet to Maduro and his Cuban handlers: “I can handle these oppo wusses. In the 3 weeks since the election, you have shown that you cannot handle them. Since you cannot handle them, you should get out of the way and let someone who CAN handle the oppo wusses take charge. That would be me, Godgiven himself.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sumner
More news from Venezuela, this time from Venezuela News and Views.The Maduro “election” is officially challenged (impugnada), and so is the electoral system.
Read it all. It will become very interesting in Venezuela. During the October campain against Thugo, Capriles’s tone was one of reconciliation. He did not personally attack Chavez. In the campaign against Maduro [Mature], Capriles turned into an attack dog. Will all this end up with Capriles as 1) President, 2) prisoner, 3) dead man, or 4) an exile? Time will tell.
Interesting. Once again leftists act like thugs.
Steve: Obama’s friends.
The Government of Venezuela has recently turned rather hostile towards US citizens. From Caracas Chronicles: Tim Tracy and the April connection recounts the story of an American documentary maker who came to Venezuela to do, of all things, a documentary, and who got jailed for being an “counter-intelligence” agent. A counter-intelligence agent who used Frequent Flier Miles to obtain his air ticket to Venezuela. After all, isn’t that how counter-intelligence agents travel- by Frequent Flier Miles?
One of the blog owners goes on to say Tracy had contacted him to meet him to do an interview, but the interview fell through when Tracy was being hassled by Venezuelan police during the time when they were supposed to meet for the interview. As the blog owner now lives in Chile, and was back in Venezuela for a short time, there wasn’t another opportunity to reschedule an interview.
Tracy had interviewed both Chavista and oppo supporters- which the government spun as a plot against the government. Sound familiar?
For another example of the recent hostile treatment of US citizens, consider this comment in the post:
These hostile treatments of Americans sounds to me like the work of the Cubans.
” Don Says:
May 3rd, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Interesting. Once again leftists act like thugs.”
What they do is what they are. No tolerance.
As further example that Maduro is losing it, even among Chavistas, consider this recent post from The Devil’s Excrement:
Maduro Blasted By Chavistas In Los Teques.
For the video, go to the link. If Maduro is losing it, whether he keeps control -or Godgiven Hair, a.k.a. Diosdado Cabello- takes over, things will get rougher, as both lack the charisma and political skills of their mentor Chavez.
Where’s Jimmy Carter when you need him? A nice, uplifting speech articulating their national malaise is just what the Venezuelans need right now.
The Left is evil. Those who think they have seen its full extent in the US will be surprised by the true nature of the Left.