Vice President Mike Pence is in Bogota, Columbia. Why? Because if you paid even a smidgen of attention to the chaos and bloodshed that transpired in Venezuela last weekend, you saw the violence that is always, always the end result of the inevitable failure that is Socialism. A stark reminder:
In response, Pence sat for an in-depth interview on Venezuela with Fox’s Trish Regan last evening. In summary:
1. The Trump administration fully supports interim president Juan Guaidó. Guaidó defied an order by Maduro not to leave the country in order to meet with Pence and members of the LIMA group to formulate plans going forward. Pence expressed confidence that Mr. Guaidó will continue to push for a peaceful transition to his leadership and, eventually, legitimate elections in an effort to foster freedom in the once-thriving country.
2. Sanctions, sanctions, and more sanctions: Maduro “must go.” How, you might ask? Well, more sanctions on oil companies, and encouraging more nations to recognize Mr. Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president, while calling on nations supporting Maduro to rethink their positions (that’d be you, China, Russia, and Cuba). Pence also called on nations like Mexico to stand with “constitutionally-recognized” President Guaidó. He also urged:
“To the people of Venezuela: the American people stand with you, if you will stand for freedom.”
Translation: It’s clear that Pence is encouraging more Venezuelans to rise up against Maduro, who’s shown himself more than willing to turn his firepower against his own, unarmed people. (Note: Socialists like gun control; sound familiar?)
3. Why should Americans be concerned with the situation in Venezuela? Simple, asserted Pence: the threat of “narcoterrorism” spreading into the United States. What Pence didn’t mention: the spread of infectious diseases going untreated in a country where the promised “free” healthcare is virtually nonexistent. Again: Sound familiar?
4. People are starving and causing mass migration out of Venezuela. Pence promised that the Trump Administration will continue pressing to get crucial aid into the country, as well as continued economic pressure. Then, just as Pence was warning that any violence against Americans, interim president Guaidó, and innocent Venezuelans “will not be tolerated,” this news broke:
just talked to my dad. He is safe. He told me that 15 mins into his interview, Maduro stopped him & then forced him & his team into a dark room for 2.5 hours. He was then released without any of his belongings. https://t.co/VoHuESZUK1
— Paola Ramos (@paoramos) February 26, 2019
This is the video that upset the dictator @NicolasMaduro.@jorgeramosnews recorded it on his cell phone in the streets of Caracas. When he played it for Maduro during the interview the dictator got angry & detained him & his crew in a dark room for over 2 hours. https://t.co/SwM6AKCeX2
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 26, 2019
Yes, those are Venezuelan citizens rummaging through a garbage truck in search of food.
(The journalist mentioned was Univision’s Jorge Ramos, an American citizen, and his crew. Nothing to see here; move along; it was all just an orchestrated ruse by the evil, American State Department, according to a Maduro yes-man. Wink wink, nod nod.)
When asked to explain what the consequences would be, Pence wouldn’t elaborate, but…
5. Everything is on the table.
President Trump “has made it clear that while we hope for a peaceful transition, we hope that the diplomatic and economic pressure and the voice of nations around the world will result in a peaceful transition. All options are on the table.”
All options. Does that include military intervention on behalf of the United States? It certainly sounds like it. That said, President Trump and his cabinet have displayed an unusual knack for diplomacy. They’re in Vietnam this week for a second meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, a man who is arguably the Maduro of East Asia. So while Trump won’t take military intervention off the table—why should he? That strategy has proved to do little other than embolden the world’s tyrants—the more likely scenario is that Maduro will be so isolated that his usurped position as “president” will fall on its own. Dozens of his national guard members—along with Cuban-inspired street thugs; these are the goons responsible for the violence thus far—have already defected to Guaidó’s side. Hopefully, it’s just a matter of time before the bulk of Maduro’s military does the same.
Only time will tell if those on the side of freedom can root Maduro from power without a show of force —either overtly or otherwise. He still enjoys the loyalty of the majority of his military, and maintains the backing of the world’s most oppressive countries, including the increasingly-belligerent Vladimir Putin and, of course, the usual suspects in communist Cuba. So whatever’s going to happen will most likely happen sooner rather than later as the walls continue to close in on Maduro. The Venezuelan people have suffered for years, and they deserve both a better life, and the removal of the Socialist shackles that have bound them in misery for far too long.
Meanwhile, though the Democrat Party and its sycophants in academia, entertainment, and the majority of the mainstream media—one of whom gave the murderous Maduro an unchallenged microphone Monday night—continue to deny it…
Please watch this to the end, CNN very quickly cut of this young man when he started warning Liberals not to this…a Venezuela man…
Daniel Di Martino discusses how socialist policies hurt Venezuela https://t.co/DOKuv8svlG via @YouTube— Candace C. Bradford (@candeebird) February 25, 2019
…Americans are getting an extra-large gulp of exactly what Socialism is these past several days, and exactly how much it costs in human lives. Next year, we should stand and shout “No!” to those who would impose it on us here at home, lest we discover Socialism’s inevitable brutality the hard way.
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bob sykes says: Guaido’s claim of the Interim Presidency had a 30 day time limit, which has expired. He was supposed to hold a special election to name the next President, but he couldn’t and didn’t. His role in this drama is over.
The US has also failed to foment a military coup d’etat against Maduro. This is hardly surprising. All the high ranking military are Chavez-Maduro loyalists and true believers. They are also involved in the various Chavez-Maduro crimes, and face at least imprisonment if Madura falls. They will fight.
That leaves the US with the options of a land, sea and air blockade to starve the Venezuelans into submission or an invasion.
Also, Pompeo announced last week that both Nicaragua and Cuba are slated for regime removal. Nicaragua is probably doable as there is a substantial and active opposition to Ortega. Cuba isn’t. Part of the agreement ending the Cuban Missile Crisis was a promise by the US not to invade Cuba.
And then there is Iran. The Washington Times reports (obviously falsely) that Iran and Al-Qaeda are now allies, and that Congressional legislation authorizing the GWOT against Al-Qaeda also authorizes a military attack on Iran.
Doug Loss says: I don’t think you have much of an understanding of things. Guaidó’s role is far from over. Rather, he is the rallying point for the Venezolano opposition. As for the high-ranking military supporting Maduro, well duh. All high-ranking military in every country are politicians first, soldiers a distant second. The real question is the loyalty of the trigger-pullers, the colonels, majors, and on down. We’re already seeing the first trickles of the actual soldiers coming over to Guaidó. If history is any indication (and it usually is), this will gradually increase till it hits a tipping point, when whole units will likely declare for Guaidó and freedom.
As for the rest of your opinion, that’s all it is, really. We’ll see what happens in realith.
GWB says: We’re already seeing the first trickles of the actual soldiers coming over to Guaidó.
I would disagree. What we’re seeing at this point is them running away. It depletes the pro-Maduro forces, but it doesn’t – yet – add much for Guaido. At some point, there will be enough who have left to see an ability to re-form around Guaido – if they take it, then the political shift will happen.
AOC, Sanders and the rest of the Dems/Progs don’t care. This will never happen here. It can’t happen to them. They are much smarter than the rest of us, mere mortals. The elected elite will prosper, the population will suffer and provide untold wealth to the elected idiots and their fellow travelers.
Jim Smith says: Iran and Al-Qaeda have always been allies. There have been numerous reports during the time after 9/11 that most of Bin Laden’s inner circle and Saudi AQ’ers had most of their wives in QOM “the holy city of QOM”.
You are now well educated on this matter in the least.
askeptic says: Will CNN be on-hand in Havana to transmit to the world Maduro’s deplaning with his Cuban “praetorian guard” upon fleeing Venezuela?
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