The Guaido coup is clearly not going anywhere, or at least not anywhere it was intended to go. Suffice it to say that, the Venezuelan masses are not flocking to the American glove puppet's golden words. If anything, the hamfisted and blatant coup attempt has probably been the best PR that the Maduro government could ask for inside Venezuela, not to mention it has given him an obvious scapegoat.
The problem is that, even if Biden were to drop the sorry kabuki and admit the obvious:
1. We've already invested so much in the twerp and demanded that our vassals and satraps do the same that Muh American Credibility demands that we keep doubling down;
2. Team R would seize the opportunity to accuse Biden of selling out Democracy In Venezuela(tm). Guaido would be duly and ceremonially likened to Winston Churchill and Biden would be accused of "appeasement", with the invasion of South Texas a consequence as sure to follow, just as day follows night, or something equally asinine.
Meanwhile, keeping up the charade costs Biden little or nothing in terms of domestic politics.
It’s hard to imagine why a Venezuelan politician-cum-American CIA asset would take a U-turn in local popular support where even his one-time allies are abandoning him. /s
I mean, how far must one’s head be up one’s own backside to not see that outcome coming?
What blows my mind is that we demand that our various satraps, vassals and flunkies go along with this sad pageantry.
What *really* blows my.mind is that, even though they know the score, but still, great and small, they all duly comply, even though they too have to know what a farce it all is.
"There is something deeply wrong with our foreign policy when the hardline and wildly unrepresentative views of a relatively small number of voters in one state can effectively dictate our policy towards a country of more than 30 million people.'
Much as I like you, Dan, that is a pretty substance-free statement. If "something" is deeply wrong, what is that "something"? The simple fact is, the great majority of Americans don't give a damn about foreign policy, so the few that do can exercise a massive influence. President Obama's decision to call all out for "socialism", aka comprehensive health insurance, meaning that middle-class whites and Hispanics would subsidize the health insurance for poor blacks, enraged much of the white working and middle class, and Bernie Sanders and AOC and her pals helped pour gasoline on the flames. Obama's unique appeal to black voters, and Romney's non-appeal to the non-rich, helped conceal the damage. Joe Biden is not an attractive candidate. He has already very largely ceded control of Middle Eastern policy to the old AIPAC hands, and there's no reason to expect him to be "brave" in the Caribbean. Obama was brave in reopening relations with Cuba. How many votes did that gain him? Ten? And how many did he lose? Ten thousand? You do the math.
The Guaido coup is clearly not going anywhere, or at least not anywhere it was intended to go. Suffice it to say that, the Venezuelan masses are not flocking to the American glove puppet's golden words. If anything, the hamfisted and blatant coup attempt has probably been the best PR that the Maduro government could ask for inside Venezuela, not to mention it has given him an obvious scapegoat.
The problem is that, even if Biden were to drop the sorry kabuki and admit the obvious:
1. We've already invested so much in the twerp and demanded that our vassals and satraps do the same that Muh American Credibility demands that we keep doubling down;
2. Team R would seize the opportunity to accuse Biden of selling out Democracy In Venezuela(tm). Guaido would be duly and ceremonially likened to Winston Churchill and Biden would be accused of "appeasement", with the invasion of South Texas a consequence as sure to follow, just as day follows night, or something equally asinine.
Meanwhile, keeping up the charade costs Biden little or nothing in terms of domestic politics.
It’s hard to imagine why a Venezuelan politician-cum-American CIA asset would take a U-turn in local popular support where even his one-time allies are abandoning him. /s
I mean, how far must one’s head be up one’s own backside to not see that outcome coming?
"Miami, here I come!"
What blows my mind is that we demand that our various satraps, vassals and flunkies go along with this sad pageantry.
What *really* blows my.mind is that, even though they know the score, but still, great and small, they all duly comply, even though they too have to know what a farce it all is.
"There is something deeply wrong with our foreign policy when the hardline and wildly unrepresentative views of a relatively small number of voters in one state can effectively dictate our policy towards a country of more than 30 million people.'
Much as I like you, Dan, that is a pretty substance-free statement. If "something" is deeply wrong, what is that "something"? The simple fact is, the great majority of Americans don't give a damn about foreign policy, so the few that do can exercise a massive influence. President Obama's decision to call all out for "socialism", aka comprehensive health insurance, meaning that middle-class whites and Hispanics would subsidize the health insurance for poor blacks, enraged much of the white working and middle class, and Bernie Sanders and AOC and her pals helped pour gasoline on the flames. Obama's unique appeal to black voters, and Romney's non-appeal to the non-rich, helped conceal the damage. Joe Biden is not an attractive candidate. He has already very largely ceded control of Middle Eastern policy to the old AIPAC hands, and there's no reason to expect him to be "brave" in the Caribbean. Obama was brave in reopening relations with Cuba. How many votes did that gain him? Ten? And how many did he lose? Ten thousand? You do the math.