UN Security Council Meeting- The Situation in Venezuela • January 26, 2019

Betrayals by Democrats and fake socialists

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e inspected the blogosphere looking for answers to this important question, and found few encouraging signs. Of all the media covering the Democrats and "progressive" field, only In These Times (ITT) came up with a noteworthy report, in fact one of the best. They took the subject on forthrightly and covered it with journalistic integrity. Below some excerpts from the piece filed by MARCO CARTOLANO.

Where Are Democratic 2020 Hopefuls on the Trump-Backed Coup Attempt in Venezuela?

Harris and Booker: not a peep.

Of the major Democrats or progressives who have declared–or are expected to–only Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders have made statements. We will update the story if others speak out.

Update: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), widely expected to seek the Democratic nomination, released the following statement Thursday:

The Maduro government in Venezuela has been waging a violent crackdown on Venezuelan civil society, violated the constitution by dissolving the National Assembly and was re-elected last year in an election that many observers said was fraudulent. Further, the economy is a disaster and millions are migrating.

The United States should support the rule of law, fair elections and self-determination for the Venezuelan people. We must condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent. However, we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups – as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. The United States has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American countries; we must not go down that road again.

Update: Presidential candidate and congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, declared Thursday on Twitter, “The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don't want other countries to choose our leaders–so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”

The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don't want other countries to choose our leaders--so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.

— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) January 24, 2019

Earlier: Every major Democrat or progressive who has declared—or is expected to declare—his or her candidacy for U.S. president has been silent in the wake of Wednesday’s announcement that President Donald Trump will recognize Venezuela’s National Assembly president Juan Guaidó as the interim president.

In These Times requested comment from Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.)—but received no response. An email sent to Beto O’Rourke, a former Representative of Texas, bounced. Not a single top 2020 presidential hopeful on the Democrat side has released a statement—or even tweeted—about the development.

Warren: Keeping mum.

Trump called Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government “illegitimate” two weeks after Maduro’s inauguration for a second term. The declaration came after Guaidó swore himself in as president with the support of several right-wing governments in Latin America. The Lima Group, a coalition of mostly conservative-led Latin American countries, along with Canada, released a statement on January 4 denying the legitimacy of Venezuela’s May 2018 presidential election while recognizing the National Assembly as “a democratically elected constitutional body.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has participated in meetings with representatives of the Lima Group through video conference at least since last May. The developments, which are moving rapidly, are being denounced by some as a coup attempt.

Brazil, one of the group’s member nations, has ramped up its opposition to Maduro after far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was inaugurated at the start of January. Bolsonaro met with exiled Venezuelan opposition leaders and threatened Maduro that he would do “everything for democracy to be re-established.”  (Read on here)