January 24, 2019
That weird silence from Democrats over Venezuela's massive rejection of socialism
By Monica Showalter
All over the world, nations and leaders are throwing expressions of support and praise for Venezuela's leaders and people, who after many years of oppression and missteps, have come together with a courageous plan to non-violently shake off a detested socialist dictatorship that has left their country in ruins. Television pictures from yesterday's demonstration covered the story in spades, showing the magnificent human spectacle to U.S. viewers.
President Trump and Vice President Pence have been right there for them. The Organization of American States and the Inter American Development Bank are loudly supporting them. The European Union is openly encouraging them.
There also are the skunks, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, an official of which dismissed the millions-strong effort to shake off socialism and finally have food to eat, muggers in jail, a full roll of toilet paper and hospitals with sheets, running water and Band Aids as "an attempted coup.'
Then there are the Democrats, who are curiously, weirdly silent.
For sure they're a noisy bunch out on Twitter - opining in spades on the government shutdown, their desire to impeach Trump, Chinese investments in the Congo, and transgender troops in the military. But with the exception of a tiny sliver of them from battleground state Florida, which houses thousands of Cuban and Venezuelan refugees from socialism, they're ... silent.
You know, like they support Putin. Or wouldn't dream of criticizing him and his effort to keep Venezuela socialist. Nope, not a thing from nearly any of them to say.
How about House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel? No mention of Venezuela from him, either, he's all in on the government shutdown and New York City borough affairs. Venezuela does not register.
How about Rep. Ami Bera, the number two man on the House Foreign Affairs Committee? The California Democrat has got lots to say about the government shutdown and Roe V. Wade, and wants Michelle Obama to know he wishes her a happy birthday. For him, too, Venezuela didn't merit a mention.
What about Rep. Brad Sherman, also on the House Foreign Affairs Committee? He's yelling something about his junket cancellation, impeaching Trump, and "restoring democracy" here in the U.S. The obvious one over in Venezuela on his foreign affairs beat didn't register.
Rep. Gregory Meeks? Shutdown, shutdown, shutdown, but at least he seems to be engaged in some foreign affairs as part of his House committee assignment, yapping about Syria and the European Union, with shots at Trump as part of the bargain. Big story of the day was Venezuela, though, and based on his loquacious Twitter feed, he got curiously tongue-tied.
What about Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, another member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee? Not a thing about Venezuela, either. He's tweeting about illegals, his expertise in the Middle East, the shutdown and preschool education. Venezuela didn't merit a mention.
Rep. Karen Bass of the House Foreign Affairs Committee? Are you kidding? The shutdown, transgender troops, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and impeaching Trump. No Venezuelans rejecting socialism need apply.
How about Rep. Ted Deutch, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: On his Twitter feed, he's busy yapping about Citizens United, global warming, ways to grab guns, and high school football. More embarrased silence on Venezuela, all the more notable because he's in south Florida.
A couple of prominent Democrats do get some credit - former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, and Rep. Donna Shalala, both of whom have ties to south Florida where the Miami Cuban and Doral Venezuelan votes are.
That's weak tea.
What we can conclude from this is three things: That the collapse of socialism is an embarrassing topic for Democrats who are trying to sell it here. That supporting Maduro, as is this inclination, automatically puts them in the same camp as Vladimir Putin, the man they claim President Trump is in bed with. And three, it suggests that they'll do anything to oppose and undermine President Trump, even if that means throwing Venezuelans under the bus. No wonder they're too petrified to say anything. Here they could be scarfing up Venezuelan and Latino good will by siding with President Trump against the clown dictatorship in Caracas, and they just can't bring themselves to do it, not even for the Latino vote.
Now let's turn to openly socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is she ignoring it, too? Where is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on this massive popular rejection of socialism in Venezuela? The gabby congresswoman is opining a lot about ... herself on her Twitter feed and the government shutdown. But then there just this one little tweet that just came out: Amazingly, she signaled support for Putin's stance, saying Maduro is the legitimate leader of Venezuela and Trump shouldn't be supporting the crowds calling for change or the leader who was just sworn in under the rules of Venezuela's Chavista constitution. She used the fig leaf of the Vatican's and Mexico's outlier support for Maduro to encourage Maduro to stay in power under the guise of 'dialogue.' She ignored the consensus (that favorite word of liberals) of the rest of Latin America, of Canada, of the multilaterals and the lefties in the European Union to support ... Maduro, the man whose socialism has driven three million Venezuelans out of the country, left the remainders fighting for scraps in dumpsters with machetes, and destroyed all medical care - resulting in the resurgence of long-eradicated infectious diseases. As for her dishonestly idiotic claim to keep on dialoging, well, that dialogue that has been going on for more than 20 years in socialist Venezuela, as every pillar of democracy has been knocked out from under it. Unlike the rest of the Democrats, she's the first to come out as all in for Maduro, and I'm starting to wonder if it's more than ignorance propelling it. Her past claims on 60 Minutes to not envisioning anything like Venezuela in her socialist scheme of things now rings hollow. She's effectively endorsed Putin and Maduro even as the regime collapses.
This is revolting. Some things are even worse than silence. Maybe it's time to ask some questions of the other Democrats then.
That weird silence from Democrats over Venezuela's massive rejection of socialism
By Monica Showalter
All over the world, nations and leaders are throwing expressions of support and praise for Venezuela's leaders and people, who after many years of oppression and missteps, have come together with a courageous plan to non-violently shake off a detested socialist dictatorship that has left their country in ruins. Television pictures from yesterday's demonstration covered the story in spades, showing the magnificent human spectacle to U.S. viewers.
President Trump and Vice President Pence have been right there for them. The Organization of American States and the Inter American Development Bank are loudly supporting them. The European Union is openly encouraging them.
There also are the skunks, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, an official of which dismissed the millions-strong effort to shake off socialism and finally have food to eat, muggers in jail, a full roll of toilet paper and hospitals with sheets, running water and Band Aids as "an attempted coup.'
Then there are the Democrats, who are curiously, weirdly silent.
For sure they're a noisy bunch out on Twitter - opining in spades on the government shutdown, their desire to impeach Trump, Chinese investments in the Congo, and transgender troops in the military. But with the exception of a tiny sliver of them from battleground state Florida, which houses thousands of Cuban and Venezuelan refugees from socialism, they're ... silent.
You know, like they support Putin. Or wouldn't dream of criticizing him and his effort to keep Venezuela socialist. Nope, not a thing from nearly any of them to say.
How about House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel? No mention of Venezuela from him, either, he's all in on the government shutdown and New York City borough affairs. Venezuela does not register.
How about Rep. Ami Bera, the number two man on the House Foreign Affairs Committee? The California Democrat has got lots to say about the government shutdown and Roe V. Wade, and wants Michelle Obama to know he wishes her a happy birthday. For him, too, Venezuela didn't merit a mention.
What about Rep. Brad Sherman, also on the House Foreign Affairs Committee? He's yelling something about his junket cancellation, impeaching Trump, and "restoring democracy" here in the U.S. The obvious one over in Venezuela on his foreign affairs beat didn't register.
Rep. Gregory Meeks? Shutdown, shutdown, shutdown, but at least he seems to be engaged in some foreign affairs as part of his House committee assignment, yapping about Syria and the European Union, with shots at Trump as part of the bargain. Big story of the day was Venezuela, though, and based on his loquacious Twitter feed, he got curiously tongue-tied.
What about Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, another member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee? Not a thing about Venezuela, either. He's tweeting about illegals, his expertise in the Middle East, the shutdown and preschool education. Venezuela didn't merit a mention.
Rep. Karen Bass of the House Foreign Affairs Committee? Are you kidding? The shutdown, transgender troops, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and impeaching Trump. No Venezuelans rejecting socialism need apply.
How about Rep. Ted Deutch, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: On his Twitter feed, he's busy yapping about Citizens United, global warming, ways to grab guns, and high school football. More embarrased silence on Venezuela, all the more notable because he's in south Florida.
A couple of prominent Democrats do get some credit - former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, and Rep. Donna Shalala, both of whom have ties to south Florida where the Miami Cuban and Doral Venezuelan votes are.
That's weak tea.
What we can conclude from this is three things: That the collapse of socialism is an embarrassing topic for Democrats who are trying to sell it here. That supporting Maduro, as is this inclination, automatically puts them in the same camp as Vladimir Putin, the man they claim President Trump is in bed with. And three, it suggests that they'll do anything to oppose and undermine President Trump, even if that means throwing Venezuelans under the bus. No wonder they're too petrified to say anything. Here they could be scarfing up Venezuelan and Latino good will by siding with President Trump against the clown dictatorship in Caracas, and they just can't bring themselves to do it, not even for the Latino vote.
Now let's turn to openly socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is she ignoring it, too? Where is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on this massive popular rejection of socialism in Venezuela? The gabby congresswoman is opining a lot about ... herself on her Twitter feed and the government shutdown. But then there just this one little tweet that just came out: Amazingly, she signaled support for Putin's stance, saying Maduro is the legitimate leader of Venezuela and Trump shouldn't be supporting the crowds calling for change or the leader who was just sworn in under the rules of Venezuela's Chavista constitution. She used the fig leaf of the Vatican's and Mexico's outlier support for Maduro to encourage Maduro to stay in power under the guise of 'dialogue.' She ignored the consensus (that favorite word of liberals) of the rest of Latin America, of Canada, of the multilaterals and the lefties in the European Union to support ... Maduro, the man whose socialism has driven three million Venezuelans out of the country, left the remainders fighting for scraps in dumpsters with machetes, and destroyed all medical care - resulting in the resurgence of long-eradicated infectious diseases. As for her dishonestly idiotic claim to keep on dialoging, well, that dialogue that has been going on for more than 20 years in socialist Venezuela, as every pillar of democracy has been knocked out from under it. Unlike the rest of the Democrats, she's the first to come out as all in for Maduro, and I'm starting to wonder if it's more than ignorance propelling it. Her past claims on 60 Minutes to not envisioning anything like Venezuela in her socialist scheme of things now rings hollow. She's effectively endorsed Putin and Maduro even as the regime collapses.
This is revolting. Some things are even worse than silence. Maybe it's time to ask some questions of the other Democrats then.
