The Nation has the article How the Right Is Using Venezuela to Reorder Politics.

The social-democratic wing of the Democratic Party must find a way to put forth a compelling counter-vision.

The article covers many important aspects of the situation in Venezuela. However, here is one excerpt I want to mention.

And the left Democrats want to keep the political debate focused on domestic politics: saner taxes, Medicare for All, and a Green New Deal are, in the context of the horridness of US domestic politics, a lot to take on.

Recognition of this desire of the left Democrats is exactly why Trump is trying to turn the focus to foreign affairs. The left Democrats have to be ready for evasive action by Trump to turn the political situation his way. If you ignore what he is doing to go around you, then he will succeed in out flanking you.

Another excerpt that struck me is the following:

“They want to make us into Venezuela,” he [Trump] said recently. As social rights—to health care, to education, to a decent life—gain in popularity, the right has perfected the “but Venezuela” response. In doing so, it conveys a whole, fairly coherent worldview. Ocasio-Cortez, say Republicans, is “hellbent” on turning Americans into “Venezuelan socialists”

Actually the fight is to turn back control to the oligarchs in Venezuela which is exactly what is going on in the USA with our oligarchs. Our oligarchs and the Venezuelan oligarchs want all wealth to flow to them. They want to keep the already down-trodden in their state of debt bondage, so that the oligarchs can have the run of the place.

January 29, 2019

It pays to follow links when they are offered.

Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar provided the strongest statement: “We cannot hand pick leaders for other countries on behalf of multinational corporate interests,” she said. “If we really want to support the Venezuelan people, we can lift the economic sanctions that are inflicting suffering on innocent families, making it harder for them to access food and medicines, and deepening the economic crisis.” Those sanctions had considerable Democratic Party support.

Here is the referenced statement.

If we really want to support the Venezuelan people, we can lift the economic sanctions that are inflicting suffering on innocent families, making it harder for them to access food and medicines, and deepening the economic crisis. We should support dialogue, not a coup!

However, the comments tend to completely negate this statement. We don’t know who the commenters are, nor do we know what axe they have to grind. However, it does seem a little disingenuous to refer to his comment as “the strongest statement” without acknowledging that there is vehement dissent to that comment.

January 29, 2019

Here is a video recommended to me. It clarifies and confuses. Catastrophic Consequences What’s Really Happening in Venezuela.