Monday, May 06, 2013

The brave new opposition leadership

On Sunday night it was mandatory for all who could watch it, the interview of Maria Corina Machado on Globovision, with Nitu Perez. Globovision knows when it has a hit, as it has already the 4 segments posted.

But what Maria Corina made me think of, beyond her obvious physical pain, her courage, and confirming the admiration I have for her since the 2012 primaries, is that she is just one more. Sure, right now after surgery and a swollen face she is number 1.  But she is not the lone hero (1)


Since Chavez left the front scene it seems that our guys have found a new energy.

Capriles became a transformed candidate and when asked a few days ago if he was afraid of the regime he simply retorted with a smile "I am not afraid of those ones". He meant it, we could sense it.

Borges was on TV tonight. He did not get any facial fractures as MCM received but he got badly bruised and watching him hurt me. Far from scared he went one further.  He called Maduro a liar and said that if the regime would release all the UNEDITED VIDEOS of April 30 at the Assembly and prove that Borges was the aggressor then he would resign. And he expected the reciprocal attitude form the regime if they could not prove it, to resign in turn. Yes, you read it clear and loud: he accused Maduro and Cabello and the others to be liars and to sue him if they dared, which is what they should do if we were in a democracy.

Or we can discuss r-General Rivero who immediately upon his illegal arrest went on hunger strike and has now 8 days.

And more, from Leopoldo Lopez and Henri Falcon threatened alongside their families, or Ismael Garcia defending all of them and exposing himself to sanctions, or Ledezma going to Miami to seek support knowing full well he risks arrest at the airport on his return.

It would be too easy to dismiss their renewed courage on Chavez exit: they all opposed him before and some paid for it then.  Chavez may have surrendered Venezuela to Cuba but at least it was understood by all that he hoped to be leader of both countries. And he knew where to stop, and would have never allowed things to get out of hand like they did April 30. Never mind that Chavez knew how to insult, even if was at the barrack level: Chavez would have never been as ridiculous as Maduro was today, for example, attacking Uribe because this one s going to the Inter American Court to counter Maduro threats.

No, it is not because Chavez is gone. The admirable courage that the opposition leadership is showing today is coming from them seeing the beast in front. We always knew that the Chavez underlings were bad news. Some, like yours truly, are on record that it did not matter who Chavez chose, they were all equally bad. The thing is that they not only are amazingly worse than what we already feared, but they so clearly follow Havana's rule book that it is pathetic. They cannot even be original fascists!

And that my friends is what gives them courage and should give us courage to support our leaders.

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1) Ismael Garcia said on TV tonight that Maria Corina aggressor, a female chavista representative who made a big show to accuse MCM of being the aggressor while wearing a night collar brace (you know, the soft variety so you can sleep), was caught spending time at a mall today without even her feet hurting. Ismael also added that the doctors at the police expertise told her in confidence that the woman had nothing. Thus are fascists, always the victims even if the other guys are the dead ones.

32 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:56 AM

    Very nice.

    I'm wondering if Venezuelan opposition should adopt "stop the Cuban imperialism" line. Clearly the Cuban influence is a sore point, where it could score many points with the electorate, perhaps even the military ...

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    1. My family agrees! Also, a stop Eva Golinger line, especially after she has tried to nail Tim Tracey as a covert operative of Washington. Whether true or false, she evidently did this with malice aforethought as apart of her reaction to the Opposition's efforts to get 100% of the votes counted, machines and software audited, and the evidence of illegal fraudulent vote fabrication and suppression, and intimidation out! Eva clearly intended harm, did it in print, video, audio and constructively that is all the evidence needed to nail her on violation of The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 Public Law 97–200, 50 U.S.C. §§ 421–426. As a legal genius, she must know how to read it!

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    2. And FYI the screenshots, video recordings, article downloads from her blogs, interviews, and the statements sworn on the Assembly's Gazette quoting your words are already archived, Eva, so don't bother to buff anything up. Just plan to stay out of the US a very long time, hopefully--forever!

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    3. Milonga7:40 PM

      Did not know Golinger was responsible for nailing Tim "Scapegoat" Tracey, but should have imagined. Please DO nail her with all of that, the bitch - sorry for the lousy language - I give you permission to erase that, Dano.

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  2. Anonymous10:04 AM

    A brave politician, not unduly afraid of our Cuban handlers. As she says on the interview, Cubans have been trying for decades to dominate us by various means. It is only now that most of us have finally become aware of the danger. Thank you for the link: I enjoyed watching it.
    Antonio

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    1. Anonymous3:57 PM

      I am Cuban, but the 'Cubans' involved in your country belong to a nefarious-corrupt entity that has murdered and killed innocents to advance their power and control over their own people and that has been the scourge of all the Americas for more than half a century, and they should be identified, properly labeled, and accused accordingly....you should call them members of the "CASTRO MAFIA" (which until otherwise things change in Cuba, it is also the Cuban Government).....

      ....so, please, for the sake of clarity and purpose, all references to any Cubans associated with any Cuban governmental/commercial activities in Venezuela, should be properly referred to as the "CASTRO MAFIA".

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    2. Your request would look more serious if you had bothered to get a handle, any handle, instead of remaining Anonymous.

      Also, they may be castro mafia but they also hold the cuban passport and they do not defect in droves. your argument is the other side of the coin of maduro when he says that if i do not vote for him i am a vende patria. i am not going to play that game. i will write castroist or cuban depending of the context.

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  3. "Release the videotapes and the records of the election! What have you got to hide?"

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  4. Yes, there certainly are braves ones out there,and great that you mention them, but let us not forget who Chavez was: the jerk and evil one who started all of this.

    I see too many people with short memories who are now seeing Chavez in a much more favorable light, than should be accorded him.Short memories make for mistakes in vision.

    firepigette

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    1. Ronaldo3:38 PM

      Chavez is losing his immunity from public criticism over time but the quicker the better. History should not be written by the Chavistas who have given Chavez sainthood. Blame should be directed at Chavez for today's problems and not at imperialist foreigners. So much information has been kept secret for the last 14 years such as government salaries and finances. If these are ever brought to light Chavismo will become Stinkmo. Records will surface. Facist countries tend to keep detailed records so the leaders are not cheated.

      It will be only a matter of time before Chavez casket is taken from the "glorious militar museum" and placed underground with a simple marker. Check his pockets for gold bullion first.

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  5. Anonymous2:40 PM

    It's just a matter of contrast, against the recent performance of Maduro et al, Chavez does look like a good deal. I agree with Daniel. Chavez would have at least put Cabello in his place - or perhaps even humiliating him in a Cadena - after last week's National Assembly attack. I think we saw a human side of Chavez from time to time; that is not the case with the Maduro Cabello twins. It seems Maduro has been repressing an inner Cabello-like child unitl now.

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    1. yes anonymous 8:10 ...contrasting certain things i could also agree, but then we create the ensuing effect of making Chavez look good,and forgetting how he was responsible for ALL of this, which should never be if we want to maintain a correct vision.

      If i contrast the manipulative power Maduro has with that of Chavez, Maduro falls into the category of those not able to do as as much damage which maybe an incorrect viewpoint.
      Too much contrast and comparison creates a dazzling camouflage for a clearer perception of reality.

      firepigette




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    2. You are both wrong, Chavez did not have a human face in the way you mean. Chavez was a skilfull politiciana and he would have understood the mistake made by Cabello. He would have cared little for MCM surgery though he would have been cynical enough to offer to pay for it.....

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    3. Milonga2:55 AM

      http://www.elobservador.com.uy/noticia/249973/oposicion-no-quiso-almorzar-con-maduro/ The president of Foreign Relations in the Uruguayan parliament, Senator Ope Pasquet, was invited to the state lunch with Maduro. His reply: I'm not going to serve as a decorative piece for Mr. Maduro to obtain the international legitimacy he's coming to search for in Uruguay. Humbly, I will not add to this mistake". Good for him!! And Maduro has opened a Pandora box he did not expect. And it's like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger!

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    4. Knowing chavistas maduro will wait for thanks from the frentistas, for helping them get rid of the foul opposition presence.

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  6. I think that you may have mentioned this a few years back, but I am struck by the cynical choice of placing lots of women in nearly all of the Government institutions. Thus the Chief Justice, all of the pro govt Electoral Board members (4), the Comptroller General (useless), the Attorney General and (my favorite) the People's Advocate are all women. This egalitarian "face" is seriously creepy. I mean Iris Varela from Penitentiary Matters is a no brainer. She is can't open her mouth without insulting some one. But the others are like Stepford Wives of the regime, pleasantly repeating the mantra that "Venezuela has the most perfect human rights system and record of any nation on earth." So when Capriles says that Tibisay is a liar and that Lucena is a lackey Maduro has the chutzpa to say that "he hates women." This can't be accidental. Meanwhile Afiuni is still under arrest for doing her job and Machado is accused of staging her own beating.

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    1. Gabriel Cisneros,

      Interesting.

      I think MCM stands out as particularly powerful in the light of such cynical machismo,which is why I trust her more than anyone else( her inner power).That makes her less likely to strike out stupidly, but only when really necessary.

      Having said this, I absolutely admire all of the brave oppos ( men and women)both leaders and followers.It takes followers to create leaders and vice versa.In the end sometimes it is hard to tell the difference in some cases.

      firepigette

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    2. I am also eerily reminded of this quote:

      "A long time ago, she remembered her father saying that when the cold wind blows the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. He had it all backwards. Arya, the lone wolf, still lived, but the wolves of the pack had been taken and slain and skinned."

      - Arya Stark

      firepigette

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    3. Gabriel, look for "cachifas de chavez". ;-)

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    4. uuuuy, Daniel!! :-)

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    5. Syd, do not make fun, this was in Spanish my highest rating post ever. :)

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    6. not making fun, cher, just aghast at the bravado and the un-PC title :-)
      Don't remember reading that post; couldn't find it via google. Link?

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    7. Très chère amie, after all these years....

      The page has a convenient search the blog case on the top left. It works very well and now getting close to 4000 posts I use it all the time. Just type cachifas and it should be the first one to appear.

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    8. Brillante, tu post de cachifas, cher Daniel.
      Regarding Luisa Estela's cachifa status, it looks like la señora de la casa has just hired a replacement servant. The substitute: Gladys Gutierrez.

      Jose Rafael Marquina ‏@marquina04
      Sacan a la presidenta de TSJ para meter a Gladys Gutiérrez ficha de confianza de Maduro y Cilia Flórez (me informan)

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    9. Yes, I am quite proud of that one. Thanks for appreciating it.

      As for the second part of your comment to, I am not holding my breath on what the new cachifa will do. That she is madurista is more interesting at controlling the chavismo that does not like Maduro. For us? Same difference.

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  7. Anonymous5:39 PM

    Everybody is celebrating the demise of Chavismo.... but the economy is struggling and may crash soon. Yes, the Chavismo leadership are politically stupid, but what can politics do with a bankrupt economy?

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  8. Women are definitely being used as "Stalking Horses" in the most cynical fashion possible. Fidel did this a lot back in the day, when his anger management issues, besides hurting so many Cubans, provided a lot of material to late night TV comedians in the USA. Does anybody need a gringo to point out that to a machista, especially to a machista Communist, better that a fall is taken by some slattern than by a jefe!

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  9. Milonga7:51 PM

    http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1579225-la-muerte-lenta-del-chavismo Chavez is dead and so is chavismo, as Vargas Llosa brilliantly puts it. Here's also a brilliant op-ed by El Comercio of Perú http://elcomercio.pe/actualidad/1572955/noticia-editorial-internacionalmente-inmaduro?ft=grid Sorry they're both in Spanish. Tomorrow Maduro is coming to Uruguay (will visit the president, the ex and would be next president, and the trade union confederation). But Leopoldo Lopez and Nora Bracho are coming too, and they're going to Parliament. This shows you! We have managed thru Twitter pressure to make our opposition parties issue statements on the coming of Maduro as badly-times (to say the least).

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    1. I actually do not quite understand why Maduro is making a grand tour when the economy is reeling and he is so questioned. He risks bad moments, he will have to be discreet. When Chavez was questioned he did not care because he could always afford a pack of hysterical supporters. But Maduro ain't Chavez, and not even his deep pockets.

      In addition by making his tour and not stopping in Santiago, for example, he forces Piñera to be more critical. Not that Piñera wants to receive him whatsoever, but creating a good guy bad guy list of UNASUR countries is a mistake.

      Never mind that in Paraguay they have reached a point of questioning their reentry into MERCOSUR as Dilma is again at it, putting unnecessary pressure. She is turning to be a real let down. Next thing for her is to reconcile with Iran......

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  10. Margareth11:01 PM

    As long as Maduro is President, Paraguay will not join MERCOSUR

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  11. Michel Garcia12:52 AM

    Peruvian parliament recommends to withdraw Peru's ambassador in Caracas.
    http://globovision.com/articulo/parlamento-peruano-recomienda-retirar-al-embajador-en-venezuela

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  12. Anonymous4:37 AM

    Can't they sue for access to the tapes? At least the suit and ensuing coverup would continue to annoy and embarrass the dictatorship.

    ReplyDelete

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