Rodriguez Vice President of Venezuela: Death, where is thy sting?

Today some people were excited that Rodriguez, ex CNE president, was named to succeed Jose Vicente Rangel. I see no improvement. Rodriguez is perhaps the only person in Venezuela to be as cynical as Rangel, and thus perfect for the job. In other words, Chavez named a failed shrink, a failed public servant who got his lucky break under Chavez and did not miss it. By becoming the effective head of the CNE from December 2003 until 2006 he established the trickery electoral system that ensured that Chavez went from victory to victory, starting with outright fraud in 2004, passing through electoral discouragement in 2005 to outright vote buying in 2006.

And along the way Rodriguez is rumored to have become insolently rich on the commissions he cashed in for the electoral bric-a-brac he purchased to make the Venezuelan Electoral system automatic and vulnerable to electronic fraud.

Now, this man who has amply shown his intolerance, his vileness, his complete lack of ethical or moral values, his total disdain for whomever does not agree with him, is named by Chavez as the new vice president. Why? Because Rodriguez is a “Resentido Social”, an extremist, totally devoted to Chavez, who will not flinch for a second, who will not bat an eye to fulfill any of the desires of his master, no matter how reprehensible those might be. In other words, the tune is set up by Chavez: no dialogue, more revenge.

Stay tuned, I am translating an article of Milagros Socorro who was published today and could not be any more prescient as to what happened today in Venezuela with this nomination, which, by the way, was not unexpected at all. Cognoscenti were wondering when, but not if, Rodriguez would be named president. There is really no one else in Venezuela able to succeed Rangel who might even be missed sooner than later. I had already previewed the scenario in March 2006, using Rodriguez as a perfect example of "resentido social".

There is no sting in that nomination, more of the same, more out in the open, but with even less skill.

-The end-

Tags: rangel, venezuela, jorge rodriguez, chavez, resentido social