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Venezuelan military sides with Maduro (Will America’s leading Democratic Socialist join them?)

Earlier today Ed wrote about the developing situation in Venezuela saying, “regime change in Venezuela will depend on whether the military has had enough of Maduro and the instability he has created.” That the military is the final arbiter is clear to everyone, not least President Maduro himself:

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday called on the country’s military to maintain unity and discipline, after the leader of the opposition-controlled congress declared himself interim president and asked for the armed forces’ support.

“We will triumph over this as well, we will come out victorious,” Maduro told supporters outside the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, as hundreds of thousands marched around the country demanding he step down and in support of opposition leader Juan Guaido’s call for elections.

A short while ago the military seemed to side with Maduro:

So far, the United States and 13 other nations have signaled their support for Juan Guaidó as the interim president:

Maduro’s response has been to cut diplomatic ties with the United States and order our diplomats out of the country within 72 hours. But if we no longer recognize Maduro as the country’s president, why would we heed his demands regarding our diplomats?

This sets up the next possible confrontation. Will Maduro and the military attempt to physically remove our diplomats? And, if so, how will the U.S. respond? Frankly, I’d be more worried about Maduro’s regime hitting them with a bunch of false charges and imprisoning them than putting them on a plane back to the U.S. It wouldn’t be the first time Maduro had sent his political opponents to a military prison.

While the military may be siding with Maduro today it’s hard to imagine this state of affairs can last for much longer. Look at the size of this crowd protesting his rule today:

Here’s another angle:

There are already some videos circulating that show police joining the protests:

And another one:

With all of this happening, many people have been wondering what America’s foremost Democratic Socialist thinks about the situation.

Remember, just yesterday she called America “dystopian” so she must know it when she sees it. But so far, she doesn’t seem to have any similar criticism for revolutionary Venezuela.

The easy thing for her to do in this situation would be to side with the people and say something like ‘Of course Maduro is a dictator!’ The media would promptly report that she’s extremely level-headed and move along, mostly ignoring that her actual policies are not so different from the Chavismo that has gradually turned the country into a hellhole over the past decade. The fact that she’s not even taking the easy path and is instead remaining silent makes you wonder if she isn’t a bit more sympathetic with Maduro’s regime than would be comfortable for her to admit. Maybe tomorrow she’ll put together a snappy response. Or maybe some journalist will work up the gumption to ask her.

The post Venezuelan military sides with Maduro (Will America’s leading Democratic Socialist join them?) appeared first on Hot Air.

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