An “inspection” to a coffee factory in Caracas was the perfect PR opportunity for the Chavernment to present an image of unity, specially between its two top men: Vice-President Nicolas Maduro and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.
The appointed succesor of the comandante presidente wasted no time attacking the opposition, accusing the MUD’s Secretary General Ramon Guillermo Aveledo of being behind the “campaign of rumours in social networks like Twitter and Facebook”.
Godgiven followed suit with his own statement and beside denouncing the opposition as well, he made a call to all Chavistas to “rally behind Chávez’s recovery efforts”.
Esto es lo que hay… at least until this Saturday. After that, who knows? To be continued…
Coffee? If you’re trying to get yourself elected as the new President of Venezuela, shouldn’t you be extolling your economic triumphs? Very strange.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/fa1bef56-97d6-11de-8d3d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2Gy7WZgtW
My thoughts exactly: what? coffee?
Par de malandros.
I don’t know but inspection-show aside, I’ve been wondering where this supposed Cabello-Maduro rivalry came from in the first place. Everyone is counting on a PSUV implosion but I can’t recall seeing any signs. May it all be wishful thinking of the type we oppos are so fond of?
Alejandro Tarre read my mind… http://alejandrotarre.com/nacionalismo-versus-socialismo/
Hugo, I also share your doubts. Does Cabello really want political power? I think he would be more than happy to keep his narco-military-business network going and fill his boots rather than having to deal with pesky politics and he may strike a better deal with Maduro than what he had with Chavez as he has more leverage. Maduro keeps his nose out of his shady dealings and he gives the backing of his military and powerful friends to Maduro.
Right now Cabello has more to lose than to gain by going for the ultimate prize of absolute power , so most likely he will go along with supporting Maduro’s process of investiture on a quid pro quo basis , Later in time as hard times weaken Maduro’s hold on power , he might feel more tempted to move against Maduro either because the top position became ‘low hanging fruit’ or preemptibly to protect his own power base and interests in the event Maduro or other Chavista groups attempt to place the blame on him for the ‘revolutions’ problems , ( as they are wont to do when things get sticky) , this is pure conjecture of course , time will tell.
It’s a journalist invention which plays well to the oppo crowd, because they don’t like to concede that there is a national project/transition underway which is taken seriously by the current government,
Sometimes I wonder what might become of Mr Chavez grand national proyect once you take away the narcicistic bluster and the 100 billion dollar a year oil income baby bottle.
BTW, I see you dropped the “fleeing Bolivar” motto and went for a no prisoners taken alternative. I like that!
I doubt many people think a PSUV implosion is a certainty. But charismatically-based regimes typically have real difficulty with successions; if everything wonderful came from the Great Leader, what real accomplishments can the lesser beings have to their names?
Odds are on Cabello to win the short term succession because he is a psychotic nut case whereas Nicolasito is just a flunkey. Is there any chance that either of these two clowns can stick around for long?
These two clowns, one of them on speed, wasted 13 minutes and 56 seconds of valuable production time in the plant where they give their little harangues.
I wonder if they had to order an emergency shipment of coffee over from Colombia so that it looked like they are producing something?
They have the planes and the landing strips in place.
This asshole with the mustache is basically accusing Aveledo of threatening the president’s delicate health. Unbelievable.
Good point, the planes are already flying from Colombia anyway.
I like the shamelessness of the asshole with the mustache, go big or go home. Chavistas spent the last month vacillating and unarguably lying about the state of Chavez’s health (how could Chavez simultaneously be suffering from a massive respiratory infection, observing bed rest, and walking taking exercise), now he accuses someone who questions the official story of undermining Chavez’s health! The vociferous reaction shows Aveledo’s comments hit very close to home, members of the opposition should double down and demand transparency constantly.
http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/130104/communication-minister-chavez-faces-a-respiratory-failure
The Iraqi, *ahem*, Venezuelan Minister of information is towing the same line. Not only that, he is saying reporting on Chavez’s poor state of health is a plot to disregard the Election results. Newsflash bozo, the constitution is a plot to disregard the election results because it doesn’t allow you to be sworn in and rule from Havana, nor when you are dead.
“Such purposes are contrary to the firm unity of the Bolivarian Government, the organized people and the Bolivarian Armed Forces supporting the leadership and the political ideology of Commander Hugo Chávez.”
Really, that sounds like something from North Korea. Either that, or http://www.songun-blog.blogspot.com
“Single-mindedly united as one under the Banner of Songun held aloft by the Dear Leader Comrade Generalissimo Kim Jong Il, brilliant statesman, political genius, and invincible military commander”
Is it just me or is Maduro’s accent becoming more and more cuban?
not just you. others have noted it as well. Maduro’s move comes from the playbook, “How Serfs Gain Favor”. He may sport an olive green shirt, next.
At least Cabello is not wearing a red shirt.
I don’t know, really. But the more they say, assert, claim and swear to and on their God (Chavez???) that they are united and working as one, the less I believe it.
I suppose that as a rule, we Venezuelans, on hearing some pair of blowhards saying and crying to the winds how much they are brothers, comrades, the same blood… We expect them to appear on the Cronica Policial (news of grisly and violent murders if any PSF is reading) any day now, having killed each other over some cheap fichera (find this out, PSFs) they met a night ago.
The more they say it the more skeptical everybody becomes. Especially rank and file chavistas.