What's good for the goose is good for Mirand-er
A tragedy in eight acts:
Act I – Contrary to the wishes of sensible, prescient, and highly intelligent voices in the opposition opinion-sphere, the opposition umbrella group decides to ditch the idea of nationwide primaries to select their candidates for Congress. Instead, they decide on an ill-defined, mixed system of consensus where possible, primaries where necessary.
Act II- The MUD decides that state-wide lists will go to the party that is strongest in each state. Therefore, Primero Justicia gets dibs at Miranda, Un Nuevo Tiempo gets dibs at Zulia, Copei gets dibs at Tachira, Proyecto Venezuela gets dibs in Carabobo.
Act III – Contrary to the MUD’s agreement, Enrique Mendoza decides he wants to be in Miranda’s list. When told he is not part of Primero Justicia, he simply demands a primary extemporaneously, contravening the MUD’s agreement.
Act IV – PJ’s Yon Goicoechea throws a hissy fit when he finds out his candidacy in the relatively safe seat of the Miranda highlands is being negotiated away, with UNT’s Alfonso Marquina also angling for it not by doing any grubby campaigning, but just by lobbying the hell out of the smoke-filled room. Goicoechea demands a primary. He also reveals via Twitter that he is not in speaking terms with Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles, even though they are both in the same party…!
Act V – Capriles comes out in favor of a state-wide primary in Miranda, contravening the MUD’s previous agreements, and – literally – at the last possible minute.
Yet to be written:
Act VI – Because the rules are bypassed in Miranda, they are bypassed in Zulia, Tachira, Carabobo, and pretty much everywhere else. Chaos ensues.
Act VII – Chávez and his loyalists take advantage of the chaos and they grind the opposition to a bloody pulp, winning 75% of the seats in the National Assembly.
Act VIII – The Cassandras who warned you way ahead of time find themselves vindicated. Strangely, this proves less than satisfying, while the chavista supermajority continues to run amok in the A.N.
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