Caracas Chronicles

Drinking my morning coffee while scanning the web, I came upon this op-ed piece Leopoldo López wrote for The Huffington Post.

I was mightily impressed.

The content of the piece is pitch perfect for a foreign crowd who doesn’t obsess about Venezuela like we do. López frames his argument in very pragmatic terms, pointing out that people are rejecting chavismo because of its failure to produce quality of life.

The tone is more conciliatory than what we’re used to hearing from him. The ultimate enemy from within, the opposition-basher among us, the guy who had to shelve the MUD-bashing speech he had prepared for September 27th… basically praises the unified efforts of the opposition and asks, in most polite terms, that the next round of candidates be decided openly and democratically.

Could it be that Leopoldo is finally a team player?

The phrasing of the piece is also a few notches above what his last HuffPo outing. The text is precise without being dull, and it rhythmically brings the reader in, placing him at the center of López’s argument – that to build on the opposition’s successes and “electrify” the population, we need to engage their day-to-day problems and show we are more open and democratic than the alternative.

This is the polished message of someone seriously considering running for President in 2012.

It would appear he has come to the realization that he can’t bash the opposition on his way to victory. Considering how he is legally – and unfairly – barred from running, he has finally understood the need to build bridges, not burn them. And the quality of the message tells me he has a serious operation behind him.

Some people in the opposition love López, others hate him. Regardless, he’s one of the front-runners for the nomination.