Caracas Chronicles

Socorro Hernández is one of those chavista creatures that really tick me off.

I can sort of understand people like Aristóbulo Istúriz, or Freddy Bernal, or Elías Jaua, or Diosdado Cabello, or even Iris Varela being chavistas. Their backgrounds, their pre-existing conditions so to speak, predispose them – whether it is growing up poor and resentful, being ideologically left wing since forever, being an outsider until Chávez came along, or growing up in the military and being used to following orders. Chavismo is a perfect fit for them.

Then there are people like Socorro Hernández, Tibisay Lucena, and Rafael Ramírez, who have actually studied, benefitted from the IVth Republic’s largesse, seen the world, and, really, should know better.

Yesterday, Socorro fully revealed herself as the partisan hack she really is. She went on camera to, basically, say that

1. the CNE can do what it wants and flaunt the law if it so desires;
2. changing the voting centers of certain chavista figureheads makes little difference to the rest of us; and
3. … porque me da la perra gana, vale, ¿entiendes? ¿Qué vas a hacer, pajúo? Muajajaja.

Socorro’s behavior is atrocious. She not only breaks the law, she gloats about it. She is abrasive, corrupt, abusive, unfair, hyper-partisan, malandr-ic, and, quite possibly, has bad breath. But she shows us her cards as if she were a dead fly, spewing out words like “Constitution” and “institutions” as if they meant anything to her.

The game plan is now quite clear. The goal of chavistas such as Socorro, who have the pan grabbed by the handle, is to  make the rest of us feel like the act of voting is really useless, that we might as well stay home that day.

A few days ago, I wondered what the opposition could do to motivate disappointed Venezuelans to go out and cast their vote on December 16th.

They should distribute Socorro’s picture as campaign material, with the heading: “if you don’t vote, she wins! If you don’t vote, she gets what she wants!”

So when you wake up on December 16th and start wondering if you should head out to vote, think of Socorro. Think of her smug little face, cooped up in the CNE with the other chavistas, probably counting hundred-dollar bills, gleefully hoping you will stay home so that she and Tibisay can announce, with full hearts and bright smiles, that the government has won yet another impeccable election.

Hopefully, you will see that staying home is a gift to her, to Socorro.

When you go out and vote, you won’t be voting for Pablo or Henrique or César. You’ll be voting for Socorro, to (hopefully) teach her a lesson.