{"id":2317584,"date":"2024-08-01T14:33:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T18:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-biden-end-venezuelas-agony-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-01T14:40:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T18:40:40","slug":"will-biden-end-venezuelas-agony-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-biden-end-venezuelas-agony-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Biden end Venezuela\u2019s agony? &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwill-biden-end-venezuelas-agony-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2317584&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses\u200d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/garland-denies-biden-told-him-to-indict-trump\/\" title=\"Garland refutes Biden&#039;s alleged order to indict Trump.\">ongoing political turmoil<\/a> in Venezuela under President Nicolas Maduro,\u200b particularly in the wake\u200d of a recent sham \u200delection that has been widely criticized for its lack of \u200dlegitimacy. Maduro, who has been in power amidst\u200d a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-officials-call-talks-with-taliban-candid-and-professional\/\" title=\"US Officials Call Talks With Taliban \u2018Candid and Professional\u2019\">severe humanitarian crisis<\/a> that has driven nearly\u200d 8 million citizens to flee the country, declared himself president\u2063 again following\u200c a blatant electoral fraud that disqualified \u200bopposition candidates. The \u2063article highlights the mounting evidence of \u2064vote-rigging, where even preliminary results\u2063 reflected an impossible vote share,\u2062 and notes\u200d the reaction from the public,\u200c which has led to violent clashes.<\/p>\n<p>The commentary suggests that the international community, especially the United States, has a crucial role\u2063 to play in restoring democracy \u2064in Venezuela. It emphasizes the \u2062need \u2062for vigorous support for\u200b the \u200copposition and engagement with potential military leaders who\u2063 may \u2062seek change, positing this as a pathway to\u2063 stability\u2062 and the repatriation of millions\u200d of Venezuelan refugees. The response from neighboring\u2064 leftist governments appears to \u200dbe growing increasingly critical \u2064of Maduro\u2019s actions, but the article concludes with the concern that the U.S. might \u200cnot prioritize Venezuela amid its domestic political issues.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Will Biden end Venezuela&rsquo;s agony?<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1716802\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Already, the moment is sliding away. Once again, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nicolas-maduro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Nicolas Maduro<\/a> has declared himself president after an obviously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dont-talk-to-me-that-way-dont-ever-talk-to-the-president-that-way-president-trump-slaps-down-media-hack-sets-the-record-straight-on-sham-election-video\/\" title=\"No Respect...&quot;Don&#039;t Talk to Me That Way - DON&#039;T EVER Talk to the President That Way!&quot; - President Trump SLAPS DOWN Media Hack - Sets the Record Straight on Sham Election (VIDEO)\">sham election<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/venezuela\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Venezuela<\/a>. Once again, the only countries to accept the validity of the poll are Russia, Iran, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>China<\/a>, Belarus, and the international delinquents.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, it briefly looked as if the country&rsquo;s long nightmare was over. The free world refused to endorse Maduro&rsquo;s sham election, instead recognizing as president the leader of Congress, Juan Guaid&oacute;, who was constitutionally next in line.<\/p>\n<p>For a few weeks, it seemed as if the dictatorship might crack, and there was excited talk of U.S.-backed regime change. But the moment passed, and six years on, Maduro still sits on top of a diminished population &mdash; diminished both in the sense that nearly 8 million Venezuelans have been driven abroad and in the sense that those who remain are suffering from malnutrition.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, center left, and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez bend down to avoid cables as they ride on the top of a truck during a protest against presidential election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro the winner in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, two days after the vote. (AP Photo\/Cristian Hernandez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This time, the fraud was much more blatant. First, the candidate whom the opposition had picked through a mass-participation primary, Maria Corina Machado, was predictably disqualified and ludicrously accused of anti-Venezuelan activities. Then, her nominated successor was disqualified without even pretense at due process.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the opposition nominated a harmless retired diplomat, Edmundo Gonzalez, whom the Chavista regime seemed able to live with. It looked as if Maduro, who had earlier met opposition leaders in Barbados and agreed to free elections, might keep his word.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Venezuela saw vote-rigging on a scale that, in other circumstances, would be comical. Someone had evidently decreed that the minority candidates would get 4.6% in total. But, through some miscommunication, they were allocated 4.6% each, meaning that the preliminary results showed a total 127% vote share.<\/p>\n<p>Scrutineers at local polling stations, knowing that the rigging would happen centrally, kept records of the tally sheets, which show that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/argentina-libertarians-fuel-fall-of-socialists-in-senate-for-first-time-in-40-years\/\" title=\"Argentina: Libertarians Fuel Fall of Socialists in Senate for First Time in 40 Years\">opposition won<\/a> more than 73% of the vote. But Maduro declared himself the victor by just enough to avoid a runoff and blamed suggestions to the contrary on Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<p>In a bizarre press conference, the former bus driver lapsed performatively into the rough dialect of Caracas&rsquo;s barrios. &ldquo;Fink you&rsquo;re &rsquo;ard, then, Elon Musk, do ya?&rdquo; he growled (this is the most authentic translation I can manage). &ldquo;Like we used to say in my manor, you an&rsquo; me, outside, now!&rdquo; His generals applauded through rictus grins.<\/p>\n<p>Viewed from a distance, all this has an <em>op&eacute;ra bouffe<\/em> quality. But for Venezuelans, there is nothing to laugh at. Most people had taken victory for granted, and the brazenness of fraud led to violent clashes, which prompted Maduro to call for a roundup of opposition candidates.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Chavistas<\/em> are cornered and dangerous. Populist-left regimes in neighboring countries are refusing to go back them. The governments of Colombia and Chile, both led by radical socialists, have rejected the outcome, and even Brazil&rsquo;s Luiz In&aacute;cio Lula da Silva evidently feels that Maduro has gone too far this time.<\/p>\n<p>But the only government whose opinion counts right now is that of the United States. Maduro has plainly calculated that, with a comatose president and a looming election, the <em>yanquis<\/em> won&rsquo;t have time to worry about him. He may be right.<\/p>\n<p>If so, it is a pity. Restoring democracy to Venezuela, through active and vigorous support for the opposition, and a willingness to deal with whichever general is the first to realize that the game is up, would be the single greatest gift the U.S. could give its hemisphere. Millions of refugees would return home. Wealth would again flow into neighboring countries. The West would no longer rely on energy from dictators.<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, it would be a meaningful stand for democracy &mdash; a system that has been in retreat for over a decade now. The long advance of liberty went into reverse at the start of the last decade, possibly because of the financial crisis, possibly because of the deadening effect of smartphones, and possibly because of something else. Whatever the cause, dictators are becoming more blatant.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While autocrats have always found ways to disqualify opponents, the flagrancy we see these days &mdash; Pakistan&rsquo;s election earlier this year was another recent example of almost comical vote-rigging, with some polling stations declaring turnouts of over 100% &mdash; is telling.<\/p>\n<p>Put bluntly, the autocrats can see that there is no cop on the beat. The West has been unable to restore the independence of Ukraine and has been reduced to begging for cheaper oil from Gulf tyrannies. If the U.S. can no longer maintain order in the Americas, where almost every state shares its view of Venezuela, supporters of democracy and the rule of law might as well go home.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1716802\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1716802\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Will Biden put an end to Venezuela&#8217;s suffering? The opportunity is already slipping away. Nicolas Maduro has once again proclaimed himself president following a clearly fraudulent election in Venezuela. The only nations recognizing the legitimacy of this election are Russia, Iran, China, Belarus, and other rogue states. In 2018, there was a fleeting moment when it seemed the country&#8217;s prolonged ordeal might be over. The free world rejected Maduro&#8217;s illegitimate election and instead acknowledged Juan Guaid\u00f3, the leader of Congress and constitutionally next in line for the presidency. For a short time, it appeared that the dictatorship could falter, sparking discussions about U.S.-supported regime change. However, that moment passed; six years later, Maduro remains in power over a significantly reduced population\u2014nearly 8 million Venezuelans have fled abroad while those who remain suffer from malnutrition.<\/p>\n<p>This time around, the electoral fraud was even more blatant. Maria Corina Machado\u2014the opposition&#8217;s chosen candidate through a mass primary\u2014was predictably disqualified and absurdly accused of being anti-Venezuelan. Her designated successor faced disqualification without any semblance of due process as well. Ultimately, the opposition settled on Edmundo Gonzalez\u2014a non-threatening retired diplomat whom Maduro\u2019s regime seemed willing to tolerate. Initially appearing to honor his agreement with opposition leaders for free elections during talks in Barbados, Maduro instead oversaw vote-rigging so outrageous it would be laughable under different circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>It seems someone had decided that minority candidates should collectively receive 4.6% of votes; however, due to some miscommunication or error in execution they were each assigned 4.6%, resulting in preliminary results showing an impossible total vote share exceeding 127%. Local polling station scrutineers kept records indicating that opposition candidates actually garnered over 73% of votes cast but were ignored as Maduro declared himself victorious by just enough margin to avoid a runoff election while blaming dissenting views on Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<p>In an odd press conference performance reminiscent of local Caracas dialects he adopted an aggressive tone towards Musk: \u201cFink you\u2019re \u2019ard then?\u201d he growled (this is my best attempt at translation). His generals applauded with forced smiles as this unfolded\u2014a scene that may seem comical from afar but holds no humor for Venezuelans facing dire realities.<\/p>\n<p>Many had expected victory; however widespread outrage at such brazen fraud led to violent protests prompting calls from Maduro for arrests among opposition figures\u2014indicating how cornered and dangerous Chavistas have become amid growing isolation from populist-left regimes nearby which are now distancing themselves from him too.<\/p>\n<p>Governments like Colombia\u2019s and Chile\u2019s have openly rejected these electoral outcomes while even Brazil\u2019s Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva appears critical this time around\u2014but ultimately only U.S government opinion carries weight right now regarding Venezuela&#8217;s fate.<\/p>\n<p>Maduro seems convinced that with a distracted American administration focused on its own upcoming elections he can act without concern for repercussions\u2014and perhaps he&#8217;s correct about this assumption which would be unfortunate indeed because restoring democracy through robust support for Venezuelan opposition along with engagement strategies targeting military leaders ready to shift allegiances could yield significant benefits across Latin America including repatriation efforts by millions fleeing hardship back home alongside renewed economic vitality flowing into neighboring countries\u2014all while reducing reliance on energy sourced from authoritarian regimes globally.<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly though such actions would represent meaningful advocacy for democracy itself\u2014a system currently experiencing regression after more than ten years marked by increasing autocratic behavior worldwide where blatant disregard towards fair electoral processes has become alarmingly common\u2014as seen recently during Pakistan\u2019s elections where turnout figures exceeded logical limits suggesting rampant manipulation occurred there too indicating autocrats feel emboldened knowing no one stands ready enforce accountability against them anymore amidst global geopolitical shifts leaving Western powers struggling maintain influence or order within their own spheres let alone abroad!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3097,"featured_media":2317585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Nicolas_Maduro_Venezuela_3332.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3620,36898,36710,5894,14099],"class_list":["post-2317584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-biden","tag-humanitarian-crisis","tag-latin-america","tag-politics","tag-venezuela"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Nicolas_Maduro_Venezuela_3332.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3097"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2317584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2317585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2317584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2317584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2317584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}