During a CNN interview this week, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-Jellyfish) refused to oppose regime change in Venezuela. Here’s his word-salad:
“The bottom line is President Trump throws out so many different things in so many different ways. You don’t even know what the heck he’s talking about. You know, obviously, if Maduro would just flee on his own, everyone would like that. But we don’t know what the heck he’s up to when he talks about that,” said Schumer. “You cannot say I endorse this, I endorse that when Trump is all over the lot, not very specific and very worrisome at how far he might escalate.”
Huh? or Huh. Take your pick, either apply.
Why is This Hard?
In the US House of Representatives, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17) has led the charge on a successful vote to release the Epstein Files. This was smart politically, and correct morally. In response to Schumer’s non-answer, Khanna had this to say:
“Why is this hard?” Khanna asked. “Democrats oppose regime change war in Venezuela. Instead of wasting trillions on endless wars, we must invest in jobs, healthcare, and housing for Americans.”
THIS is a layup, folks. That Schumer refuses to give a straight answer on regime change is the latest in a decades-long career built on refusing to take a stand on anything. His complicity last March helped lead to this fall’s government shutdown. His inability to devise a strategy this year to slow Trump is political malpractice.
Opposition to military action in Venezuela is a 70% ISSUE according to a late-November survey from CBS/YouGov.
Seven out of 10 is as close as you get to unanimous agreement in American politics. You can count on 25% of respondents to be intransigent about everything. This. Is. A. No-Brainer.
They Agree on Something?
BIPARTISAN groups in both the US House and US Senate are demanding Congressional action and/or approval prior to any action in Venezuela. As I’ve noted previously, Americans are capable of holding two thoughts at once: Nicholas Maduro is a dictatorial thug, and it’s not America’s job to invade a country to remove him.
In the US House, the likes of Democratic Jim McGovern and UBER Maga Rep. Thomas Massie agree we shouldn’t invade. In the US Senate, the likes of Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine and Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, agree, too.
Massie and Paul represent a powerful wing of the MAGA movement: The isolationists. Their support on this issue provides significant protection to Democrats’ national security flank. If we’re attacking a country for no good reason, what else aren’t we focused on?
Too Online All the Time
DC Congressional staffers isn’t known for its ability to look beyond cable news or social media. Anytime I post something about Venezuela, the trolls (Hi, Volgograd!) come after me with, “So you’re on the side of the cartels?”
Trolls should not dictate policy or political stances. My regular retorts consist of either, “You’re an idiot,” or “What happened to no foreign wars?”
We had to invade Iraq to help create militias. Venezuela already has them in spades. The cartels, the army, the thugs that run neighborhoods, and Colombian anarchists would love nothing more than to test-fire their AK-47s on guys and gals with American flags on their shoulders.
We know how Schumer feels about Graham Platner, running for US Senate in Maine. Here’s what Platner had to say about Schumer:
Politics! Politics! Politics!
Democrats’ waffling on this answer gives their Republican opponents, particularly in US House races, the cover they need to say nothing on the issue. They can hide and see which way the wind blows.
Instead, if Democrats were united (what a concept!) on an issue like Venezuela, for all the reasons I’ve written about and those their braver colleagues are already expressed, Republican politicians would be forced to take a stand one way or the other.
Again, this provides a Catch-22 for GOP members: Come out against military action and anger Trump. Go all in for regime change and risk alienating their base MAGA voters or being responsible (in part) for what will certainly be another protracted land campaign in which we had one door in and no way out.
See how this works, Chuck?
Put the Pressure On
Trump has crossed the neurological Rubicon: He’s a tired old man interested only in money and interior decorating. He mocks the affordability crisis overtaking many Americans (including millions of his voters) and is doing his best Weekend at Bernie’s impression during meetings.
While I don’t subscribe to the idea that Trump is ‘done’ or soon to leave office, I do believe in keeping up pressure on a man incapable of handling it and who’s surrounded by clowns to the left of him and jokers to his right. Keep him stuck in the middle of the maelstrom of his own making.
His bad actions, insane statements, and general insanity will result in his allies feeling like they’re stuck in the middle of Lake Maracaibo without a paddle. Little of this is rocket science; they’re table stakes for basic political strategy.
Thanks to Ken Klippenstein and Julia Conley of Common Dreams for their coverage.
Up Next: No War in Venezuela :: We Can’t Afford It
Read the first two installments of my series on Venezuela.
No War in Venezuela :: The Moral Case
When it comes to armed conflict there are rules, theories, and laws. According to the Academy for Social Civics, the “Just War Theory provides a framework for states in conflict. It stresses that every effort to prevent wars must be made. According to Just War Theory, violence is only permissible when it is a lesser evil than the alternatives. For a bat…
The Sunday Reed :: No War in Venezuela
During a Thanksgiving Day call with members of the military, President Donald Trump (R-Sundown) said the following:
Schumer needs to go …. Enough of the corporate do nothing democrats - bring in the progressives - and tell Traitor Trump to go shit in his hat
This is why as a registered Democrat I get so damn mad at Schumer and the old party dinosaurs. We've been at this regime change nonsense since the 1980s (and before) and rarely does it remotely turn out like we'd hoped or planned. In some cases our meddling has helped to create the very central American migrant issues that have come to America to roost.
No. More. Pointless. Endless. Oil. Wars!
Period. The end.