"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"

While laptops and fists flew through the Asamblea Nacional after opposition lawmakers unfurled a banner to protest their silencing, the C-SPAN of Venezuelan politics censored itself and turned its cameras to the ceiling. The view of the ceiling was then interrupted by an anti-HCR hit piece. The fallout in the short term is spilled blood and black eyes. Long term, the government of Nicolas Maduro further reveals itself to be without credibility and dangerously unqualified to lead, let alone engage in the dialogue they claim to seek.



Video of course has found its way online and it is important to mention that the fight occurred on the opposition side of the aisle, which indicates that diputados del oficialismo marched across the room like an angry mob.

Caracas Chronicles contemplates what the last weeks of political violence mean for the opposition.

When everyone is a fascist, is anyone a fascist?

Venezuelans on both sides of the political divide have spent the last frenetic days calling each other fascists. Nothing novel about this, other than the increased frequency. But banging on pots and pans (and now bumping salsa at full blast) in protest is one thing. Beating up opposition politicians and stripping them of their right to speak unless they recognize Maduro as president is quite another. Pictured above is William Davila, deputy of the National Assembly and former governor for Merida. His face was smashed with a microphone this week by others in the assembly. Then, President of the Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, refused to let opposition lawmakers speak and stripped them of their committee posts.

So does one side have a point? I refer to Merriam-Webster. Fascism; a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

Capriles Goes to the Powerpoint to Prove Fraud

Capriles presented these slides at his press conference today para destacar his fraud allegations. To me, the most compelling slide is number two, which shows that Maduro somewhat incredulously chalked up more votes on Sunday than Chavez did on October 7 in a total of 1,176 different polling places out of 13,638 . As a frame of reference, Chavez received about 600,000 more votes in October than Maduro's nearly 7.6 million votes. In some of these centers Maduro racked up 943, 530, and 493% more votes than "Cristo Chavez."

Opposition & National Guard Face Off in Merida Near Election Office

Credit: Jose Antonio Rivas Leone for noticias24.com

Capriles...

"Yo no pacto con la ilegitimidad."

Capriles...

"Usted es el derrotado, usted y su gobierno."

Ni Treinta Segundos Despues...

Not even 30 seconds after CNE chief Tibisay Lucena handed the election to Maduro by 235,000 votes, out of more than 15 million cast, Maduro took the stage blabbing about "el cristo Chavez" and the capture of Colombians sneaking into the country to wreak havoc. Señores y señoras, Venezuela is run by a mad man.

Is their a lightswitch for this?

Venezuelan VP, Jore Arreaza, explains just why the internet was shut off within the country, on election day no less, for several minutes. "Foreign conspirators." Is Anonymous sticking it to the Bolivarian Republic? Nevertheless, talk about awesome power. Right up there with the superhero power to be invisible.

Compatriotas no hay problemas con internet. Calma!! Fue una maniobra breve para impedir más hackeos conspiradores del exterior.

— Jorge Arreaza (@jaarreaza) April 14, 2013

All Chavez, all the time

President in waiting, Nicolas Maduro: "Chavez, Chavez, Chavez..."

'Se cayó el sistema'

Recuerda '88.

Para el pueblo venozalano

Biggest winners tonight

Cuba dodged a bullet tonight that would have resulted in a major shock to its economy not felt since the Período especial that was dropped on the island like a Steinway piano in 1991.

Deep thoughts...

If Chavez lost would he have gotten a cadena?

Chavez for 6 more

7,444,082 votes to 6,151,544.

54%-45%.

Venezuela votes, cont.

All elections are a choice. Will Venezuela choose the Brazilian model proposed by Capriles? Francisco Toro takes to the NYT:

"Brazil’s remarkable success in reducing poverty speaks for itself. Building on a foundation of macroeconomic stability and stable democratic institutions, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010, oversaw the most remarkable period of social mobility in Latin America’s living memory.

As millions of Brazilians rose into the middle class, Mr. Chávez’s autocratic excesses came to look unnecessary and inexcusable to Venezuelans. Mr. da Silva and his successor, Dilma Rousseff, have shown that a country does not need to stack the courts, purge the army and politicize the central bank to fight poverty. Brazil proves that point, quietly, day in and day out."

Venezuela votes, cont.

Como van las cosas hoy? From a friend in Caracas...

"Hasta ahora todo bien, alta participación y pocas irregularidades. Las mesas cierran en dos horas, esperamos comenzar a saber resultados preliminares en 4 o 5 horas.

Gracias por estar pendiente, un abrazo!"

Venezuela votes

...In New Orleans. When Venezuela shuttered its consulate in Miami, New Orleans became the closest polling place for Florida's 20,00 Venezuelans

The Underdog: Latest take on Chavez v. Capriles

From Juan Nagel of Caracas Chronicles, via Foreign Policy:

"Let's recap: We have a 14-year incumbent who is favored to win but is barely campaigning. We have a strong challenger closing the gap, but not quite there yet. We have opinion polls giving wildly differing predictions, and a public sphere where unimportant things dominate the narrative while crucial issues are left by the wayside."

Panderer

Paul Ryan goes to Little Havana. From the Miami Herald:

"The Republican vice presidential candidate did not mention that he once opposed the U.S. trade embargo against the island, but he pointed to his change of heart — prompted by Miami’s current and former Cuban-American Republicans in Congress, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart.

“They’ve given me a great education — lots of us in Congress — about how we need to clamp down on the Castro regime,” Ryan told supporters at the Versailles restaurant. “We will be tough on Castro, tough on Chávez.”

Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, has voted against the embargo at least three times. The Midwest tends to see trade opportunities in agriculture with Cuba."

Why debate if the fix is already in?

Venezuelan opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles Radonski, keeps up the pressure on Chavez to debate. Chavez keeps up his refusal. Just 17 days until election day.