My only quick takes on today's actions in Venezuela.

[RandySF]

Last edited Sun Jan 4, 2026, 12:42 AM - Edit history (1)

1. Maduro was a rotton dictator.
2. People like Maduro and Csstro are why you don't dare run for office in Florida8 and label yourself a socialist.
3. It goes without saying that Trump's actions are illegal but he holds the Power of the Sword and nobody's going to arrest him.
4. Democrats are in the congressional minority and thus we are currently powerless to stop him (See 3).
5. Trump MIGHT get a small boost from this but it will be mostly forgotten by November.
6. Don't agonize over exactly what words Democrats use in reaction. Even if we get coverage, most voters will generally shrug their shoulders as they calculate what groceries they can afford.
7. We regain power by winning elections.
8. HOWEVER, it does create a new opportunity to highlight Trump's preoccupation with everything BUT affordability at home.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. You are quite right, my dear RandySF!

We definitely must get that giant blue wave in next November.

Then we can probably do something about him.

[AZProgressive]

2. I'll try to address the first couple of points

There are lots of dictators and some of them are US allies. Trump pardoned a head of state for drug trafficking charges so even the justification is hypocritical and based on double standards.

I generally don't like that the US has a foreign policy with double standards and is hypocritical in the process. Democrats generally lose in Florida and the Venezuelans there voted for Trump by roughly 60%. At the same time we don't topple every dictator that people flee from. I don't worry about someone calling themselves Democratic Socialists when their policies are closer to Social Democrats in the Scandinavian countries. They are so easy to defend but the rhetoric is effective for primaries.

My point is the US & most western countries try to enforce a "rules based order" on Russia but going back to Iraq the US has often had a foreign policy based on force rather than rules or international law.