Venezuela has the largest proven petroleum reserves in the world. That alone should compel Americans to pay attention to what’s going on there. Or perhaps you care about democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and other good-government principles.
Those are taking a beating in Venezuela now that President Nicolas Maduro refuses to give up a seat he lost in a landslide. But whether you care about Venezuela or not, that country’s election could have a major impact on our own election. And neither of the two candidates for president seems prepared to handle it.
The Venezuelan election was held July 28. The current president, Nicolas Maduro, claims he was re-elected with 51 percent of the vote. But an exit poll by Edison Research projected that the opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, would get 65 percent to a mere 31 percent for Maduro.
So far, the Maduro regime has not offered any proof that their man actually got a majority of the votes. You can see the problem for Donald Trump. In 2020, he also wanted to remain in power despite losing by seven million or so votes.
He recently derided Maduro as “a dictator.” But if you turn down the volume, Trump’s Jan. 6 riot is reminiscent of a pro-Maduro riot.
But let us leave that aside for a moment to discuss a more amusing aspect of The Donald’s history with Venezuela. Along with oil, Venezuela produces beautiful women. That country is famed for the number of winners it produces for the Miss Universe pageant.
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