Venezuelan President Maduro expels top U.S. diplomat, deputy

Mrbum disputes my characterization of the 'Russian meddling' meme as a conspiracy theory for the same reason others disputed my characterization of the 'WMDs in Iraq' as propaganda.

Unfortunately, there won't be the same sort of 'oops' moment to put an end to the 'widespread acceptance' of something that variously credits Putin with Svengali like powers, time travel, and a Russian bot farm for hire with PR accumine that PT Barnum and Ponzi combined would envy.

But you might want to check out the 'Reply All' podcast episode where they stumbled into discovering the meddling in the Mexican Presidential election (not a single Russian in sight, just right wing oligarchs determined to prevent another left wing win)

Oh, and despite having just figuring out how that meddling was accomplished, and the unintended side effects (increased sexual harassment of women) the hosts still think that the 'it was the Russians' notion makes more sense than 'we did it to ourselves'.

So you do support socialism when it's directed towards murdering people in other countries,

Depends.

but not when taking care of the welfare of your own country's people.

For the absolute needy, I do support it, but for the lazy and moochers, No, I do not.

Socialism is great, until you run out of other people's money to spend

Exactly!

Unless it comes to military spending.

Can’t fight a war with a toothpick. Can’t keep the country safe with NK out of date technology.

So you do support socialism when it's directed towards murdering people in other countries, but not when taking care of the welfare of your own country's people.

Seems legit.

Unless it comes to military spending. Then you can blow money left right and centre

Can’t fight a war with a toothpick. Can’t keep the country safe with NK out of date technology.

’Socialism’ seems to work pretty well in countries regarded as the best places to live.

Yes, if you grew up paying high taxes, access to all the free drugs you want and have constitutional limits, good for them, they can keep it. I don’t envy them, don’t want to be like them, don’t want any of that here. If I want to be like Sweden, I would have moved there a long time ago. I just like their cars....and meatballs.

No gulags in Sweden as far as I know.

And No hard time for people that commit heinous crimes as well.

"Socialism is great, until you run out of other people's money to spend."

Exactly

Unless it comes to military spending. Then you can blow money left right and centre.

Socialism is great, until you run out of other people's money to spend

Thatcher said something along those lines. People tend to forget that she blew the North Sea oil money propping up the ballooning costs of the millions her policies left unemployed. She ran through the wealth of the country like dodgy prunes though the bowels.

’Socialism’ seems to work pretty well in countries regarded as the best places to live. No gulags in Sweden as far as I know.

"Socialism is great, until you run out of other people's money to spend."

Exactly!

Funny how the anti-socialist crowd always seem to focus on the socialist countries that also have corrupt dictatorships. You think maybe the corrupt dictators might be the problem, not socialism?

If they did that, they wouldn't be able to use their right-wing talking point anymore.

And I’d how many people try to escape from socialist countries compared to those who migrate to them? Not too hard to find the answer to that.

Really? So tell us, how many people are migrating to Norway, Canada, Australia, Denmark etc? You say the numbers are easy to find, I couldn't find a quick aggregate of it, so where are these easy to find numbers you speak of?

"Socialism is great, until you run out of other people's money to spend."

And I’d how many people try to escape from socialist countries compared to those who migrate to them? Not too hard to find the answer to that.

Funny how the anti-socialist crowd always seem to focus on the socialist countries that also have corrupt dictatorships. You think maybe the corrupt dictators might be the problem, not socialism?

Hard to be happy when you’re starving or dead. And the only reason those Nordic “socialist paradises” are wealthy is because they sponge off the wealth generated by the market to redistribute, under threat of imprisonment. Take away the market that supplies and you have misery pretty fast. Just ask your average Venezuelan. Socialism is great until you run out of other peoples’ money.

And I’d how many people try to escape from socialist countries compared to those who migrate to them? Not too hard to find the answer to that.

ah, socialism. Over 100 million murdered and starved since 1917.

Ahh socialism. Responsible for the happiest countries in the world, with the highest quality of life. America doesn't even make the top 10: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/07/these-countries-have-the-highest-quality-of-life

@HonestDictator

Just because X is more evil than Y doesn’t mean that Y is exonerated, and that everyone should fall into line uncritically.

Maduro doesnt need to blame the US for conspiring to ruin Venezuela. He and his merry bunch of socialist despots are doing a perfectly good job of it themselves.

ah, socialism. Over 100 million murdered and starved since 1917.

"The empire doesn't dominate us here," Maduro said in a televised address, giving charge d'affaires Todd Robinson and his deputy, Brian Naranjo, 48 hours to leave the country. "We've had enough of your conspiring."

Would that more leaders and countries took this attitude and stood up to the bullying of the Imperium. Americans need to learn to mind their own business and leave other countries alone. Viva Venezuela!

It is ironic that while the US continues to pursue a conspiracy theory about 'Russian meddling' in its election

It's not a "conspiracy theory" when there's actual proof of Russian meddling. Very few people dispute this, including those in the Trump camp.

American diplomat with a track record of active attempts to manipulate election results over his blatantly obvious 'meddling' (with full Washington cooperation) in the Venezuelan election, and that is treated as the over the top reaction of a paranoid conspiracy theorist.

Those things you said about US meddling can be true, and Maduro can be a paranoid and corrupt leader rigging his own election at the same time. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

If "the Empire" really wanted Maduro gone he'd be dead.

a vote that the White House and others have branded a "sham."

Look who's talking, Traitor Trump! Did Vladimir Putin tell you to say that?

@Raw Beer,Yup they sure did!

Interesting, especially when Venezuela like Iran and Syria are one of a very small group of countries not controlled by the west.

Yeah, and interestingly, Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan used to be in this ever-shrinking group...

Interesting, especially when Venezuela like Iran and Syria are one of a very small group of countries not controlled by the west.

It is ironic that while the US continues to pursue a conspiracy theory about 'Russian meddling' in its election, and not just threw out diplomats over the ACCUSATIONS, but imposed sanctions, and that is treated as legitimate, Venezuela merely expels one American diplomat with a track record of active attempts to manipulate election results over his blatantly obvious 'meddling' (with full Washington cooperation) in the Venezuelan election, and that is treated as the over the top reaction of a paranoid conspiracy theorist.

Hugo Chávez used to trot out the same nonsense whenever he wanted to distract the public from the fact that the country was falling apart. It appears to be wearing thin. Maduro better have a second act.