Venezuela: MUD's "Massive Mobilization," a Massive Failure. For the Maduro Government, a Resounding

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela: MUD's "Massive Mobilization," a Massive Failure. For the Maduro Government, a Resounding Success
By Les Blough, Axis of Logic
Thursday, Sep 15, 2016




The Chavistas (L) and the Opposition (R) in competing marches in Caracas on September 1, 2016


At the beginning of August, 2016 the leaders of the coalition of anti-government political parties, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) declared it would launch a massive mobilization it billed as "The Taking of Caracas" on the first day of September to protest the lack of food and medicine and to bring down the government of Nicolas Maduro. It's leaders promised they can do it through the recall referendum but with a fervor that smacked of an impending coup. They demanded that the CNE (Electoral Council) violate the constitutional process by speeding up the referendum to oust President Maduro. They called on members to flood the streets in the nation's capital in subsequent marches of even greater magnitude and aggression on the 7th and 14th and called for a National Strike asking their members not to report to work and to refrain from buying anything in the stores. They hailed September as a "turning point" for the future of Venezuela.

Throughout the month of August opposition television, newspapers and social media pumped up the volume building hope for a coup among their readers and viewers to take control of the government and finally end their 16 year nightmare of the Bolivarian Revolution. “Chisme” (rumors) is a favorite past time among Venezuelans and for a month the chisme was buoyant with hope and confidence among some friends of mine who have a visceral hatred for the government and others who feared the authorities would take violent action against the marchers. When I questioned them specifically about MUD leaders like Henry Ramos Allup, president of parliament, Capriles Radonski governor of Miranda and MUD's Secretary General, Jesús "Chúo" Torrealba their reactions were all negative.

When speaking with government supporters some expressed fear of violent action by some opposition members or by Colombian paramilitaries and others were confident that the government had everything under control and others thought the march on September 1 would be negligible. The owner of a successful restaurant in La Victoria is a soft spoken man who has a reliable pulse of Venezuelans, left and right. His restaurant of 30 years has a rich political mix of customers lively with good natured debate Monday through Saturday. When I asked him what he thought would happen September 1 as he sat at my table he chuckled, threw up his hands and simply said "Nada! Nada! No se preocupe!" (Nothing! Nothing! Don't worry!)

On September 1, friends came to my house to watch the two marches in Caracas and other parts of the country on television, and exchange views regarding their size and significance. We watched the action on 2 public television stations, VTV and teleSur, and on Globovision, the largest of several private opposition channels. Here I will try to give an accurate account of what took place based upon our observations and news reports from both, opposition and government sources.


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More:
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_75124.shtml

[Marksman_91]

1. Garbage article that ignores actual evidence of what happened

Then again, can't expect much from Absence of Logic