Editor's Notebook

We happen to personally know one young Venezuelan woman and she is thrilled about the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.

In news footage taken in the the aftermath of the arrest, there are many of her fellow countrymen and women who feel the same way.

Yes, there is uncertainty but many are saying, “Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is gone.”

Maduro’s sons are defiant but for the rank and file Venezuelan citizen, there is hope along with anxiety.

The only protests so far that I have seen are coming from the left in the United States.

The hope here is that Maduro gets a fair trial and that the Venezuelan nation can find new leadership that is on the up and up.

jdm

Here are a few of the many Democrats then vs. now:

Sen. Chuck Schumer

Then: “And the President brags about his Venezuela policy. Give us a break. He hasn’t brought an end to the Maduro regime. The Maduro regime is more powerful today and more entrenched today than it was when the President began.” (2/5/20)

    Now: “This is reckless. And the American people are just, this morning, in fear of what’s going to happen here.” (1/4/26)

Sen. Chris Murphy

Then: “If Trump cared about consistency, he would make the realist case for intervention in Venezuela (getting rid of Maduro is good for the United States) rather than trying to pretend his Administration all of the sudden cares about toppling anti-democratic regimes.” (1/23/19)

Now: “The invasion of Venezuela has nothing to do with American security. Venezuela is not a security threat to the U.S.” (1/4/26)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Then: “Maduro is a dictator and a crook who has wrecked his country’s economy, dismantled its democratic institutions, and profited while his people suffer. The United States should lead the international community in addressing Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and supporting regional efforts to negotiate a political transition.” (7/30/2019)

Now: “What does it mean that the U.S. will ‘run’ Venezuela, and what will Trump do next around the world? The American people voted for lower costs, not for Trump’s dangerous military adventurism overseas that won’t make the American people safer.” (1/3/26)