Mike Madrid, co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, wrote in a new Substack essay that what makes Trump's move against Maduro so remarkable is that he decided to tell the truth about America's ambitions in the region.

"We always maintained the fiction that we were defending democracy, protecting American citizens, or preventing communist infiltration," Mardrid wrote. "We lied to ourselves as much as to the world about our motivations. Trump’s innovation is brutal honesty about American entitlement."

"Now we’ve become what we created," he continued. "Not a banana republic in the economic sense, of course. We remain the world’s largest economy but in the philosophical sense. We’ve abandoned any pretense that international law, democratic norms, or even basic respect for national sovereignty constrains American power."

Strategist flags 'historical irony' of Trump's latest move

It was a banana republic after the nutty left waged nonsensical lawfare on the opponent they knew(correctly) would wipe the floor with them in a free and fair election. Even after this banana republic cheating, and 1/2 BILLION $$ fines for unknown "crimes" he still destroyed them in the election.🤣😅😂

Bit late to start worrying about being a banana republic after that gross stupidity.

To anyone who thinks the USA is a banana republic.....ill gladly take those worthless greenback off your hands at pennies on the dollar.

Win win....you get rid of those pesky banana republic dollars and I get some funny money.

4 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

It was a banana republic after the nutty left waged nonsensical lawfare on the opponent they knew(correctly) would wipe the floor with them in a free and fair election. Even after this banana republic cheating, and 1/2 BILLION $$ fines for unknown "crimes" he still destroyed them in the election.🤣😅😂

Bit late to start worrying about being a banana republic after that gross stupidity.

MAGAs seem to take pride in their woeful ignorance and inability to come to terms with reality. I guess the US still needs strawberry pickers, truck drivers and janitors, and with all the deportations, I guess the US still needs some MAGAs. We'll hold our noses and let them do the very few things MAGAs are capable of doing.

Trump stole highly classified documents. Then he lied about it. He should be in jail awaiting trial, as anyone else would if they had done what he did. MAGAs are incapable of understanding that, nor that Trump willfully put US national security and the identities of clandestine foreign assets at risk. Clearly Trump intended to monetize what he stole.

Trump was 100% responsible for the terrorist attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. He specifically called his moronic goobers to DC, incited them with his nonsense at the Mall, and told them to march to the Capitol and "fight" (37 times he said "fight"; 1 time he said "peacefully"). MAGAs trying to rationalize that must think Trump is an idiot (he is) and had no idea his goobers would turn violent. Trump wanted the violence, whih is why he sat watching it live on TV for 187 minutes. He's a traitor to US ideals.

Even Republicans know Trump is guilty, which is why they refused to allow SC Smith to testify in a public Hearing.

Trump has made the US a Banana Republic and an international pariah. If all were equal under the law, as the Founders intended, Trump would be in Leavenworth until he finally makes America great again by passing away.

Cult members cannot understand this, as they sniff the vapors from the fever swamps of ignorance every day.

5 hours ago, bannork said:

Mike Madrid, co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, wrote in a new Substack essay that what makes Trump's move against Maduro so remarkable is that he decided to tell the truth about America's ambitions in the region.

"We always maintained the fiction that we were defending democracy, protecting American citizens, or preventing communist infiltration," Mardrid wrote. "We lied to ourselves as much as to the world about our motivations. Trump’s innovation is brutal honesty about American entitlement."

"Now we’ve become what we created," he continued. "Not a banana republic in the economic sense, of course. We remain the world’s largest economy but in the philosophical sense. We’ve abandoned any pretense that international law, democratic norms, or even basic respect for national sovereignty constrains American power."

Strategist flags 'historical irony' of Trump's latest move

The rabbit hole in Venezuela seems to go deeper than we realize.

Why were there sanctions in the first place?

Seems like there is a "dirty money" history in Venezuela and maybe Trump is targeting this corruption for once and for all. The "dirty money" situation involves Wall Street, as AI so eloquently points out here. So it is Trump's business to get involved.

Ho Ho Ho:: Thanks for all the ^ Schadenfreude - and counting.

5 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

It was a banana republic after the nutty left waged nonsensical lawfare on the opponent they knew(correctly) would wipe the floor with them in a free and fair election. Even after this banana republic cheating, and 1/2 BILLION $$ fines for unknown "crimes" he still destroyed them in the election.🤣😅😂

Bit late to start worrying about being a banana republic after that gross stupidity.

He didn't even manage to get a majority of the popular vote.

Wild & crazy theory from Glenn Beck.

Beck believes we are already in World War 3.

Venezuela has to do with cutting off oil supply to China. China is heavily dependent on oil from Venezuela. Also Iran.

If Trump cuts off China's oil supply from Venezuela,

1 - China cannot invade Taiwan

2 - BRICS currency cannot compete with US dollar

3 - China cannot outcompete US in the AI race

Getting the popular vote is nothing to brag about considering what SAPS the last three presidents were:

Your opinion about the quality of various Presidents has nothing to do with the claim by SunnyinBangrak that I addressed.

6 hours ago, blaze master said:

To anyone who thinks the USA is a banana republic.....ill gladly take those worthless greenback off your hands at pennies on the dollar.

Win win....you get rid of those pesky banana republic dollars and I get some funny money.

Be quick with your hedging.

The way the dollar is going, pennies on the dollar might be a bit of an overpay.

8 hours ago, bannork said:

Mike Madrid, co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, wrote in a new Substack essay that what makes Trump's move against Maduro so remarkable is that he decided to tell the truth about America's ambitions in the region.

"We always maintained the fiction that we were defending democracy, protecting American citizens, or preventing communist infiltration," Mardrid wrote. "We lied to ourselves as much as to the world about our motivations. Trump’s innovation is brutal honesty about American entitlement."

"Now we’ve become what we created," he continued. "Not a banana republic in the economic sense, of course. We remain the world’s largest economy but in the philosophical sense. We’ve abandoned any pretense that international law, democratic norms, or even basic respect for national sovereignty constrains American power."

Strategist flags 'historical irony' of Trump's latest move

Haven't made my mind up if this dictator removal was a good idea. I do know asking him nicely to stop misbehaving wouldn't have worked and even Trumps semi coherent threats accomplished nothing.

I'm curious if the citizens will come together and try to fix the mess their country is at the moment or that might be nearly impossible considering the disaster their economy is and will be for years.

Foreign investment isn't returning until Trump almost guarantees the safety of their investments and why should they. My bet is Trump basically insures the investments and the oil companies return.

42 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

BRICS currency cannot compete with US dollar

Not yet.

But ‘BRICS Pay’ is a very real threat to SWIFT and the US Dollar’s dominance as the trading currency for Oil Gas and other world trade.

The ‘PetroDollar’ and its impact on U.S. Dollar trading is undoubtedly in the crosshairs of China.

2 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I'm curious if the citizens will come together and try to fix the mess their country is at the moment or that might be nearly impossible considering the disaster their economy is and will be for years.

You think Trump wants Venezuelan’s to have a free say in fixing their own country?

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The ‘PetroDollar’ and its impact on U.S. Dollar trading is undoubtedly in the crosshairs of China.

Dow Jones Industrial Average

INDEXDJX: .DJI

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11 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Be quick with your hedging.

The way the dollar is going, pennies on the dollar might be a bit of an overpay.

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

You think Trump wants Venezuelan’s to have a free say in fixing their own country?

Yep but not now :) The situation will unravel over the coming years or not. The US has failed miserably at regime change but maybe this time around :) I have no clue but I do think Venezuela will be better off 5 years from now considering where it was last week.

32 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

Your opinion about the quality of various Presidents has nothing to do with the claim by SunnyinBangrak that I addressed.

And your reply"address" to Sunny inBankrak has nothing to do with the claim that was made

22 minutes ago, atpeace said:

Haven't made my mind up if this dictator removal was a good idea.

Why don’t you ask the people of Venezuela who’s election was ripped off by the criminal thug illegitimate dictator.

2 minutes ago, novacova said:

Why don’t you ask the people of Venezuela who’s election was ripped off by the criminal thug illegitimate dictator.

Why don't you ask them how they feel about his cronies being kept in power? And while you're at it, why don't you ask them how they feel about Trump demanding the seizure of Venezuela's petroleum reserves in order to benefit American oil companies?

44 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Be quick with your hedging.

The way the dollar is going, pennies on the dollar might be a bit of an overpay.

So that means you're interested ? Sweet. I knew you were a good decision maker.

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

Venezuela has to do with cutting off oil supply to China. China is heavily dependent on oil from Venezuela. Also Iran.

Securing Venezuela isn’t about oil, if it were then Trump would have taken the deal offered by Maduro. It’s about the US maintaining dominance in the hemisphere and repelling adversaries, the rest is a bonus, ridding a criminal thug dictator, liberating the citizens, increasing oil production and wealth for its citizens etc. Though the left as per their meandering arguments in their abject convoluted reality, would much prefer to see the Venezuelan citizens continue in oppressive abject tyranny, that there is the box the left has set themselves in.

12 minutes ago, novacova said:

Securing Venezuela isn’t about oil, if it were then Trump would have taken the deal offered by Maduro. It’s about the US maintaining dominance in the hemisphere and the rest is a bonus, ridding a criminal thug dictator, liberating the citizens, increasing oil production and wealth for its citizens etc. Though the left as per their meandering arguments in their abject convoluted reality, would much prefer to see the Venezuelan citizens continue in oppressive abject tyranny, that there is the box the left has set themselves in.

How is Trump liberating Venezuela's citizens by accepting Maduro's Vice President as the new head of government and turning his back on the real winners of the last election?

2 minutes ago, bannork said:

How is Trump liberating Venezuela's citizens by accepting Maduro's Vice President as the new head of government and turning his back on the real winners of the last election?

I don't think you understand. Maduro was forcing all his underlings to participate in his dirty deeds. Now that he's gone, they can rededicate themselves to promoting the welfare of the Venezuelan people.

3 minutes ago, bannork said:

How is Trump liberating Venezuela's citizens by accepting Maduro's Vice President as the new head of government and turning his back on the real winners of the last election?

I read on substack this morning that Trump would have installed the real winner if she had refused the Nobel Peace Prize and instead said it should have gone to Trump.

8 hours ago, blaze master said:

To anyone who thinks the USA is a banana republic.....ill gladly take those worthless greenback off your hands at pennies on the dollar.

Win win....you get rid of those pesky banana republic dollars and I get some funny money.

I guess this was too difficult to comprehend?

"Not a banana republic in the economic sense, of course. We remain the world’s largest economy but in the philosophical sense."

No one could be that petty. Well maybe:

50 minutes ago, novacova said:

Why don’t you ask the people of Venezuela who’s election was ripped off by the criminal thug illegitimate dictator.

I'm in Thailand and can't :)

We will see what they do in the next few years. Been down this road many times and not sure how this will pan out. Many failures of late IMO. My impression was Trump would avoid foreign conflicts but possibly he is being pragmatic when confronted with reality.

22 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

Why don't you ask them how they feel about his cronies being kept in power?

31 minutes ago, novacova said:

Why don’t you ask the people of Venezuela who’s election was ripped off by the criminal thug illegitimate dictator.

Meanwhile on the topic at hand, sans diversions. All over the world the Venezuelans in exile are celebrating. The removal of the Marxist that took the country to ruin

31 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

I don't think you understand. Maduro was forcing all his underlings to participate in his dirty deeds. Now that he's gone, they can rededicate themselves to promoting the welfare of the Venezuelan people.

Or...........they now can have it all for themselves

8 minutes ago, morrobay said:

Meanwhile on the topic at hand, sans diversions. All over the world the Venezuelans in exile are celebrating. The removal of the Marxist that took the country to ruin

So how soon are they going back.