4 ms·

U.S. plan to 'run' Venezuela clouded in confusion

11 points by doener 10mo ago

doener 10mo ago
"Two people close to the White House said the president’s lack of interest in boosting Machado, despite her recent efforts to flatter Trump, stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award the president has openly coveted. Although Machado ultimately said she was dedicating the award to Trump, her acceptance of the prize was an “ultimate sin,” said one of the people. “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” this person said."
- jacquesm 10mo ago
  I totally believe it.
cdrnsf 10mo ago
Everything this administration is clouded in confusion because it's comprised of people whose incompetence is matched only by their cruelty.
- rhelz 10mo ago
  Plucking a head of state and his wife out of a military compound and whisking them away to NY, without losing a single vehicle or soldier's life, is the opposite of incompetence. I am no fan of the current administration, but we just have to stop thinking about them as incompetent. They are incredibly competent, they just don't have any particular interest in helping out 99% of the population.
  - taylodl 10mo ago
    They just don't have any particular interest in helping out 99.997% of the population. If your net worth isn't at least $100 million, then this administration isn't working for you.
    - doener 10mo ago
      In fact, there are many indications that this figure is closer to 99.999%: unless your last name is Trump, this administration is not working in your best interests.
  - cdrnsf 10mo ago
    I'd credit the agencies and military more than I would the administration directing them. The president couldn't run a casino, I doubt he run can much of anything effectively (though he can channel the nation's id). Tanking the economy by managing tariffs like a toddler manages a light switch doesn't speak to competence. Nor does blindly cutting staff only to rehire them. I suppose letting ICE loose to trample civil rights speaks more to cruelty, though their continual inability to win court cases goes to incompetence.
- aebtebeten 10mo ago
  According to the Bueno de Mesquita and Smith model, we should expect the inner circles of authoritarians to be chosen for loyalty, not competence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator%27s_Handbook#:~:text=or%20highly%20imperfect%20democracies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator%27s_Handbook#:~:t... (how closely does https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory#/media/File:Selectorate_Theory_Euler_Diagram.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory#/media/File... map to the model Goldstein presents in "Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism"? Or to Rao's Office politics model: sociopaths, clueless, and losers?)
xenospn 10mo ago
We’re living in the land of confusion.
jacquesm 10mo ago
I would have been a lot more surprised if it wasn't.

11 points by doener 10mo ago

doener 10mo ago

"Two people close to the White House said the president’s lack of interest in boosting Machado, despite her recent efforts to flatter Trump, stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award the president has openly coveted. Although Machado ultimately said she was dedicating the award to Trump, her acceptance of the prize was an “ultimate sin,” said one of the people. “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” this person said."

jacquesm 10mo ago
I totally believe it.

cdrnsf 10mo ago

Everything this administration is clouded in confusion because it's comprised of people whose incompetence is matched only by their cruelty.

rhelz 10mo ago
Plucking a head of state and his wife out of a military compound and whisking them away to NY, without losing a single vehicle or soldier's life, is the opposite of incompetence. I am no fan of the current administration, but we just have to stop thinking about them as incompetent. They are incredibly competent, they just don't have any particular interest in helping out 99% of the population.
- taylodl 10mo ago
  They just don't have any particular interest in helping out 99.997% of the population. If your net worth isn't at least $100 million, then this administration isn't working for you.
  - doener 10mo ago
    In fact, there are many indications that this figure is closer to 99.999%: unless your last name is Trump, this administration is not working in your best interests.
- cdrnsf 10mo ago
  I'd credit the agencies and military more than I would the administration directing them. The president couldn't run a casino, I doubt he run can much of anything effectively (though he can channel the nation's id). Tanking the economy by managing tariffs like a toddler manages a light switch doesn't speak to competence. Nor does blindly cutting staff only to rehire them. I suppose letting ICE loose to trample civil rights speaks more to cruelty, though their continual inability to win court cases goes to incompetence.
aebtebeten 10mo ago
According to the Bueno de Mesquita and Smith model, we should expect the inner circles of authoritarians to be chosen for loyalty, not competence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator%27s_Handbook#:~:text=or%20highly%20imperfect%20democracies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator%27s_Handbook#:~:t... (how closely does https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory#/media/File:Selectorate_Theory_Euler_Diagram.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectorate_theory#/media/File... map to the model Goldstein presents in "Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism"? Or to Rao's Office politics model: sociopaths, clueless, and losers?)

xenospn 10mo ago

We’re living in the land of confusion.

jacquesm 10mo ago

I would have been a lot more surprised if it wasn't.