Ben Norton

I'm so tired of people giving into right-wing smears and throwing Venezuela under the bus

Venezuela's govt is elected. The opposition still has representatives in govt, who have power and in fact stir up a lot of trouble

It's more democratic than the billionaire-controlled USA
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.@AnandWrites says Michael Bloomberg's attacks on socialism show he is stuck in the Cold War, presenting voters…
https://twitter.com/democracynow/status/1232661966793015296

Democracy Now! on Twitter

“.@AnandWrites says Michael Bloomberg's attacks on socialism show he is stuck in the Cold War, presenting voters a false binary choice: "We can either be a Goldman Sachs country, or we can be Maduro's Venezuela. Those are your choices!" Giridharadas says of Bloomberg's approach. https://t.co/zB1w3IezTR”

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Feb 26, 2020 at 5:49pmMoa
Show threadBen NortonFeb 26, 2020

Stop feeding the right-wing myth that Venezuela is a basket case. It does have economic problems, but it's a petrostate under a suffocating (illegal) US blockade and can't export oil. Its situation is unique.

The USA is much more of an actual police state
https://thegrayzone.com/2019/10/11/life-resistance-venezuela-ben-norton-us-blockade/

Real life and resistance in Venezuela – Ben Norton reports on effects of US blockade

Ben Norton speaks about his reporting in Venezuela, where he investigated how bipartisan US sanctions and Trump's embargo are making lives hell for civilians. Guest: Ben Norton, journalist from The Grayzone, who just returned from reporting

The Grayzone
Show threadLeo SammallahtiFeb 26, 2020

@benjaminnorton

I think putting money into running costs instead of investment + price controls play a part too...

The state owned oil company is also run by people who were nominated not due to merit, but due to their loyalty to the regime.

They weren't doing a great job running the company even when the economy was booming.

Show threadLeo SammallahtiFeb 26, 2020

@benjaminnorton

If you don't increase the supply of something, and try to bring the price down with price controls instead, you can end up with shortages.

This is partly what happened with Venezuela.