Marco Rubio's Message to María Corina Machado

Marco Rubio's message to María Corina Machado:

And you’re not going to street-protest your way into a democracy.  It’s just not – the way you do it peacefully is through a process, and it’s the one we’ve set up.  And if this process doesn’t work, then the alternative is going to be worse.  The alternative is going to be either violence and armed conflict within the country, or back to the way things have been for the last 20 years, which have not been good for the people of Venezuela. 

This is baldly untrue. I get what he means: electoral and judicial institutions should be reformed to ensure a free and fair vote. But still, it's untrue. Protests tend to be the most effective way of forcing democratic change, particularly in this context where the U.S. government clearly wants a transition that preserves its economic influence.

It just feels like Rubio doesn't trust MCM in no small part because the U.S. doesn't control her. She's a wild card with a massive following so they want her sidelined as much as possible. So she's been back for only like 48 hours and he's made several public statements aimed in her direction. I hope very much that elections are held before long and that the U.S. doesn't meddle with the process, though we can't count on that.

In the meantime, I will be fascinated to see how MCM operates. Her very presence--irrespective of protests--will hopefully speed up the process.