Socialists Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) were completely silent on Tuesday about the situation unfolding in Venezuela as the socialist nation reportedly fired on and ran over protesters.
“Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó took to the streets on Tuesday, calling on citizens and the military to back him up in the ‘final phase’ of the interim president’s plan to end the regime of socialist President Nicolás Maduro,” Fox News reported. “Guaido’s announcement immediately drew support from politicians in the U.S., which said earlier this year it would recognize Guaidó as the country’s interim president.”
Ocasio Cortez Venezuela Meet The Press
At the time this report was written, neither of the socialist politicians had made any remarks about what was happening in Venezuela which included reports that the government had fired on protesters and a disturbing video of an armored military vehicle driving over protesters.
Breaking now in #Venezuela – LISTEN: you can hear the #MaduroRegime firing a mix of pellets and live ammo at the people as #NicolasMaduro attempts to repress the uprising. pic.twitter.com/EpVMWm1XCS
With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s rise to prominence and Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential run kicking off, Venezuela provides an important test, both.
- Bernie Sanders Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Sean Hannity Venezuela House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has suggested that the chaos engulfing Venezuela is a direct result of progressive policies.
- ANALYSIS/OPINION: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez insists she doesn’t want America to be like Venezuela. No, the ubiquitous New York Democratic House freshman wants our country to be like Sweden.
— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) April 30, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted nothing about Venezuela from her official congressional Twitter account or from her personal Twitter account.
Sanders, who was also silent about the events in Venezuela, was busy doubling down on his belief that terrorists who have murdered American citizens should have the right to vote in U.S. elections while incarcerated.
“If we are serious about calling ourselves a democracy, we must firmly establish that the right to vote is an inalienable and universal principle that applies to all American citizens 18 years and older,” Sanders tweeted from his personal account. “When we look at the history of why our country has banned incarcerated people from voting, we must understand that the efforts to rob citizens of their voting rights was a legacy of slavery and continuing racist attitudes post-Jim Crow.”
When we look at the history of why our country has banned incarcerated people from voting, we must understand that the efforts to rob citizens of their voting rights was a legacy of slavery and continuing racist attitudes post-Jim Crow. 2/
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 30, 2019
“Our present-day crisis of mass incarceration has become a tool of voter suppression. Today, over 4.5 million Americans — disproportionately people of color — have lost their right to vote because they have served time in jail or prison for a felony conviction,” Sanders continued. “It goes without saying that someone who commits a serious crime must pay their debt to society. But punishment for a crime, or keeping dangerous people behind bars, does not cause people to lose their rights to citizenship. It should not cause them to lose their right to vote.”
It goes without saying that someone who commits a serious crime must pay their debt to society. But punishment for a crime, or keeping dangerous people behind bars, does not cause people to lose their rights to citizenship. It should not cause them to lose their right to vote. 5/
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 30, 2019
Sanders later appeared on CNN with host Brooke Baldwin who did not ask Sanders a single question about Venezuela.
Last month, Ocasio-Cortez refused to denounce Maduro when asked by a reporter and instead attacked a member of the Trump administration.
“As a Democratic Socialist, I’m wondering what are your thoughts on the Venezuelan crisis that’s happening right now and if you would denounce the Maduro regime?” a reporter asked.
“Yeah, so, I think that, that this is absolutely a complex issue,” Ocasio-Cortez responded. “I think it’s important that, uh, that we approach this very carefully. One I am, um, myself just like anyone else who is absolutely concerned with the humanitarian crises that’s happening and I think it’s important that any solution that we have centers the Venezuelan people and centers the democracy of Venezuelan people first.”
Alexandria Ocasio-cortez Venezuela
“I am very concerned about U.S. interventionism in Venezuela, and I oppose it, especially when we talk about a figure like this U.S. Special Envoy Elliott Abrams here,” Ocasio-Cortez continued. “I think it’s, he’s pled guilty to several crimes related to Iran-contra and I don’t think that we should be, you know I am generally opposed to U.S. interventionism as a principle, but particularly under this administration and under his leadership I think it’s a profound mistake.”
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Partner
When asked, Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refused to denounce Venezuelan Dictator Nicolás Maduro. pic.twitter.com/CEDpiSRHhn
Alexandria Ocasio-cortez Y Venezuela
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 4, 2019