The Lady Has Guts

The title was a description historically applied to Jane Byrne in Chicago. Byrne had been fired from her position with the city government by Michael Bilandic, successor to the legendary mayor Richard J. Daley. She then ran against Bilandic in the Democratic primary at the next mayoral election. Byrne had been a Daley acolyte, but following her firing she ran against the Daley machine, a seemingly foolhardy move for a Democratic candidate. Bilandic was the machine candidate. Byrne was given little chance of unseating him. With out-of-state progressive money, an astute campaign manager, an act of God (the January 1979 Blizzard, the response to which by the Bilandic administration convinced Chicagoans that he was incompetent), and an endorsement by Jesse Jackson, she narrowly prevailed. She beat the machine. The lady did have guts—and brains and a little luck. However, she managed only one term, losing the next primary to Harold Washington in a three-way race with Richard Daley fils.

In my view, the gutsy descriptor fits another female politician better, namely Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela. She has now returned to Venezuela at great risk to herself, but to the enthusiastic acclaim of her supporters. The opposition party she led won the last election in an overwhelming victory with a surrogate candidate, as she was barred from running. But Maduro refused to acknowledge that victory and remained in power. Machado has spent decades opposing the Chavista regime and Maduro. All at great risk. She has been in hiding and in exile. The government she opposes is utterly corrupt, as she, her fellow Venezuelans, and the whole world know. She remains in danger, but is more of an iron lady than even Thatcher, having to deal with thugs, criminals, murderers, and drug traffickers as her political opponents.

Following Maduro's removal, the Trump administration has given the cold shoulder to Machado. The reasons are unclear. Perhaps he is miffed that she, not he, has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Rubio has been supportive, but has been hampered by a president who doesn't seem to like Machado. Trump claims Delcy Rodriguez, second-in-command to Maduro, now running the country, is the popular leader of the nation. Her favorability stands at 3%.

Trump has also arranged for Alejandro Betancourt Lopez to run the country's oil industry. Betancourt has been accused by a Swiss court of money laundering and had a warrant for his arrest and extradition that was finessed by the US government and withdrawn by Switzerland so he could return to Venezuela to run the oil industry at Trump's behest. Betancourt is corrupt and a strange bedfellow. Perhaps Trump thinks he can control him due to his potential criminal status in Europe (e.g., he needs Trump, at least as long as Trump is president).

Trump's oil deal with Venezuela involves an account in a New York bank that accepts the oil revenues and disperses funds to Venezuela. The deal seems murky to me. Who controls those accounts is not clear. Hopefully not Betancourt. Does Trump control the account? Directly? Indirectly? This arrangement looks like it gives Trump de facto—if not direct—control of Venezuela's oil resources.

If Machado were to win a presidential election, that would change this type of circumstance and, given Machado's history, she would very likely try to run a legitimate government with private contracting for oil extraction and be far more transparent about the oil resources and finances, which seems distinctly unlikely under the current arrangement with Betancourt.

So I suspect this accounts for Trump ill-considered treatment of Machado. It seems that Machado is fighting both Venezuela's corrupt and murderous regime along with a less-than-transparent American administration that doesn't want her upsetting the Venezuelan apple (oil) cart. She has a tough row to hoe. I for one wish her all the best and am waiting with bated breath to see if she can force an election and win. I don't see any eventuality more beneficial for Venezuela. Trump should be backing her to the hilt, but he seems to have other interests that are impeding that support. Not good in my book.