Coup Coup

When I went to Google and typed in ‘coup definition,’ what I got was ‘a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government.’  There were other, more benign definitions but that was number 1, and that’s very much what we’re talking about in Venezuela.
This is the second time that they have announced a coup, and the second time that Guaido has addressed his followers and declared himself president of Venezuela.  It is also the second time that the army failed to rally to his side, tens of thousands of Maduro supporters have taken to the streets, and he’s been left looking rather foolish.
It’s almost as if he doesn’t know how to plan a coup.  I kind of feel sorry for him.  I know what it’s like to plan a party and not have anybody show up.   It’s embarrassing.
First, if you’re going to announce a coup, you want to know in advance that you have some influential supporters.  Guaido has the U.S. government, I suppose, but if they gave him assurances that they would move in with troops as soon as he announced, then they lied.  Twice.  Kind of reminds me of the Bay of Pigs thingie, except that that resulted in many of the coup’s participants dead, and many others in jail, despite actual U.S. soldiers and aircraft being involved.
Meanwhile, Guaido is just left looking kind of silly.  He announced himself as President of Venezuela (for the 2nd time), but the army and the people are still very loyal to Maduro, Maduro got to give the big May Day speech to tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans, and Maduro is still living in the presidential palace.

If he was half the dictator most American politicians are saying he is, Maduro would have had Guaido arrested by now.  Perhaps shot.  Certainly that’s what Kim Jong Un would have done.  Or the Saudi King, except it would have been a beheading.
Instead, he has just let Guaido stand there, looking foolish because nobody came to his party.