#1248 There you go again. Venezuela and America's addiction to imperialism (Remix)
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.6 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 7 January 2026
⏱️ 144 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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SHOW NOTES
Sharmini Peries hosts a wide-ranging conversation about the US-backed attempted coup in Venezuela
Ch. 2: How Did Venezuela Go From So Rich To So Poor - The Inquiry - Air Date 5-10-17
Venezuela was split between the rich and poor. Politicians lead the way to oil reliance.
Topics Include: Hugo Chavez, the Constituent Assembly, the opposition, the Venezuelan Communes, the concept of dual power, Jacobin Magazine and the Bolivarian Revolution
Ch. 4: Is Donald Trump waging a coup in Venezuela? - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 1-25-19
You need to be paying attention to what's happening in Venezuela. Eva Golinger joins Michael Brooks and the Majority Report crew to discuss this.
Ivan Briscoe, Latin America and Caribbean program director for Crisis Group, joins Ring of Fire's Sam Seder, to talk about Maduro's corruption and Venezuela's economic disaster.
Writer Jorge Martin examines the two futures of Venezuela and the Bolivarian revolution. Jorge wrote the article "Maduro Wins Presidential Election, Despite Imperialist Meddling – What Next?"
This push for regime change in Venezuela did not appear in a vacuum. The CIA has been plotting with so-called rebels in Venezuela from the early days of the Trump administration.
Investigative journalist Allan Nairn explains many aspects of the US attempts at a coup in Venezuela
Ch. 9: Many Countries at UN Oppose Trump Interference in Venezuela - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-29-19
Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay discuss why countries that claim to support the UN and international law are supportive of US imperialistic escapades
Ch. 10. Bonus Edition #137 Propaganda by poem and whole lot more about Venezuela
Jay shares a ton of additional content on Venezuela and muses on the developing pattern of the Trump administration using poem-based propaganda
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to this throwback edition of the award-winning Best of the Left podcast, where we remember the past and choose to repeat it. |
| 0:10.0 | Our latest episode on Trump's threats against Venezuela was uncannily timed as it hit our podcast feed within a couple of hours of the U.S. invasion of the country and the kidnapping of Nicholas Maduro. |
| 0:22.2 | Producer Dion, who worked on that episode, was initially annoyed at how quickly the information |
| 0:26.4 | in the episode went out of date. On the contrary, I continue to think that it is exactly |
| 0:31.7 | the pre-invasion context people need in order to understand the news that is continuing to come out as they see it. |
| 0:39.7 | And we have more of that context for you today because this is not our first attempt at a coup in |
| 0:45.8 | Venezuela. So today we take a look back to 2019 during Trump's first term when I titled |
| 0:52.2 | Episode 1248, |
| 0:59.1 | There You Go Again, Venezuela and America's Addiction to Imperialism, |
| 1:03.7 | which gives even more historical context for what we were doing back in 2019 and continues to inform what's happening right now. |
| 1:07.6 | In addition to the original regular episode, number 1248, we'll also be tacking on |
| 1:12.7 | the members-only show that I did immediately after, which includes some additional commentary |
| 1:17.1 | for me, as well as a few bonus clips, all of which were intended to be heard as a companion |
| 1:22.1 | piece to the regular show. So you'll hear that all today. And one last thing, if you'd like a |
| 1:26.6 | 20% discount on a Best of Left membership or gift last thing, if you'd like a 20% discount on a best |
| 1:28.3 | of left membership or gift membership, or if you'd like to send a message about our 20 year |
| 1:32.9 | anniversary of producing this podcast, go to bestof the left.com slash 20. That's 20 for all the |
| 1:39.8 | details. That's bestofleft.com slash two zero. And now to look back, but with an eye on the present, sources today include the real news, the inquiry, revolutionary left radio, the majority report, ring of fire radio, this is hell, The Intercept, and Democracy Now. |
| 2:06.0 | Thank you. The Intercept and Democracy Now? Let's take a look at some of the clips from mainstream media in describing what is going on today. |
| 2:13.3 | This was once this prosperous democracy, a jewel of Latin America 20 years ago before Chavez, |
| 2:20.6 | who was then succeeded by Maduro, who was in his regime, in his administration. |
| 2:25.3 | And it has been a disaster on all counts, both democratically and certainly economically. |
... |
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