The Venezuelan oil industry is not even 1/2 of what it used to be. Chavez and now Maduro have placed cronies in not only government positions but also in positions related to running the oil industry, most of the money has gone in their pockets, they have destroyed most of the installations because even the money that was meant to fix has gone in their pockets.

Here, see pictures of the Chavez family mansion:
[link:https://www.google.com/search?q=family+chavez+mansion&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwieze-_36LgAhXttlkKHSXVC1MQsAR6BAgAEAE&biw=1366&bih=599|

I am quite amazed on Thom's ignorance about the reality in Venezuela...People are dying of hunger, there is no food in supermarkets, there are no medicines and people are dying because they cannot find prescriptions, Maduro, Cabello and the high ranking military are worth billions, money that has been taken from the people, from the oil industry, from narco traffic, they have supported the FARC, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia is infiltrated, so is China, Cubans, etc. The worst of the World has been housed and financially supported by these thugs. Young people are being tortured, families are being robbed, killed by the militia the regime created, etc.

How can anyone not support the coalition that has decided to help Venezuela? To begin with, it is not the USA alone, Brazil and Colombia, and now EU countries are going to be working in bringing the regime down, and Venezuelan welcome the intervention.

I am so tired of the ignorance going around about Venezuela, and for Thom Hartman to give that opinion is mind blowing.

So a coup seems par for the course.

This was before Maduro came to power, but I've seen what Chavez and his group did. I'm not necessarily in favor of coups, but neither will I be sad to see Maduro go.

part of the plan.
I got roundly criticized on DU for suggesting such a thing. Of course it was during the Obama administration, so that probably had a lot to do with it.

Or the one in 2017 when he manipulated the elections for Constitutional National Assembly?

Or the one in 2018 when he prevented the opposition-parties from running candidates against him for Presidency?