Tim Padgett
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Dear lefty-loosey, righty-tighty zealots: Spare us your Venezuela ‘bulla’ | Opinion
Maduro apologists on the left, like Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and hardliners on the right, like U.S. Marco Rubio, loudly insist they have the solution to Venezuela's electoral fraud crisis....
Maduro the latest in a long line of despicable dictators of Venezuela | Opinion
Nicolás Maduro's criminal electoral fraud cements his place in Venezuela's gallery of notorious dictators, writes WLRN Americas editor Tom Padgett, and destroys once and for all the founding lore of...
Venezuela’s Maduro tells us to accept the results of an election he may steal | Opinion
Polls show Venezuelan Dictator-President Nicolás Maduro that he'll inevitably lose a fair election — so he's goading his challenger, Edmundo González, to accept inevitable election fraud.
Cuban officials’ visit to Miami airport required greater transparency, but pols’ outrage is misplaced | Opinion
The political reaction to an official Cuban tour of Miami International Airport was outrageous — but so was the U.S. government's cluelessness about the Cuba issue in Miami, writes WLRN...
Now, as always, Cuban politics matter more than Cuban people | Opinion
Deeper Cuban suffering has sparked new protests, writes WLRN Americas Editor Tim Padgett. But don't expect either the Cuban regime or Cuban exile leadership to soften their stances in ways...
We gotta quit the Haiti habit of making bad bets on loser leaders | Opinion
Assembling a new transitional governing council in Haiti will be grueling, writes WLRN Americas editor Tim Padgett, but it's an opportunity to promote better leadership than the toxic ruling class...
Why do MAGAtinos back Trump, even as he backs Putin over their patrias? | Opinion
South Florida's Latino leadership embraces Donald Trump — even as he undermines their fight against dictatorships in Latin America by embracing Vladimir Putin's dictatorship in Russia, writes WLRN Americas editor...
A sensible conservative dies in Chile — as sensible conservatism dies here | Opinion
It's a sad but apt coincidence that a sensible conservative like former President Sebastián Piñera dies in Chile at the same moment sensible conservatism is being killed in America, writes...
Blasting Biden’s immigration bargain is short-sighted advocacy | Opinion
Immigrant advocates now denouncing President Joe Biden forget the U.S. needs to reform asylum and aid Ukraine — and that doing both can help ease America's immigration calamity, writes WLRN...
Don’t let Ecuador’s pain inflate standing of Latin America’s strongmen | Opinion
The gang poison plaguing Ecuador and Latin America is largely a result of what many now say is its antidote: the trashing of democratic institutions by mano dura leaders like...