- The video discusses the current situation in Venezuela, highlighting the country's recent turmoil and protests.
- It emphasizes that the crisis in Venezuela is not solely due to socialism, but rather a result of mismanagement and corruption.
- The video explains how former president Hugo Chavez's social programs were initially effective, but his economic policies and corruption contributed to the country's decline.
- It mentions that Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro, has failed to effectively manage the economic crisis, leading to skyrocketing inflation and a shortage of basic necessities.
- The video concludes by stating that despite the dire situation, Maduro is likely to win the upcoming presidential election.

-Venezuelans are struggling to find or afford basic necessities due to inflation and shortages.
-Three quarters of the population has lost an average of almost 20 pounds in the last year.
-President Maduro has been insensitive to the food shortage, eating in front of a starving nation.
-Maduro's proposed "rabbit plan" to encourage breeding and eating bunnies was met with backlash.
-Maduro's economic policies, such as introducing a new currency, have not addressed inflation.
-Maduro has blamed the United States for Venezuela's crisis, although this is not true.
-Maduro has manipulated the democratic process to maintain power.
-Venezuelans have been left feeling hopeless, with many leaving the country.
-There are limited options to help Venezuela, as sanctions could worsen the situation.
-A bird makes a humorous plea to Maduro to accept humanitarian aid and stop being a dictator.

John Oliver discusses the devastating economic crisis in Venezuela and enlists the help of a large bird who bears a striking resemblance to Wilmer Valderrama.

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Not to be confused with Benazela, because that is the hot new celebrity couple that's just Ben Affleck fucking a Vuvuzela.

Venezuela is the country famous for giving the world oil, 7 Miss Universes, 6 Miss Worlds, and of course, most importantly, 1 Wilma Valderrama, who I like to think of as the Miss Universe of that 70s show.

Now, over the last few years, it has seemed like every time Venezuela has been on the news, it's because something awful has been happening.

This is now the only daily diet Venezuelans can count on.

Violent protesters stormed the National Assembly Sunday, even punching some lawmakers.

A stolen police helicopter fires on Venezuela's Supreme Court.

The clashes in Caracas between protesters and police are looking more like all-out war.

It's true, Things in Venezuela have been extremely grim.

So fair warning here, this is not going to be 1 of those feel-good last week tonight stories like slippers or everything looks okay at the pudding factory or a genocide, but it's only happening to balloon animals.

And it has been hard to keep up with events in Venezuela due to the hurricane of shit that we've all been dealing with here.

Although, if you follow conservative media at all, you may have seen it frequently painted as the inevitable, dire consequences of a socialist government.

For a case in point, just watch this InfoWars reporter quizzing an extremely chill Bernie Sanders supporter.

A majority of the country is currently eating rats while their politicians are drinking champagne on a daily basis.

Well, I'm saying, since if Bernie Sanders were president, right, and he wanted to bring the same ideas for socialism into this country, do you think that would be a benefit?

But I just told you Venezuela's eating rats.

But I just want people to have healthcare, honey.

You people have, like, worms in your brain, honestly.

She essentially just got served by sassy Popeye.

But what you do have there is a nice distillation of the current level of political discourse in America.

2 people who don't really know what they're talking about, condescending to each other nonsensically until 1 of them lands a sick burn.

But what is happening in Venezuela is not just extremely important, it is absolutely worth paying attention to, because this is not just a story about socialism.

There are plenty of socialist countries that look nothing like Venezuela.

So epic that a nation of 31 million people with the largest oil reserves in the world have been forced to resort to some pretty creative forms of protest.

Social media ablaze for the past few days, encouraging protesters to fill jars and bags with human feces.

This is 1 of our last options, says this masked man.

We are calling it Poo-Poo Toff Cocktails.

Named, of course, after the Soviet premier, Vyacheslav Poo-Poo Toff, who was infamous for pooping in jars and throwing them at people.

And while that is funny, because you know, it's poop, It is also desperate people resorting to a desperate measure.

And given that, next Sunday, Venezuela is having their presidential election.

Tonight, we thought we'd check in on what's been happening there to try and understand how Venezuela got into this mess and how, despite making it even worse, their current president, Nicolas Maduro, seen here absolutely going to town on a nana...

Is almost certainly going to win, despite having the support of only around a fifth of the population.

And to understand anything about present-day Venezuela, you really have to start with Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, shown here, looking understandably smug about the fact that he's got a bird in a hat on his shoulder.

Now, Chavez was massively popular in Venezuela, beloved for both his generous social programs and his larger-than-life personality.

Every Sunday, he staged marathon TV broadcasts that sometimes ran up to 8 hours on his show, HALO Presidente.

The show featured special guests, dance numbers, and prize giveaways.

Because if giving away flat screen TVs is truly the opposite of capitalism, then the most successful socialist leader in history is comrade Drew Carey.

Now, Chavez could act the way that he did because Venezuela was oil rich.

And over the course of his presidency, he took more and more state control over their national oil company, enabling him to fund programs benefiting the poor.

And when that company protested some of the changes that he was making, he responded by using his TV show to address its executives directly.

Juan Fernandez, you are fired from Petroleum of Venezuela.

Eddie Ramirez, thank you very much, you are fired.

♪ -Also, Mariana Rodriguez, you are not fired, but if you don't stop talking to your boyfriend on speakerphone, you absolutely will be.

And Mateo Martinez, if you use the office kitchen to microwave fish 1 more time, so help me, I'm gonna have you fucking murdered.

Chavez, many of his social programs were initially effective.

During his tenure, the poverty rate was nearly halved, and to this day, many Venezuelans revere Chavez to a dramatic degree.

The late president's eyes are painted on public buildings, as if watching over the revolution.

This man even tattooing the eyes onto his forehead.

That's the image, the eyes of our Supreme Commander, Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias.

The eyes that see the world, the whole world.

♪ I like my president so much, I want him to watch me masturbate for the rest of my life.

Because that's what those eyes are gonna see.

And the thing is, some of Chavez's programs could have been sustainable if he pursued a sound economic policy and run a tight ship.

But not only did he stop saving oil revenues in the Rainy Day Fund, he also oversaw a government that Transparency International found to be the most corrupt country in Latin America.

And remember, Latin America has Columbia in it.

A country where the only campaign finance law is, please report all bribes consisting of more than 10 kilos of cocaine.

Still, as long as the price of oil went up forever, and Chavez never died, the cracks could have been papered over.

Unfortunately, in 2014, the price of oil plummeted from over $100 a barrel to just $50 a barrel.

Just 1 year after, Chavez plummeted from being alive to being very much dead.

And here is where Maduro, the big banana fan, comes in.

Because he was Chavez's hand-picked successor, but unfortunately, had neither his booming economy nor his charisma, although he has desperately tried to make up for that.

Even going so far as to tell people that he'd received messages from the spirit of Chavez who'd visited him in the form of a little bird.

It's a story he's told repeatedly and sometimes even throws in sound effects.

He stood up from a wooden beam here and started whistling.

I felt him there as if he were giving us a blessing.

Now, what I like the most about that, other than the whistling, which I like very much, is the idea that when powerful leaders die, they become birds.

Because that is a pretty humiliating second act.

I led my people to greatness, and now, I will bath my lunch into my child's mouth and fly into a glass window." And look, I don't want to say that Maduro's charm offensive hasn't been working, but just watch this moment from a TV appearance where he was reading messages from viewers live on air.

Moises David tells me, Nicolás Maduro, suck on it.

DRAMATIC MUSIC AND LAUGHTER ♪ -♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC AND

DRAMATIC MUSIC AND LAUGHTER ♪ -♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC AND LAUGHTER

Maduro essentially appeared on a segment of celebrities read mean tweets completely by accident.

And the thing is, it's easy to see why Maduro has pissed people off, because he has managed Venezuela's economic crisis in the worst possible way.

He's doubled down on many of Chavez's most unsound policies, like unrealistic currency and price controls, while attempting to make up for missing revenue by simply creating more money.

And As a result, inflation has exploded, with the IMF forecasting 13,000 percent inflation for 2018.

And to give you an idea of just how ridiculous that can look, this was a trip to a Venezuelan market last year.

The currency is so devalued, some shopkeepers weigh the money rather than waste time counting.

And if residents are lucky enough to find food on the shelves, prices are out of sight.

This plantain costs what your house costs 25 years ago.

Either inflation is completely out of hand, or that is 1 incredible plantain.

And inflation is just 1 of many reasons why many Venezuelans are struggling to find or even afford basic necessities like medicine or food.

And those shortages have had some terrible consequences.

Over the last year, 3 quarters of the population has lost an average of almost 20 pounds.

This is how many holes I had to make in my belt on the Maduro diet.

That is actually now a commonly used phrase in Venezuela.

And it's a very healthy sounding term for a truly horrifying situation.

It's like saying Jim Jones was the pioneer of the Jonestown juice cleanse.

It is not like Maduro isn't aware that people are starving.

In fact, during 1 of his media appearances, a reporter noticed that the video feed cut away every time Maduro helped himself to the plates of charcuterie and cakes.

So he knew that eating would look insensitive, although those camera cutaways haven't always worked, because just watch this clip that went viral last year.

And know that what he's saying here doesn't matter.

What's important for you to remember is, he's about to think that the camera is off him.

President, a big hug and congratulations to the governors and governors of Mexico and to all our friends...

He just housed an empanada in front of a starving nation.

And come on, Maduro, a nationwide famine is no time for fourth meal.

And if you think that is the most tone-deaf reaction to Venezuela's mass food shortages, just wait until you see him do some pretty insensitive crowd work.

That is the most awkward presidential attempt to be in on the joke, since Herbert Hoover claimed that Hoover towns make you wet without the need for cornmeal or castor oil.

They didn't totally understand how vaginas worked back then.

Even when the Maduro government has tried to help, it's done it in a truly ham-fisted way.

For instance, Maduro has proposed a so-called rabbit plan.

Basically a program to encourage Venezuelans to breed and eat bunnies.

But when people started putting bows on them and keeping them as pets instead, his administration gave a pretty callous correction.

It's 2 and a half kilos of meat that is high in protein with no cholesterol.

A rabbit is just 2 and a half kilos of meat.

That sounds less like a government pronouncement and more like a tank top Marlon Bando used to wear back in his clubbing days.

economic policy, Maduro has generally lived in complete denial.

His most recent plan to address rampant inflation was to introduce a new version of their currency, the Bolivar, just with 3 zeros lopped off the end.

And in case any part of you thinks that might actually fix their inflation problem, we asked Yale economist Robert Schiller if that's how money works.

the absence of solutions, Maduro has reached for the next best thing, blaming someone else.

Over the years, he's suggested that the United States was responsible for injecting Chavez with cancer.

Was sabotaging Venezuelan ATMs, and he's chalked up protest against him to this.

This is part of a scheme of non-conventional war that the U.S.

America has undoubtedly done some awful things in Central and South America.

We've backed coup attempts, juntas and atrocities in Chile, Argentina, and Guatemala, but refreshingly, what's happening in Venezuela is actually not our fault.

Accusing America of creating Venezuela's crisis is about as fair as accusing O.J.

I'm not saying it will be completely out of character, It just happens to not be true in this particular instance.

And yet, and yet despite all of this, Maduro is about to dominate this election like he absolutely dominated that banana.

Well, he's basically bent Venezuela's democratic process to his will.

Back in 2015, when his party lost control of the National Assembly, he responded by stacking the Supreme Court with 13 new justices, and then simply created a whole new assembly.

President Nicolás Maduro wants to create a political assembly with vast power to rewrite the Constitution and potentially dismantle the democratically elected legislature.

All of the candidates today are Maduro supporters, including his wife and son.

Now, just think about the sheer scale of what Maduro did there.

That'd be like if here, Trump put a bunch of his friends on the Supreme Court, who then happily allowed him to create a second Congress that outranks the real Congress, and his members include Melania and Eric, and which, by the way, you just know he'd call Dongress.

And please take that down before he gets any ideas.

Now, on top of that, Maduro has either jailed or barred from public office a number of his political opponents, and has even turned down help from other countries and agencies, including food and medicine.

He has turned down food and medicine, telling Venezuelans that humanitarian aid is part of a conspiracy to overthrow his government.

All of which has left Venezuelans feeling so hopeless that nearly 1000000 of them have left the country over the past 2 years.

And many of those who've remained are now at their breaking point.

Hey, everyone should know this, we are starving.

The collectives to attack you, to kill you.

And when you listen to her, it starts to hit you that Pooh Pooh Toff cocktails might actually turn out to be pretty fucking restrained.

And the most frustrating thing here is, there aren't a lot of great options to help.

The Trump administration has imposed some sanctions and is considering more, but if they're not extremely careful, those could wind up causing even more hardship.

So, at this point, seeing as Maduro won't listen to reason, or to the will of his own people, perhaps it's time to call in the 1 voice that we know he'll listen to.

So ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, a bird!

Okay, and if you're thinking this is just Wilmer Valderrama and the birds who would...

Well, you used to think it was Hugo Chavez.

You're not exactly the authority on what's birds.

Because I'm 2 and a half kilos of high protein and meat.

And I'm here to tell you, you're in some serious trouble, compadre.

Is that a good sign when the people are throwing their poop at you?

Every time a bird poops on you, you should know it was a political statement.

Also, that we aimed and thought it was funny.

Maduro, the whole world can see what mess you are making.

Even TV hosts here in America, like that idiot.

The point is, Maduro, you need to accept humanitarian aid and cool it with the dictator stuff.

I've got a poopoo top cocktail with your name on it right here.

And because I am a real, actual bird, I'm going to exit with effortless beauty and grace.


Speaker 0: -♪ ♪ -♪ Venezuela. Not to be confused with Benazela, because that is the hot new celebrity couple that's just Ben Affleck fucking a Vuvuzela. Yeah. He's happy. He's happy.

You should be happy for him. Venezuela. Venezuela is the country famous for giving the world oil, 7 Miss Universes, 6 Miss Worlds, and of course, most importantly, 1 Wilma Valderrama, who I like to think of as the Miss Universe of that 70s show. Now, over the last few years, it has seemed like every time Venezuela has been on the news, it's because something awful has been happening.

Speaker 1: Food riots and looting. This is now the only daily diet Venezuelans can count on.

Speaker 2: Violent protesters stormed the National Assembly Sunday, even punching some lawmakers. Chaos in Caracas. A stolen police helicopter fires on Venezuela's Supreme Court.

Speaker 3: The clashes in Caracas between protesters and police are looking more like all-out war.

Speaker 0: It's true, Things in Venezuela have been extremely grim. So fair warning here, this is not going to be 1 of those feel-good last week tonight stories like slippers or everything looks okay at the pudding factory or a genocide, but it's only happening to balloon animals. And it has been hard to keep up with events in Venezuela due to the hurricane of shit that we've all been dealing with here. Although, if you follow conservative media at all, you may have seen it frequently painted as the inevitable, dire consequences of a socialist government. For a case in point, just watch this InfoWars reporter quizzing an extremely chill Bernie Sanders supporter.

Speaker 2: You know Venezuela, right? Heard of it. A majority of the country is currently eating rats while their politicians are drinking champagne on a daily basis.

Speaker 0: -...-

Speaker 2: Well, I'm saying, since if Bernie Sanders were president, right, and he wanted to bring the same ideas for socialism into this country, do you think that would be a benefit? Yeah, yeah. But I just told you Venezuela's eating rats. But I just want people to have healthcare, honey. I don't want, like...

Well...

Speaker 4: Same thing Hugo Chavez.

Speaker 2: Oh, my God.

Speaker 4: When he was taken over in Venezuela.

Speaker 2: You people have, like, worms in your brain, honestly. -♪ ♪ -♪ Now,

Speaker 5: that's... That is not great news

Speaker 0: for that InfoWars reporter. She essentially just got served by sassy Popeye. But what you do have there is a nice distillation of the current level of political discourse in America. 2 people who don't really know what they're talking about, condescending to each other nonsensically until 1 of them lands a sick burn. -...

But what is happening in Venezuela is not just extremely important, it is absolutely worth paying attention to, because this is not just a story about socialism. There are plenty of socialist countries that look nothing like Venezuela. It's a story about epic mismanagement. So epic that a nation of 31 million people with the largest oil reserves in the world have been forced to resort to some pretty creative forms of protest.

Speaker 1: Social media ablaze for the past few days, encouraging protesters to fill jars and bags with human feces. This is 1 of our last options, says this masked man. We are calling it Poo-Poo Toff Cocktails.

Speaker 0: Yes, Poo-Poo Toff Cocktails. Named, of course, after the Soviet premier, Vyacheslav Poo-Poo Toff, who was infamous for pooping in jars and throwing them at people. Little bit of history for you there. And while that is funny, because you know, it's poop, It is also desperate people resorting to a desperate measure. And given that, next Sunday, Venezuela is having their presidential election.

Tonight, we thought we'd check in on what's been happening there to try and understand how Venezuela got into this mess and how, despite making it even worse, their current president, Nicolas Maduro, seen here absolutely going to town on a nana... Is almost certainly going to win, despite having the support of only around a fifth of the population. And to understand anything about present-day Venezuela, you really have to start with Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, shown here, looking understandably smug about the fact that he's got a bird in a hat on his shoulder. Now, Chavez was massively popular in Venezuela, beloved for both his generous social programs and his larger-than-life personality.

Speaker 6: Every Sunday, he staged marathon TV broadcasts that sometimes ran up to 8 hours on his show, HALO Presidente. The show featured special guests, dance numbers, and prize giveaways.

Speaker 7: TV, Look, what do you call this? Screen.

Speaker 4: Over here, we have flat screen TVs. It's the opposite of capitalism.

Speaker 0: Well, hold on there, Hugo. Because if giving away flat screen TVs is truly the opposite of capitalism, then the most successful socialist leader in history is comrade Drew Carey. Now, Chavez could act the way that he did because Venezuela was oil rich. And over the course of his presidency, he took more and more state control over their national oil company, enabling him to fund programs benefiting the poor. And when that company protested some of the changes that he was making, he responded by using his TV show to address its executives directly.

Speaker 4: I'm firing the following people. Mr. Juan Fernandez, you are fired from Petroleum of Venezuela. Eddie Ramirez, thank you very much, you are fired.

Speaker 0: -♪ It's a beautiful day... ♪ -Also, Mariana Rodriguez, you are not fired, but if you don't stop talking to your boyfriend on speakerphone, you absolutely will be. And Mateo Martinez, if you use the office kitchen to microwave fish 1 more time, so help me, I'm gonna have you fucking murdered.

Speaker 5: Now, now, now, to be fair, to be fair to

Speaker 0: Chavez, many of his social programs were initially effective. During his tenure, the poverty rate was nearly halved, and to this day, many Venezuelans revere Chavez to a dramatic degree. The late president's eyes are painted on public buildings, as if watching over the revolution. This man even tattooing the eyes onto his forehead. -♪ El imaje...

♪ -♪ El... ♪

Speaker 4: That's the image, the eyes of our Supreme Commander, Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. The eyes that see the world, the whole world.

Speaker 0: Now, that is dedication right there. -♪ El... ♪ -♪ El... ♪ I like my president so much, I want him to watch me masturbate for the rest of my life. Because that's what those eyes are gonna see.

That's... They'll see other things, but it's... They're also seeing that. And... And the thing is, some of Chavez's programs could have been sustainable if he pursued a sound economic policy and run a tight ship.

But not only did he stop saving oil revenues in the Rainy Day Fund, he also oversaw a government that Transparency International found to be the most corrupt country in Latin America. And remember, Latin America has Columbia in it. A country where the only campaign finance law is, please report all bribes consisting of more than 10 kilos of cocaine. Still, as long as the price of oil went up forever, and Chavez never died, the cracks could have been papered over. Unfortunately, in 2014, the price of oil plummeted from over $100 a barrel to just $50 a barrel.

Just 1 year after, Chavez plummeted from being alive to being very much dead. And... And here is where Maduro, the big banana fan, comes in. Because he was Chavez's hand-picked successor, but unfortunately, had neither his booming economy nor his charisma, although he has desperately tried to make up for that. Even going so far as to tell people that he'd received messages from the spirit of Chavez who'd visited him in the form of a little bird.

It's a story he's told repeatedly and sometimes even throws in sound effects.

Speaker 7: And he turned me 3 times up here. Chuk-chuk-chuk-chuk. Chuk-chuk-chuk-chuk. Chuk-chuk-chuk. He stood up from a wooden beam here and started whistling.

Chuk-chuk-chuk. I felt his spirit. I felt him there as if he were giving us a blessing.

Speaker 0: Now, what I like the most about that, other than the whistling, which I like very much, is the idea that when powerful leaders die, they become birds. Because that is a pretty humiliating second act. I led my people to greatness, and now, I will bath my lunch into my child's mouth and fly into a glass window." And look, I don't want to say that Maduro's charm offensive hasn't been working, but just watch this moment from a TV appearance where he was reading messages from viewers live on air.

Speaker 4: Moises David tells me, Nicolás Maduro, suck on it.

Speaker 0: -♪

Speaker 5: DRAMATIC MUSIC AND LAUGHTER ♪ -♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC AND

Speaker 4: LAUGHTER ♪ You suck on your own.

Speaker 0: -♪

Speaker 5: DRAMATIC MUSIC AND LAUGHTER ♪ -♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC AND LAUGHTER

Speaker 0: ♪

Speaker 4: You could suck yourself.

Speaker 0: -♪

Speaker 5: DRAMATIC MUSIC AND LAUGHTER

Speaker 0: ♪ -♪

Speaker 5: DRAMATIC MUSIC AND

Speaker 0: LAUGHTER ♪ Yes, That's right. Maduro essentially appeared on a segment of celebrities read mean tweets completely by accident. And the thing is, it's easy to see why Maduro has pissed people off, because he has managed Venezuela's economic crisis in the worst possible way. He's doubled down on many of Chavez's most unsound policies, like unrealistic currency and price controls, while attempting to make up for missing revenue by simply creating more money. And As a result, inflation has exploded, with the IMF forecasting 13,000 percent inflation for 2018.

And to give you an idea of just how ridiculous that can look, this was a trip to a Venezuelan market last year.

Speaker 3: The currency is so devalued, some shopkeepers weigh the money rather than waste time counting. And if residents are lucky enough to find food on the shelves, prices are out of sight. This plantain costs what your house costs 25 years ago.

Speaker 0: Wow. I mean, there's clearly 2 options there. Either inflation is completely out of hand, or that is 1 incredible plantain. I mean, world-class plantain. And inflation is just 1 of many reasons why many Venezuelans are struggling to find or even afford basic necessities like medicine or food.

And those shortages have had some terrible consequences.

Speaker 6: This food shortage is widespread. Over the last year, 3 quarters of the population has lost an average of almost 20 pounds.

Speaker 4: Look how fat I used to be. This is how many holes I had to make in my belt on the Maduro diet.

Speaker 0: Yes, the Maduro diet. That is actually now a commonly used phrase in Venezuela. And it's a very healthy sounding term for a truly horrifying situation. It's like saying Jim Jones was the pioneer of the Jonestown juice cleanse. And...

And it is... It is not like Maduro isn't aware that people are starving. In fact, during 1 of his media appearances, a reporter noticed that the video feed cut away every time Maduro helped himself to the plates of charcuterie and cakes. So he knew that eating would look insensitive, although those camera cutaways haven't always worked, because just watch this clip that went viral last year. And know that what he's saying here doesn't matter.

What's important for you to remember is, he's about to think that the camera is off him.

Speaker 7: To go out to a tapas. Go ahead. Mr. President, a big hug and congratulations to the governors and governors of Mexico and to all our friends...

Speaker 0: Yeah. He just housed an empanada in front of a starving nation. And come on, Maduro, a nationwide famine is no time for fourth meal. And if you think that is the most tone-deaf reaction to Venezuela's mass food shortages, just wait until you see him do some pretty insensitive crowd work.

Speaker 4: Why are you so skinny, Gustavo? Have you been jogging? What happened to him? Maduro's diet. Maduro's diet makes you hard.

Speaker 7: -...no

Speaker 5: need for Viagra. -...no need

Speaker 4: for Viagra.

Speaker 5: -...no need for Viagra. -...no need for Viagra. -...no need for Viagra. -...no need for Viagra. Wow.

Speaker 0: That is the most awkward presidential attempt to be in on the joke, since Herbert Hoover claimed that Hoover towns make you wet without the need for cornmeal or castor oil. They... They didn't totally understand how vaginas worked back then. And... And even...

Even when the Maduro government has tried to help, it's done it in a truly ham-fisted way. For instance, Maduro has proposed a so-called rabbit plan. Basically a program to encourage Venezuelans to breed and eat bunnies. But when people started putting bows on them and keeping them as pets instead, his administration gave a pretty callous correction.

Speaker 4: A rabbit is not a pet. It's 2 and a half kilos of meat that is high in protein with no cholesterol.

Speaker 0: Holy shit! A rabbit is just 2 and a half kilos of meat. That sounds less like a government pronouncement and more like a tank top Marlon Bando used to wear back in his clubbing days.

Speaker 5: And, now, as for... As for

Speaker 0: economic policy, Maduro has generally lived in complete denial. His most recent plan to address rampant inflation was to introduce a new version of their currency, the Bolivar, just with 3 zeros lopped off the end. And in case any part of you thinks that might actually fix their inflation problem, we asked Yale economist Robert Schiller if that's how money works. Take a look.

Speaker 8: No, that's not how money works.

Speaker 0: Thanks, Robert. Thanks. I appreciate it.

Speaker 5: It's good to know. And... And in

Speaker 0: the absence of solutions, Maduro has reached for the next best thing, blaming someone else. Over the years, he's suggested that the United States was responsible for injecting Chavez with cancer. He said that the U.S. Was sabotaging Venezuelan ATMs, and he's chalked up protest against him to this.

Speaker 4: This is part of a scheme of non-conventional war that the U.S. Has perfected throughout recent decades.

Speaker 0: Okay, so here's the thing there. America has undoubtedly done some awful things in Central and South America. We've backed coup attempts, juntas and atrocities in Chile, Argentina, and Guatemala, but refreshingly, what's happening in Venezuela is actually not our fault. Accusing America of creating Venezuela's crisis is about as fair as accusing O.J. Simpson of murdering Princess Diana.

I'm not saying it will be completely out of character, It just happens to not be true in this particular instance. So, that's basically what I'm saying. And yet, and yet despite all of this, Maduro is about to dominate this election like he absolutely dominated that banana. So how is that possible? Well, he's basically bent Venezuela's democratic process to his will.

Back in 2015, when his party lost control of the National Assembly, he responded by stacking the Supreme Court with 13 new justices, and then simply created a whole new assembly.

Speaker 9: President Nicolás Maduro wants to create a political assembly with vast power to rewrite the Constitution and potentially dismantle the democratically elected legislature. All of the candidates today are Maduro supporters, including his wife and son.

Speaker 0: Now, just think about the sheer scale of what Maduro did there. That'd be like if here, Trump put a bunch of his friends on the Supreme Court, who then happily allowed him to create a second Congress that outranks the real Congress, and his members include Melania and Eric, and which, by the way, you just know he'd call Dongress. You know he would do that. And you know it. And please take that down before he gets any ideas.

I already regret bringing it up. Now, on top of that, Maduro has either jailed or barred from public office a number of his political opponents, and has even turned down help from other countries and agencies, including food and medicine. He has turned down food and medicine, telling Venezuelans that humanitarian aid is part of a conspiracy to overthrow his government. All of which has left Venezuelans feeling so hopeless that nearly 1000000 of them have left the country over the past 2 years. And many of those who've remained are now at their breaking point.

To the point.

Speaker 10: Hey, everyone should know this, we are starving. The Venezuelans. This is not possible. We are in a dictatorship, but disguised. All of us are witnesses.

There are people we can't talk to. Why? Because they have us gagged. If you talk, they send the collectives. The collectives to attack you, to kill you.

Speaker 0: That's absolutely horrifying. And when you listen to her, it starts to hit you that Pooh Pooh Toff cocktails might actually turn out to be pretty fucking restrained. And the most frustrating thing here is, there aren't a lot of great options to help. The Trump administration has imposed some sanctions and is considering more, but if they're not extremely careful, those could wind up causing even more hardship. So, at this point, seeing as Maduro won't listen to reason, or to the will of his own people, perhaps it's time to call in the 1 voice that we know he'll listen to.

So ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, a bird! -♪♪ -♪♪ -♪♪ -♪♪ -♪♪

Speaker 8: It's me, a bird. Remember we spoke a few years back? Okay, and if you're thinking this is just Wilmer Valderrama and the birds who would... Well, you used to think it was Hugo Chavez. So...

You're not exactly the authority on what's birds. But listen up, buddy. Because I'm 2 and a half kilos of high protein and meat. And I'm here to tell you, you're in some serious trouble, compadre. Is that a good sign when the people are throwing their poop at you?

I should know. I'm a bird. Come on, man. I invented the poopoo tub cocktails. Yeah, that's right.

Every time a bird poops on you, you should know it was a political statement. Also, that we aimed and thought it was funny. Maduro, the whole world can see what mess you are making. Even TV hosts here in America, like that idiot. 000,

Speaker 5: shit. Oh, no. I was just...

Speaker 0: I was just having a little snack.

Speaker 8: That's just bad timing, Zazu. The point is, Maduro, you need to accept humanitarian aid and cool it with the dictator stuff. I've got a poopoo top cocktail with your name on it right here. All right. This is it for me.

And because I am a real, actual bird, I'm going to exit with effortless beauty and grace.

Speaker 5: You

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Venezuela: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)