The American media didn’t notice, but the same day Sen. Marco Rubio condemned “Nicolás Maduro and his thugs,” the Venezuelan president publicly ranted about the Florida senator, read from his statement, and attacked him as “un loco” (a crazy man).
As anti-government demonstrators protest against Venezuela’s socialist government, this video perhaps serves as evidence that rhetoric matters — that when Rubio attacks tyrants, tyrants like Maduro are at least paying attention.
Asked for comment about the “loco” slur, Rubio’s office provided the following statement from Senator Rubio: “Maduro looks like the typical tyrannical coward, attacking those who speak the truth about him and authorizing violence against innocent people from the comfort of his office. We need more people calling out his abuses, and more media outlets to focus on what’s going on in Venezuela. Ultimately, Maduro should listen to the Venezuelan people that are demanding real democracy and accountability.”
You can watch the full Maduro video here (the Rubio comments begin around the 1:15:00 mark.)
UPDATE:
Rubio responds on Twitter:
Havanas puppet @NicolasMaduro can attack me but world sees what he is doing to people of #Venezuela #ResistenciaVzla http://t.co/EpyzHc01Zg
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 23, 2014
Additionally, it’s been pointed out that Maduro calls Rubio “loco de los locos!” — which loosely translates to “craziest of the crazies!”