This sounds like one of my former bosses' speeches! He's a nasty man, of course. He's stupid, too. Now I'm his partner. I suppose that makes me mean, too. And even more stupid. Is the detail about his wife symptomatic? My friend often says the same thing about his wife. I've tried a couple of times to tell him that it's not a good idea to 'vibe' people's intentions and that he's confusing loyalty with goodness. Like the Politburo. I'm trying to convince him that it would be more democratic and environmentally friendly to assume that everyone is mean and stupid.
True. Maduro has not been the president since the last elections; he merely usurped the position. You cannot perform such an action without facing some constraints. For him, personally, maybe this was the better outcome.