We Are Venezuela’s REAL Friends – CPI Solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution
The Center for Political Innovation stands alone in its solidarity in support of the Bolivarian Revolution. No other organization in the United States has been as consistent and strategic in standing with Venezuela.
Here are some highlights:
In 2021, the Center for Political Innovation launched a sustained outreach campaign supporting Alex Saab, the Venezuelan diplomat who was kidnapped by the United States from Cape Verde. CPI hung “Free Alex Saab!” posters all over New York City and staged multiple National Days of Action, with protests supporting Alex Saab across the country. The day Alex Saab was extradited in November, 2021, CPI organized an emergency rally in New York City’s Times Square, which was mentioned by Nicholas Maduro in a speech.
In April of 2025, CPI published The Siege Has Failed: Venezuela Stands Strong against Globalism/Imperialism. The book is a collection of articles debunking common lies about Venezuela and highlighting the achievements of the Bolivarian movement in terms of improving the lives of Venezuelans (literacy, healthcare, employment, housing, etc.).
On October 18th of this year, when Democrats organized “No Kings!” rallies, CPI members disrupted them across the country, shouting “Hands Off Venezuela!” CPI members brought Venezuela solidarity to rallies in Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, California, and Iowa. In Los Angeles, CPI members were featured on the No Jumper podcast, which has millions of subscribers, defending Venezuela. In Minneapolis, CPI member Penny Arcos interrupted Keith Ellison, shouting “Hands Off Venezuela!” during his speech at the rally, and also interrupted several other Democratic officials.
On Thanksgiving of this year CPI members in Minneapolis unfurled a “Hands Off Venezuela!” banner over a major highway.
On December 6th of this year, CPI members were featured on local TV on KTLA, interviewed about their message of “Hands Off Venezuela!” The Los Angeles Innovation Circle has been consistently in the streets of LA and the surrounding area with a Venezuela solidarity message on popular beaches and at local farmers markets.
CPI held national days of action to supporrt Venezuela Diplomat Alex Saab in 2021.
Caleb Maupin, the founder and director of the Center for Political Innovation, has a long record of solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution. Caleb visited Venezuela in 2015 to witness the elections and testify to their democratic legitimacy. Caleb produced videos showing life inside Bolivarian colectivos and went on a mini speaking tour defending Venezuela after he returned, even giving a guest lecture at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
Caleb visited Brasília and gave a two-hour presentation to the Trade Union Center of Brazil in March of 2016. Speaking before thousands of labor union activists from Brazil, including many oil workers, Caleb Maupin gave a dynamic, fact-filled presentation. The event was attended by Brazil’s then vice president and future president, Michel Temer. Caleb Maupin’s remarks went into great detail about the manipulation of international oil markets and how Venezuela’s economy was being crushed so Wall Street could maintain its monopoly. The speech has been widely circulated and published as a book entitled Oil and the Global Capitalist Crisis.
Caleb published a lengthy, scholarly defense of Venezuela on MintPress News in June of 2016. The student organization to whom Caleb Maupin was giving classes, Students and Youth for a New America, was invited on The Tucker Carlson Show to defend Venezuela.
False Friends of Venezuela
There is a huge effort to manipulate and confuse anti-war voices in America right now—no question about it. COINTELPRO is back. Social media is being used to sow confusion and disinformation.
One streamer is presented across social media as being a big supporter of Venezuela, but he and the “organization” he has formed have done absolutely nothing to oppose the war drive. He visited Venezuela and took selfies of himself, then spread rumors across the internet that Colombian drug cartels were trying to kill him in order to get attention. He previously visited Cuba and, despite claiming to be a “communist,” spread standard smears of the country, calling it “cringe” and claiming the government—not the blockade—is responsible for poverty in the country.
This “streamer” has no real following in America. His audience is made up of bots purchased by his wealthy parents and perhaps other shady sources. He has used his platform to defame CPI and Caleb Maupin relentlessly with personal attacks, rumors, exaggerations, and juvenile cyberbullying. He is not connected to any real Venezuela solidarity activism in America, yet the Israeli government tweets out April Fools’ jokes about him and The New York Times does articles highlighting him. This “streamer” is obviously a plant, a boosted “controlled opposition” figure, and not a sincere friend of Venezuela.
Isolating Dissident MAGA
The primary mis-leader of Venezuela solidarity in America is the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Through its various entities, like Peoples Forum, it does everything possible to make sure what should be an anti-war movement—including people from all across the political spectrum saying “No War with Venezuela”—is actually just a liberal “Stop Trump” mobilization. PSL’s rallies supposedly supporting Venezuela are littered with signs about ICE, trans rights, abortion, and calls for impeaching Trump for being too friendly to Russia.
Why is this a problem? Because the most important constituency in America right now is the Dissident MAGA. People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, Rand Paul, Candace Owens, and Tucker Carlson, who supported Trump but have loudly opposed his foreign policy since taking office, represent a very large percentage—if not the majority—of Red State Americans. They have loudly opposed bombing Venezuela and are also harshly critical of the Israel lobby and Trump’s cozy relationship with Israel.
Dissident MAGA represents millions of Americans, but PSL has gone out of its way to make sure such elements are not welcome at their anti-war rallies. PSL fills anti-war rallies with woke cultural messaging that lines up behind the anti-Venezuelan, pro-war Democratic Party. Meanwhile, PSL continues to claim Dissident MAGA are “fascists,” and PSL members openly advocate violence against them on social media.
When the Rage Against the War Machine protests happened on February 19th, 2023, this was a huge step forward. It was the largest anti-war protest since the Bush years. PSL and the various voices aligned with them not only opposed the rally but labeled it “white supremacist.” Melinda Butterfield, speaking for another Marcyite sect, declared the rally’s “true purpose, however, is to strengthen the grip of the openly fascist, white supremacist movement.” By equating thousands and thousands of Americans who marched for peace—along with Dennis Kucinich, Garland Nixon, Cynthia McKinney, and Chris Hedges—to the equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan, Melinda Butterfield knew very well what she was doing. This was a green light for Antifa shooters to attack the rally or for the Biden administration to indict and imprison the rally organizers. These words, shocking as they are, reveal how evil the Marcyites really are. They would rather have thousands of Americans who want to stop war with Venezuela, Russia, or Iran dead or imprisoned than work with them in coalition.
It should not be surprising that PSL worked to try and prevent the Uhuru movement from having its annual “Black Is Back” rally in 2023, and that—other than mild statements—the bulk of the communist groups leading the “Hands Off Venezuela” protests have done almost nothing to stand with the Uhuru 3 in the face of dangerous precedents being set regarding the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
PSL panders to those who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk and think Russia is a “fascist” country for defending the people of Donbass. Meanwhile, it advocates the outright murder of millions of Americans who want peace but perhaps disagree with them about LGBT issues, abortion, or gut-level hatred of Donald Trump. How can such forces be considered Venezuela’s friends? They are waging a culture war against flags and Bibles, not trying to seriously stop the wars or improve the conditions of working families.
The truth is that no other organization in America has done what CPI has done to stand with Venezuela. We marched for Alex Saab. We disrupted “No Kings.” We have been in the streets of Los Angeles. We appeared on national TV broadcasts. Our founder, Caleb Maupin, has been the cutting-edge voice of analysis about what is really driving the war.
Don’t be taken in by elderly boomers with Trump derangement syndrome. Don’t be taken in by streamer bros boosted by Israel. The Center for Political Innovation is the only serious organization standing with Venezuela and engaging in consistent, real outreach and Venezuela solidarity.