If you’ve been following Venezuelan politics, you’ve probably seen the handiwork of this man, even if you haven’t seen HIM. And if you find his habit of wearing black melodramatic and more than a little douchey, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. His campaigns are even more so…and now, their creepy author has been uncloaked:
His name is Juan José Rendón, and he calls himself J.J. Rendón. Although born a Venezuelan, he says he has no country, and in supposed mourning, always dresses in black. Rendón lives in Miami, Florida, and from there has been the creator of the dirty campaigns which have characterized the representatives of the South American right wing.
During the last 27 years, he has advised the presidential campaigns of Enrique Peña Nieto, Juan Manuel Santos, Alvaro Uribe Vélez, and Porfirio Lobo, among others. The discrediting and tarnishing of his clients’ adversaries is his principal strategy.
One strategy, which Rendón has openly admitted to applying, is the “Three Ss”, in which false information concerning the sexuality, health and salary of the targeted individual is created in a campaign of discredit.
In an interview with Colombian journalist María Jimena Duzán, Rendón said that his proposition is to “shatter” the adversary and that it is a business for him, one that brings to the table the latest campaign by sectors of the Venezuelan right.
The dirty campaign against the quality of drinking water, as well as the attacks questioning the health of Hugo Chávez, starting in July 2012 by various opposition parties and media, were the work of J. J. Rendón.
In the same interview with Duzán, Rendón admits to being an anti-ethical advisor because “that ethical thing is for the philosophers.”
As far as Venezuela is concerned, it appears that his only connection with it is his closeness to the opposition, directly with the “Democratic Unity Table” (MUD), for whom he designed campaigns of instigation, destabilization, and discreditation of the national government.
Even if the local opposition has wanted to conceal the intervening hand of Rendón in its constant wave of campaigns to promote destabilization, there is a very close link with Henrique Capriles Radonsky.
“Have you been working in the campaign of Henrique Capriles?” Jaime Bayly asked him, two days before the elections of October 7, to which the “king of black propaganda,” as the Mexican, Ramón Betancour, called him, replied: “What do you think?” “It’s gone very well for you since you’ve taken on the campaign of Henrique Capriles!” commented the Peruvian TV host, who constantly mocked the Venezuelan political process.
The planting of the idea of a supposed “electoral fraud” was another of Rendón’s ideas, and it was precisely that which brought him to public awareness in 2004, as a pusher of that line of propaganda after the opposition defeat in the recall referendum of 2004.
Rendón has worked on 22 campaigns and claims he has only lost one. His most famous defeat was that same recall referendum of 2004, against Comandante Hugo Chávez. After that he abandoned Venezuela to take up residence in the United States.
Translation mine.
Well, now you know why he wears black (and probably doesn’t cast a reflection or a shadow, either). Chavecito pretty much drove a stake through his heart, or rather the shrunken remnant thereof. Yet, perversely, he’s still walking this Earth, while Chavecito has gone on to blessed immortality. Unlike most vampires, Rendón hasn’t yet bitten the dust. But maybe shining a bright light on him will send him scuttling back under the rock from whence he came.
We can only hope, eh?
Here is my translation of an article that I have circulated to friends. Use it however you like.
Did you watch Maduro’s speech about the NATO-Colombia connection on aporrea? Chilling comments about Libya.
“Colombia cannot be a member of NATO,” says defense minister
Accord with that organization bothers the countries of ALBA.
Bolivia calls for a meeting of UNASUR.
From El Tiempo of Bogotá, June 4, 2013
http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/reacciones-en-paises-del-alba-por-interes-de-colombia-en-la-otan_12843433-4
Saturday’s announcement by President Juan Manuel Santos, that this month a cooperation agreement will be signed with NATO and that Colombia would like to “join” the organization, has caused tension in the neighborhood.
The questions are coming from the countries that are members of ALBA, who describe the accord as a “threat” and a “provocation.”
But the minister of defense, Juan Carlos Pinzón, in a dialog with el Tiempo, declared that they are creating a tempest in a teapot, because it is clear that Colombia “cannot be a member” of NATO.” He added: “What interests us is to enter as an associate member [país asociado].
The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, was one of the first to criticize the announcement made by Santos, saying, “It is a threat, a provocation, and a conspiracy against the anti-imperialist governments, against Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Ecuador.”
Sunday night, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro added that Santos’ idea was “aberrant”. “We greatly regret this negative turn … that the government of Colombia has taken now in its relations with South America and with Latin America in announcing its joining NATO,” he said.
Maduro said that with this possibility they planned to advance toward an agenda of regional destabilization, “of attack against the Bolivarian revolution, and of support for plans of imperial hegemony.”
In passing he linked the announcement by Santos with the Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles.
“What has happened in recent days was not a misunderstanding, as President Santos described it. It was not a misunderstanding to convert Bogota into a center of conspiracy against us where they are planning the assassination of Diosdado [Cabello, president of the Venezuelan parliament] and where they are planning to poison and assassinate me,” said Maduro.
Morales and Maduro called for an “emergency” meeting of the Security Council of UNASUR. The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, also made a strong statement.
The Points of the Accord
Minister Pinzón explained to El Tiempo that the cooperation agreement that will be signed with NATO is centered on training of the country in three areas: human rights, military justice, and education of the troops.
Pinzón said that what they are looking for is to continue a process of international cooperation which the country has already begun, and that it will be of key importance in a post-conflict era [referring to the tentative peace treaty with the FARC]. He emphasized that at no time had anyone spoken about foreign troops in the region or access to military bases, adding that Colombia’s commitment to regional security is total.
From Brussels the North Atlantic Treaty organization issued a clarifying statement that Colombia “does not comply with the geographical criteria” in order to be a member of the pact, adding it is interested in going forward with cooperation with our country.
Sources in the organization have confirmed to the news agency EFE that the accord “permits the interchange of classified information between the Alliance and Colombia.”
The United States, for its part, praised Colombia’s desire to be “a capable and strong member of many multilateral organizations.”
Sorry, I didn’t see the video on aporrea, it was probably on panorama.com.ve or Ultimas Noticias. It is not there any more. He was speaking to the heads of all the armed forces, including the workers’ militia.
Urgh! Just when I thought Santos was shaping up better than El Narco, he pulls THAT on us. Well, there goes that idea. Thanks for the translation — I’ll be watching this one too. An emergency UNASUR meeting means it all got very real.