Re: [A-List] Populism or Neoliberalism?

["Yoshie Furuhashi" <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 7/24/07, Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
> > The term socialization has been used variously in the Marxist
> > tradition, including the sense in which capital itself socializes
> > production.
>
> Actually, after looking at the archives, I noticed that you referred to
> Iran as more "socialistic": "You'd never know that by listening to most
> liberals and leftists, but Iran's economy is structurally more
> socialistic than Venezuela's". That's really what got me going. I don't
> mind you flooding this mailing list with all sorts of newspaper
> articles. I just can't stand mislabeling Iran in this fashion.
>
> > On one hand, while the means of production remain in private hands,
> > it's not possible for people to control them; on the other hand,
> > people have a much better chance of controlling what is in the hands
> > of the state.  For the market depoliticizes, and the state
> > politicizes, who gets what.
>
> I absolutely advocate state ownership even if it is in a capitalist
> state like Iran or Iraq.
>
> > What is to be done today, given the choices that people are making?
> > IMHO, it would make sense for leftists, especially those who are
> > economists, to figure out how to run a populist mixed economy in the
> > interest of people as much as possible, until such time as people put
> > socialism on the agenda, while always reminding people that there
> > exists essential contradiction in a populist economy (as in any
> > capitalist economy) that creates certain inevitable problems (that are
> > specific to a populist economy, unlike the problems of a liberal
> > economy and a socialist economy).
>
> I think it makes no sense whatsoever for leftists in the USA to figure
> out how to run a populist mixed economy, or a socialist economy for that
> matter. This is a retreat from politics into the kind of utopianism that
> Michael Albert or Eric Olin Wright indulges in. Completely harmless but
> a waste of time.

Today, few economists are leftists and few leftists are economists.
But there used to be more of both.  People like Harry Magdoff had a
chance to personally experience a little of how to run a mixed
economy, and imho, such experience helps leftists ground themselves in
the real world, so those who have a chance to have it should take it.
Those of us who are neither economists nor have a chance to experience
real-world difficulty of trying to manage national economy under
capitalism as much in the interest of people as possible should still
learn to see the world as if we were.  It's not the only perspective
we should have, but it is an indispensable one.

It's clear that whatever choice people make, liberalism, populism,
socialism, or whatever, the economy that results form it experiences
difficulties specific to its type as well as brings benefits also
specific to it.  We have to understand what they are, so we can
clarify alternatives for people.
--
Yoshie