RE: [Marxism] Lula's first anniversary

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here in Cuba there's no rush to criticize Lula as there
seems to be in a few left-wing circles. Lula's role in
leading Brazil toward organizing a continental alternative
to NAFTA (or ALCA as it's called in Latin America) which
would include Cuba means that attacks on Lula from what's
supposed to be his left, such as were run in the press of
the various sectarian groups which tend to omit mention of
his role in opposition to the blockade on Cuba. Brazil's
supportive interest in developing the island's capacity
to bring out petroleum reserves is also quite significant.

I know very little about Brazil, being mostly something of
a beginning student of Cuba, but I think a rush to judgement
against Lula, from his "left" is exactly what the US and
its allies and supporters (like the New York Times) would
want.

Capitalists love it when leftists criticize Cuba, even for
things like capital punishment, which they themselves use
on a broad basis, or the incarceration of paid agents of
the United States. Such a self-congratulatory approach
to politics is best left to those for whom, like the
Spartacist League or the Socialist Workers Party, USA
everything which happens today confirms everything they
have always said before. They know that, from the point
of view of the employing class, division in the camp of
the working class and the left is to paraphrase Fidel,
"always an intelligent strategy". Two examples here:

"New Brazil government reassures capitalist investors"
http://www.themilitant.com/2003/6703/670352.html
"Wall Street praises Brazil's president"
http://www.themilitant.com/2003/6715/671510.html

Lula came into office with on electoral mandate and not
a revolutionary uprising. He hasn't been able to clean
out the Brazilian army as Chavez has done with the army
of Venezuela. His parameters for action (whatever his
actual plans and intentions might be) are, therefore,
very severely constricted by the actual circumstances
in which he finds himself.

While I haven't read the material Supporting Facts has
kindly posted, the fact that he continues to retain a
significant mass support among the very poor people of
his country is something leftists elsewhere who are on
lists like this might want to keep in mind before they
go off half-cocked in rushing to judgement. Perhaps the
masses of poor and working people in Brazil know a few
things which sectarian leftists elsewhere don't know?

(This doesn't mean anything about the internal politics
of his party or anything else of which I'm not very well
informed.) Remember: Chomsky criticized Cuba strongly as
one who hadn't seen the place or studied it in detail.

Since his visit to the island, his comments have taken
a quite different turn and tone. You can read some of
those at my website: http://www.walterlippmann.com


Walter Lippmann



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