[Marxism] Chavez sweeps Venezuelan elections

[Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I thought that I was both prescient and cautious when I hinted a couple
of days ago that the boycott was designed "to reinforce the ideological
groundwork that the Chavez government is illegitimate. Why? Because all
of the opposition forces, including one that should have been able to
take advantage of the right-wing boycott, are refusing to participate."

I added, "the other may be to put the full burden of governing on
Chavez. Whatever problems that develop are his own. Whether he moves
forward with socialist measures or treads water, the Bolivarian
revolution has full responsibility."

My comments were made gingerly, for it appeared to me that there was a
great deal of hostility on Marxmail to anyone suggesting that the
Venezuelan Socialist Revolution needed more than Chavez and Bolivarism.

All at once I see something entirely different happening on Marxmail.
For the last year and perhaps more, there has been nothing except
praise for the Bolivarian Revolution and for Chavez personally. Now we
are told that his party is corrupt, that the legislators have nothing
to do with his base, and that Chavez and company had better get their
act together.

How long ago was it that James Petras, who has studied the Latin
American Left for over 40 years, wrote a long and considered piece
pointing out the weaknesses of Bolivarism? He was criticized for being
weak on the question of Cuba some 45 years ago.

An organization that claimed to be Trotskyist was criticized for
jumping into the Venezuela maelstrom. On the other hand, as long as
they confined themselves to talking, they would be acceptable. The
basis for this apparently was not this organization's politics,
although they are questionable, but for any group saying anything about
Venezuela who was not either native or at least Latin American.

Hopefully things have settled down enough so that there can be
something said about Chavez and the "process" other than that it would
lead automatically and spontaneously to socialist victory. Chavez and
those around him have been and are a vital part of the process, but
this should have been seen as an opening for revolutionists--not a
church at which to worship.

Brian Shannon

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