[Marxism] Re: Bolivia (was somethingelse withtoomanyexclamationpoints)

[dwalters@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Marvin, few points on this:

You ask (very rhetorically):
"That the masses shouldn't organize their own parties in bourgeois democracies?
"That these parties shouldn't try to form the government?"

We're talking about Bolivia, not ... I don't know, Brazil or someplace else. The
overwhelming majority of the Bolivia people, peasants included, are *not* in any
political party. Your view seems to be that everything revolves around
elections. Any look at Bolivian history will tell you that just about
everything political revolves around mass mobilizations.

The MAS was voted for by the majority of Bolivians. Bolivians understanding, it
seems, of 'elections', is that they are limited to bringing in a new set of
politicians that may or may not be pressured into helping out the people as a
whole. The MAS despite it's electoral victory, is not the party of the
"Bolivian masses". Most Bolivians don't look at any party *as theirs*. I don't
think that has changed with Morales victory.

In fact, Evo has offered ministrial posts to various mass movement heads. I
don't know the results. Understand that Morales was *expelled* from the COB
about 4 years ago for whatever flaky political behavoir he was involved in, per
the COB. They have bad blood, obviously. The COB wants to maintain it's
political independence, that means, from the perspective of the *working class
they believe that a political expression of the class* is still on the agenda.
Rightfully or wrongfully, they believe that neither the gov't nor the MAS is
necessarily *thier* party. By staying outside the gov't, this gives them the
flexability of both supporting MAS behavior when it benefits the people, and to
oppose it when it feels they are being betrayed.

I think the "international Left" (such an ephithat on this list it seems) is
hung up on elections and has become completely *electoralist* in it's outlook.
Everything, bar none, that Morales and the MAS gov't does should be viewed not
only from the persective of gov't decrees, but how those decrees are received
by the mass organizations of the working class and peasantry.

Marvin, when you write: "That's what has just occured in Bolivia. But poor
Morales. He can't seem to do anything right. If he ignores his critics on the
left and doesn't offer them cabinet posts, it's confirmation that he's
accountable to his bourgeois and imperialist puppetmasters. If he goes to visit
his critics on the left and offers them cabinet posts, it illustrates, according
to David Walters, that he's trying to "buy" them off and coopt the mass
movement."

So, I think this proves my point...you don't have a handel on mass movements
interact with what's actually going on; it is very simple for you "Morales says
his left, therefore he is"...and every discussion ergo revolves around that. I'm
not advocating anything Marvin. I'm saying that much of what I stated actually
reflects class forces in Bolivia and that the world does not revolve around an
election. Morales comes with lots of baggage. You think this is irrelevant. I
don't, or at least, I don't believe many of the groups in Bolivia that have
lead the struggle over the last 10 years don't. This is not simply erased from
their consiousness. Sorry this disappoints you.

I want Moreles to do the things I think he has stated that will build an
independent Bolivia and move it toward revolution. You think he's the second
coming of Christ, where only 'faith' is needed and the mass movements need to
fall in line to proglumate this faith. My belief is that it is only them masses
in the streets in their own organizations, under their own leadership that can
push Bolivia forward. They are *more important* than any gov't that states it
stands with the masses. Subordinating this to the Second Coming (December 18th
Elections) is as rational as those that believe that Christ died for our sins.

David



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