At 16:49 07/10/2006, Louis wrote re the MST and others supporting the
defeat of Alckmin in the 2nd round:
Of course I think they have lost their way. The 20th century and now
the 21st century has been marked by such adaptation. The French left
backed Jospin against Le Pen. Tariq Ali backed John Kerry. The
American left backed LBJ in 1964. This is the norm actually, but I
don't mind being in a minority. I reread Lenin's "Ultraleftism"
yesterday. There is absolutely no reference to this kind of electoral
strategy. That's what happens when the revolutionary left endures 75
years of Stalinist and social democratic confusion. We lose
confidence in our ability to project a revolutionary message. I think
that another term for Lula will have the effect as a second term for
Bill Clinton did here.
It would be pretty deterministic to think that is inevitable. My own
experience is that having social democratic governments clarifies the
issues whereas reactionary governments foster illusions among masses
about social democracy as an alternative. Be that as it may, let me
note a point re Brazil not stressed by Sader, Stedile or Lowy in
their arguments for the defeat of Alckmin. One of the P-SOL people I
spent time with in July in Sao Paulo (where they had experience with
Alckmin) signaled
how he would go in the 2nd round in the following way, 'Lula betrays,
Alckmin kills.'
in solidarity,
michael
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Currently based in Venezuela.
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