Evaluating Chavez from the Left Part II

The Second part of Steve Ellner's discussion on the Left Forum 2008 panel: Evaluating Chavez from the Left.

Steve Ellner, University de Oriente, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

Articles by Steve Ellner:

http://www.inthesetimes.com/about/author/19/

The Politics of Privatization
By Steve Ellner

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/42/170.html

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Steve
• Ellner
• Venezuela
• Left
• Forum
• 2008
• Hugo
• Chavez
• politics

[brainpolice2]

The man is a dictator shrouded in democracy. He is a politician. A ruler. I don't understand how an anarchist of any sort could be cozy with him. Just because his rhetoric is socialistic doesn't justify his rulership one bit. If the libertarian right are mistaken in worshoping Ron Paul, libertarian socialists should know better then to hail a ruler like Chavez.

[buddhagem]

The democracy is real, evidenced by his recent lost in a constitutional referendum. The people are really voting and their votes count, unlike here. I don't know how you could call such a man a dictator. Bush is more of a dictator than Chavez.

[inbrooklyn2008]

Of course there isn't; the facts are very much out there for every idiot to see.

Not that the brainwashed trolls would have a use for them.

They'd much rather just mindlessly regurgitate whatever myths are propagated against the capitalist regimes' "official enemies".

[rspawn]

"Chavez has nationalized media outlets, and shut down all radio stations that ran anti-Chavista programming"

There is no evidence in support of those claims.

[god0fmusic]

the whole cuban immigration deal is very distorted by the media last time i checked.

plus, america has superficial freedom. its officially free, but in reality, peoples minds are controlled by the media and corporations.

put yourself in chavez position. you have to censur a little to not get killed.

[buddhagem]

Well in a perfect world we'd smash the state and move on. But we live in the real world and after decades of imperialist domination I see a real and hopeful change occurring in Latin America. Is it perfect? No. But consider the difference between the latest CIA backed coup in Venezuela and similar efforts in 1973. The people in the region are fighting back against tremendous odds. I find it uplifting. Perfect? No, but is anything ever perfect?

[buddhagem]

Then would it be fair to say you see no difference between a, say, Batista or a Castro? Or a Somoza and a the Sandanistas? Or between Allende and Pinochet? Mosedeq and the Shah? Maybe in the abstract you could make an argument that they are all the same, but in the real world the policies of Castro, the Sandanistas, Mosedeq, Aristide, Chavez, Morales and a host of others have meant a great deal to the lives of millions of people.

[buddhagem]

Why would you think anybody would find Chavez congenial to anarchism?

In a region that has long been dominated by brutal dictators backed by the US, I think it's a positive development that South and Central America are beginning to step outside of the Imperialist's shadow and forge a new course based in large part on participatory democracy

[buddhagem]

Silence dissent? I'd suggest you spend five minutes watching Venezuelan TV to see how little dissent is silenced. The airwaves are filled with anti-Chavista banter.

The Talk isn't Evaluating Chavez from an Anarchist view; it's Evaluating him from the Left. And that's what it is. In this country where most of what we hear are lies I thought it would be beneficial to play this to give people another side of the story.

[brainpolice2]

And this makes him congenial to anarchism how exactly? :)