[Marxism] Petras says fascism has taken power in Bolivia

[Aaron Aarons]

At 09:46 -0700 2008/09/24, David Walters wrote:
>>> First...the alternative of the Morales gov't...the MAS government...is NOT to mobilize the social-organizations...and this means, specifically the unions, mostly the peasant unions, and some of the indigenous Indian associations as well to...not mobilize. A. Aarons seems to think this is preferable, since "clearly" they are mobilizing for "compromise" and to give th gov't a better negotiating position. We wouldn't want that, would we? <<<

No, we wouldn't want to make it easy for Morales and the rest of the appeasers to LIMIT the mobilizations to pressuring the oligarchs to accept Morales' concessions. While it's probably correct for the revolutionary left to make demands on Morales, it would be disastrous for the comrades not to contest with Morales and Co. for leadership of the mobilizations, not necessarily by attacking Morales but certainly by raising slogans to push the mobilizations toward real actions against the fascists and by organizing to make such actions successful.

I also wouldn't want to see unarmed or poorly-armed plebians march into the jaws of the fascists. Only revolutionaries on the ground there can make reasonable judgements of when and where to confront the fascists in order to smash them. But I would certainly, were I organizing there, want to keep an eye on those oligarchs and fascists located in left-dominated areas, both to guard against subversion and to perhaps seize them for possible prisoner exchanges.

 - Aaron