The failure of the Chavez government of Venezuela to gain a majority approval of its constitutional reforms - empowering the people, reducing the work week and giving legitmacy to collective property – shows the limitation of social democracy. Once again, it is impossible to introduce revolutionary change via the capitalist form of democracy. Chavez, a typical social democrat, had given the class enemies of working people the right to vote on issues that concerned those same working people. As though the oligarchy, its middle class toadies and wannabees, would ever support such changes, let alone that they should have any right to make decisions for the exploited and oppressed. That the bully should have a vote on whether to cease abusing his victim! Working people have to act on their own and TAKE the power they need to make those revolutionary changes. If the oligarchy, its butt-kissers and the CIA haven't begun a process in Venezuela that ends up turning Chavez into Allende Version # 2, maybe the working population will do precisely that. For if the right-wing gets back in power, they will be its chief victims.
The big story is the pro-Chavez forces that stayed home. The opposition gained few new voters since last election. If they had a decisive majority, they wouldn't be talking about reconcilliation.
ReplyDeleteI have analysis at my blog saying Chavez's main enemy is the bureaucracy of his own government.
I hope the Chavez movement learned some lessons from this campaign.
ReplyDeleteChavez said in his concession speech, a phrase he used in 1992 "por ahora." It was a setback por ahora, for now. His followers understood.
It seems that only revolutions led by the working class are expected to give their oppressors the right to subvert their cause.
ReplyDelete