[lbo-talk] Tony Judt on the death of liberalism in America

[Chuck]

wrobert at uci.edu wrote:
>       For all their faults, the Sandinistas held free and fair multi-party
> elections both in the mid-eighties and in 1990.  They well may have
> had a Marxist-Leninist influence, but it seems a bit unfair to call
> them authoritarian with that fact in mind.  Also, if I remember
> correctly, they armed sections of the general population to defend
> themselves against the Contras, once again going against the
> authoritarian thesis.

They held government power, didn't they? They enacted their ideas using 
the power of the government. This clearly makes them authoritarians. It 
would be news to many people that the Sandinistas were 
anti-authoritarians who were somehow using their government for 
anti-authoritarian goals.

Chuck