Chavez has complied completely with "bourgeois legality" -- a data point supporting Andie's argument on liberalism and socialism... '
Gar Lipow
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Thanks for posting this. What it means is there is no practical incompatibility between impeaching Bush on his presumption of extra-legal powers and any future ideal where a related expansion of executive power might be needed to over haul the capitalist and neoliberal political economy. (AD's point)
In other words the US left is not foreclosing its own future project, by pushing for impeachment on the grounds of illegal or unconstitutional expansion of executive branch powers by the current administration.
...well because Chavez did it legally. And conversely, Bush has tried to carry out the Right's project by illegally expanding his powers. And the stupidity of the Right is that it didn't need to destroy the whole political fabric of government to do what it wanted.
The Patriot Act, Homeland Security and all the rest of this crap was completely un-necessary.
Carrol writes:
``So the whole topic is simply silly..''
It might sound silly at the moment. But I don't think you see the issue involved. It has to do with constructing a socialist economy within the framework of the existing institutions and through well established politcal means compatible with US history and traditions.
In other words, no revolution is necessary. Pursuing social justice doesn't require the hypocrisy of shooting a lot of people to get there (much as I might like too, just to shut them up).
And whether or not such a turn ever arrives in the US is also off the point. The point is I have to imagine the world, before I can see the best way to change it---using (I) here as if were a (we).
And then a last point, I have to write things out and then look at them. That's the way I think. So yes, there is a sandbox, or soapbox, and I use lbo as a sandbox-soapbox. I think lbo is good place to do that---sort of what it's for, no? Mutual masterbation of course, but why not? And the best thing about this sandbox as compared to blogs is I am not sure---but something to do with a more democratic and collective forum or something..
CG