--- On Mon, 9/1/08, Charles Brown <charlesb at cncl.ci.detroit.mi.us> wrote:
> ^^^^^
> CB: Is Reed proposing the formation of a Leninist Party ?
> Rainbow
> Coalition ? Anti-monopoly coalition ? All-Peoples'
> Front ? or what is he
> proposing _is_ to be done ?
>
[WS:] I think that the problem of most (if not all) political commentators in Reed's camp is that despite their left-wing thetoric, they stand on a rather romantic and thus reactionary concept of political action - one that mixes charismatic leadership with spontaneous populism. In that vision, a true leader must be charismatic, and being charismatic makes it possible for him to accomplish any political objective by mere fiat of his will and prhaps direct appeal to the "masses." Any leader that falls short of this ideal and reles on political mechanisms, such as coaliton building, negotiations, deals, etc. is by seen as a "sellout" and a "traitor." A prototype of such leadership is Fidel Castro, but also Adolf Hitler.
If one abandons such a romantic concept of political action based charismatic leadership, and adopts a more realistic one - more appropriate for a society governed by laws and rules adopted in a more-or-less democractic fashion and real politik based on real power relations - Obama starts looking as a very favorable candidate indeed. Certainly not a saviour or a knight on a white horse who will deliver "his people" from oppression, but a skilled politician and negotiator who may win a better deal for those who got the short end of the stick under the "Reagan revolution."
That is quite a bit, indeed. It will certainly not end capitalism and its social ills, but anyone who expects the POTUS to achieve this needs to have his head examined.
Wojtek