[lbo-talk] nationalizing the banks

[Marv Gandall]

The larger issue is: Who on the left isn't a creeping socialist today? How
can you be anything other in the absence of a mass revolutionary struggle
for state power? When the only possible political activity is the peaceful
struggle for democratic reforms inside and outside of the electoral arena?
Trotskyists and others on the far left describe themselves as
"revolutionists" rather than "revolutionaries", a fine distinction to
acknowledge that they are not now engaged in such struggle but that a
socialist revolution remains their aim.

But all socialists, social democrats and Marxists, have justified their
participation in reform movements in these terms - as preparation for the
ultimate overthrow of capitalism, whether peacefully or through an armed
insurrection. You would never know from the fierce polemics that in practice
there is very little to distinguish between the social democratic university
academic who argues for reforms and socialism in the classroom and the more
active members of tightly-organized groups who leaflet in the streets for
the same goals.

If a mass revolutionary movement should finally appear, history suggests
self-definition and prior positioning won't count for much; in these
situations, there have always been "creeping socialists" who have thrown
themselves into the stuggle and faint-hearted "revolutionists" who have
abandoned it under the pressure of events, the ultimate test.

So, yes, I agree with SA: We only get to find out at the end of the movie,
if we should live that long.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "SA" <s11131978 at gmail.com>
To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:13 AM
Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] nationalizing the banks


> Marv Gandall wrote:
>
>> "Creeping revolutionism" - ie. forming local "cadre" groups of
>> like-minded
>> people to press for reforms to foreign and domestic policy which will lay
>> the basis for the future overthrow of capitalism.  Or creeping socialism
>> that dares not call itself by name.
>
> This seems like it would be hard to distinguish from creeping socialism in
> practice.....And would the members of all these local groups know they
> were creeping revolutionists, or would they only find out at the end of
> the movie like everyone else?
>
> SA
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