[lbo-talk] Left-neoliberalism: a bold strategy for the year 1999

[// ravi]

On Aug 5, 2011, at 4:29 PM, c b wrote:
> Eric Beck
>> Doug Henwood wrote:
>> 
>>> MattYg: "I keep coming across odd columns urging us to try to emulate the alleged successes of Chinese central planning."
>> 
>> Sure, why not?
>>> 
>>> "Alleged"?
>> 
>> This seems to be an undercurrent of lots of Western, especially
>> leftish, lit on China: that the Chinese guv is cooking the books.
>> Possibly, but not by a lot. And even if it were a lot, "alleged" is
>> embarrassing.
>> 
> 
> CB: What's going on ? Some kind of capitalism with socialist characteristics ?
> All hail Deng Xiaoping !

I don’t know if I told this story before but when I was visiting China, a guide we had for one part of our trip had a well-worn joke:

Brezhnev, Reagan and Deng are at a political summit and decide to head out for dinner in their respective limousines. The first car, Reagan’s, comes to a T-intersection and the driver asks "which way, sir?”. Reagan responds “Turn Right, of course”. When Brezhnev's driver poses the same question, the General Secretary says, “Turn Left, of course”. Next comes Deng in his car, and he faces the same question from his chauffeur. “Indicate Left”, answers the leader, “but turn Right”.

	—ravi