Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:18:59 -0800 (PST)
From: andrew robinson <ldxar1-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: AUT: Chavez


I think criticisms of Chavez as a statist are spot-on.
 Chavez himself is basically a moderate
social-democrat.  His rhetoric from what I've seen,
focuses on characterological types rather than social
issues.  In other words, he's after the undeserving
rich, not the ruling class.  He supports the deserving
poor, not the oppressed in all their diversity.  And
he "speaks for" the "nation" or "people", as a molar
category.

His positive measures, when summarised, come down to
three things: a micro-credit scheme which helps the
poorest people, especially women, start up small
businesses; land reform redistributing unused land to
the rural poor; and fishing reform which helps small
fishermen and also has an ecological aspect.  All
worthwhile measures and no doubt a boon to the
beleaguered poor, but hardly revolutionary.  At the
same time he's also introduced some crap measures,
such as an anti-terrorist law reminiscent of the
Patriot Act.  And he seems to avoid relying on
grassroots action, preferring to trust the army and
the state machinery.  For instance, he wants the state
to distribute land, and he doesn't support land
occupations.  He is thus a disempowering figure to
some degree.

But the Bolivarian movement in Venezuela is far
broader, and the grassroots seem to think that, since
"their" person is in power, they can do all the things
they want to do.  The Chavez presidency has been the
site of a huge release of energy in Venezuela, with
new projects starting up and radical action being
taken.  This is a "national-popular" movement in the
Gramscian sense, with an active component - certainly
not a "passive revolution".  Often, activists seem to
do things which for them, express the spirit of
Bolivarian rhetoric, and then pressure the Chavistas
to embrace them.  The destruction of the Columbus
statue is a case in point.

Perhaps more significant on a broader scale are the
social projects.  Firstly, worker occupations - the
Venepal factory and the Juan Bautista Alberdi school
being the most publicised examples.  Secondly, land
conflict, in which the poor defy the landlords and
their goons.  And thirdly, activist movements such as
grassroots radio stations, cooperative associations,
women's groups, etc.  

In other words, on a movement scale, there seems to be
a lot more going on than Chavez's rhetoric or actions
would appear on the surface to explain...  I feel the
Chavez signifier has slipped out of Chavez's personal
control to some degree, and that other forces are
driving "the revolution", precisely by taking the
rhetoric seriously and acting on it.


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