Michael L.,
We would ONLY be talking about ONE excluded person at most every 12 years
in Venezuela. If the workers have NO alternative after 12 years, such a
movement is pretty damn weak. The cult of the individual is far more
serious a problem.
The example of Cardenas needing re-election in Mexico (you didn't make this
case, but another did) is not a good counter-example. First, he had only
ONE term not two. Second, he was PRECEDED by a President who did have a
term limit and thus opened a door. You cannot pick and choose when you
want and when you don't want term limits.
Finally, the most important issue is that Chavez never indicated that he
would support a separation of term limits as a separate question of
constitutional change from the economic questions on the ballot, leading to
the reasonable conclusion that he wanted the connection to help get
something for himself. (Incidentally, standard procedure is that a change
in terms of office which would benefit an incumbent does NOT benefit the
incumbent but the successor. Chavez could have made that point.) Bottom
line is that the Bolivarian process is too dependent on Chavez himself.
Look, if Chavez were not President in 2013 that does NOT mean he would have
no role. I like Chavez, but that is not the point.
Paul
P.S. For those who mention U.S. hypocrisy on this question, sure, but there
is so much hypocrisy around that I don't want to give it one ounce of
credit in any argument for what is best practice.
--Michael Lebowitz wrote:
Within specific organisations linked by a common
purpose, I support rotation of responsibilities because it allows for
more even development, thereby strengthening all and democracy. But
in the process of class struggle, if you prevent people from deciding
who best to provide leadership in the struggle, who then decides?
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(Vol.23) THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF 9-11-2001 "a benchmark in 9/11 research"
video summary from Snowshoe Films at http://snowshoefilms.com
(Vol.24) TRANSITIONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND IN POLAND AND SYRIA
********************* http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PZarembka
