Is parecon viable as a "democratic" demand?

[Die Neue Zeit]

Awhile back, I said, "parecon is, specifically, another form of consumer capitalism. Everyone around here knows about capitalist exploitation of workers, but what about the more indirect CONSUMER exploitation (which cuts into capitalists' profits, forcing them to exploit workers more)?" (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=68718&view=findpost&p=1292348537)

Someone else there said that, "If paracon needs to be distinguished from capitallism in such an elaborate way... it means it too close!" (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=68718&view=findpost&p=1292348733)

I also said that most of its proponents are reformists, and that it isn't as "progressive" as the economic base of the DOTP proper: "revolutionary stamocap." (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=68718&view=findpost&p=1292349869)



However, I also inadvertently concluded that thread (if someone wishes to jump start that one again, that's OK, since I'm talking about something different) with a comment that is the question of this thread:

What is the viability of parecon as an immediate "democratic" demand, like the immediate demands made to the bourgeoisie in the Manifesto of the Communist Party?

[syndicat]

a participatory economy is an economic system without any class division. the means of production are owned in common by everyone. there are no longer any capitalists. the hierarchies of managers and professionals at the top are dissolved, replaced by workers self-management. there is also no state. that's because the polity is based on assemblies in neighborhoods and congresses of delegates (city wide, regional, national) from the base assemblies. there are both industrial self-management organizations and community self-management organizations. that's the governance structure.

the planning system is based on people as workers and as consumers or residents of communities having equal power in determining the plan for production, through a procedure of communities making requests for the public goods they want (enviro protection, health care, education, child care etc), individuals putting in for the private consumption goods they want, and workers organizations responding with their proposals for production, and a back and forth process of modifying one's requests to get a match between what workers propose to produce and communities say they want. in essence, planning as negotiated coordination.

it's a complete replacement for capitalism. so saying it is to be an "immediate demand" is like saying revolution can be an "immediate demand." that's not what we usually think of as "immediate demands".