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    The McMaster Department of Philosophy has now put together the following notice commemorating Barry: Barry Allen: A Philosophical Life Barry…

Brazil’s election

Brian Leiter

As most readers will know, the civilized candidate Lula beat the fascist Bolsonoaro, although just barely.  This is remarkable, when one consider that Bolsonaro makes Trump look urbane and moderate by comparison–not to mention his complete mishandling of the pandemic, with horrible consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.  Lula will also face majorities aligned with Bolsonaro in the National Congress.  At least Bolsonaro's allies do not seem inclined to entertain Bolsonaro's delusional claims about electoral fraud, one sign that Brazilian political culture may still be healthier than America's (a very low bar, admittedly).

Comments from readers from Brazil (or those knowledgeable about Brazilian politics) about the continued appeal of Bolsonaro and the prospects for Lula’s presidency are welcome.

(spelling fixed)

 

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4 responses to “Brazil’s election”

  1. Vitor

    That's all true, except that the president-elect's name is Lula, not Lulu.

    Reply
  2. GB

    One thing to keep in mind is that Brazil is not a two-party system, and that even the right has more than one party in congress. So, the identification between the right and one party (and one presidential nominee) that we see in the U.S. is not as strong in Brazil.

    Reply
  3. Fabio Shecaira

    Lula will face a very tough challenge. As Brian said, he will face much resistance in the National Congress. Given the strength and radicalism of the political opposition, we cannot expect a government that will be able to implement the kinds of social reform that Lula promoted during his first two mandates. He also incurred a large debt with the parties in the center and the right that supported his campaign. Lula has needed and will continue to need the support of shady politicians who will keep doing what they traditionally do, which is trade their political support for positions in the administration where they can make a profit by, inter alia, maladministering public contracts. One of my fears is that Lula's government will fail terribly (either by being paralyzed by the opposition or by being surrounded by new corruption scandals), thus defaming the left in Brazil and other parts of Latin America for many years to come.

    Reply
  4. Paul D. Van Pelt

    The proof, should there be any, will be in the consequences…whether the new leader can get some things done. We can hope.

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