Brazzil

Lula and his gang had one demagogy to get elected...and a way to be elected.

They are liers and traitors to the left ideology.

But my conclusion is also that they are really not good leaders to govern a country....they were the best counter power.....before the elections !!!!!!

They should go back where they were the best...!!!!

Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson is reported to have said of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, "Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside pissing in." Apparently the person above feels the opposite about Lula. He'd rather have Lula on the outside pissing in. Well, in politics you need both. I like Lula on the inside the seat of power.

For years, the PT and Lula were on the outside pissing in. They were heros to the common person in the fight against the dictators and power elite.

In 2002 The PT gained power. Lula became president. Now the party was on the inside. The party then had the challenge of trying to do something with this new insider status. But, guess what? It's not so easy to get the stuff done that you said you wanted to get done when you were on the outside. "Lula received 67% of the vote in 2002, but the PT - although the largest party - won only a fifth of the seats in congress." So, they have done things good and bad. In the "lust for power"? Maybe, maybe not. Did Brazil's already corruption-infected political system corrupt the PT? Probably. Remember, many of those implicated in recent corruption investigations are non-PT. Calvacanti is a right-wing party member. Did it corrupt Lula? No one has demonstrated that. Of course, whoever is corrupt should pay the penalty, irrespective of their party affiliation.

But, let's face the truth: Lula hasn't been able to get done what he campaigned on because of the reality of politics. He wasn't elected dictator of Brazil, and thank goodness for that. Lula does NOT want that kind of power. He fought for years at personal risk against that. No one but complete fringe-types would want that, and Lula isn't even close. Anyone who says so is a goddamned liar! No. A "traitor to left ideology"? That's a harsh idictment. I'd love to see the person above, and the author of the article, do a better job. They'd probably end up causing a coup or slashing their own wrists.

Lula's ascent to power represents progress for the left. If you're not satisfied, keep on supporting those on the outside pissing in, but don't overlook progress that results when your outsiders make their way inside.

While the thirst for power may have been a primary factor in the PT's self-destruction. I believe that it had more to due with lack of education and experience. Brazilian's are the eternal romantics, filled with emotional hope. The elite prey on this hope and will always do so. Voting for Lula was an uneducated and emotional decison, and what Brazil got in turn was an uneducated and emotional leader who lacked the administrative skills, education and experience to lead Brazil into the future. Cronism and corruption where sure to follow. It is ironic that only the free market and currency polices of the previous administartion has prevented Brazil from going into an all out tailspin. I think Brazil missed the boat on the last election, I hope they do not do so again, Serra has done an admirable job in Sao Paulo and will run for President again...elect him...this man is smart and has a heart for Brazil

You think cronyism and corruption came AFTER Lula? What kind of bonehead says that? I guess the one who would also say "Voting for Lula was an uneducated and emotional decision, and what Brazil got in turn was an uneducated and emotional leader who lacked the administrative skills, education and experience to lead Brazil into the future." The economy is better under Lula than it has been EVER. The man on the street is a bit better off since Lula too. It appears to me that YOU are an uneducated and emotional person to make such ridiculous comments.

"The man in the street is a bit better off since Lula". Don't you remember his promises, how about the women and kids in the street? Yea, all the ones living in the street...Yes, the economy is doing pretty well, but no credit to Lula, only that even he was not stupid enough to undo the polices set forth by Cardosa that have kept Brazil's economy running. But do you really think that the people benefiting from "Lula's great economy" are the ones he promised prosperity too? Come on...really? You are right about one thing, in Brazil it is the same old. Politicans, police and military lining there pockets with corrupt dollars...even Lula, his family and friends. Wealthy landowners reaping riches on increased exports, and drug dealers getting rich on Zona Sul's middle class kids...what a model for your future. Where are your Brazil's real leaders...people who can make a difference? Not the Lula's of Brazil.

Another country in the developing world that would elect a grade school mechanic President. What a joke.

Another country in the developed world that would elect a grade school mechanic President. What a virtue!

Yeah, right . . . Lula gets the blame but not the glory. You're a typical know-it-all ninny. If you don't think there's been progress in Brazil since Lula took office, you're ignorant. If you think it was better before Lula, you should have your head examined.

In the US they say, "Anyone can grow up to be the president." In Brazil, that's not a bulls**t statement. And that's after only 20 years of democracy.

And does someone really think the "educated" GWBush is better than Lula! Talk about a joke! That's just "dissassebling" LOL.

The really hillarious thing is when dumb people say how uneducated Lula is. YOU should be so uneducated, you incompetent moron! Let's see YOU get elected to the office of president. Go soak your head, fool! LMAO!

And I am not American...but Lula compared to Bush...Lula is still an idiot. Are you really proud of the fact that "anyone" can be President of Brazil. That would make me a little frightened. I can't wait to see who you elect next...at least I will get the last laugh!

I'm sorry, but what evidence do you have that Lula is an idiot compared to Bush? Yes, the truth hurts. YOU, my friend, are no one to be calling anyone an idiot. What have you accomplished? How does it compare to the accomplishments of Lula?

And no one ever accused you of being an American . . . just of being a fool.

To argue about ones accomplishments is not productive. You don't know me...I don't know you. Comparing Lula to Bush is not an intellecutual excerise either. You can't compare apples to oranges. This blog is full of articles regarding the disappointment of Lula, so is O'Dia and Globo...so read and study your own reporters and authors. The simple fact is that Mr. Lula was in no way , shape or form, qualified to lead Brazil into the future. Brazil's current economic success was the free market polices implemented in the telecommunications industry and in Petrobras by the Cardosa administration. Lula was smart enough to surround himself with folks knowledgeabe of the currency markets and they made conservative sound decisions economic decisons...to bad they are now mostly gone for being corrupt. Mr. Lula made as all politicans, yes, including Mr. Bush made many promises to the poor and middle class that he did not keep...that is a fact no one can argue. But you are correct, to rise to the leadership of Brazil from a uneducated mechanic and union leader is a historic accomplishment. So I will not argue that Lula has not accomplished anything for himself...just that he did not accomplish much for the Brazilian people. I am no fan of Chavez, but if Lula had shown the same amount of balls as Chavez, perhaps things would have been different, he ended up being timid and intimidated. He makes for great photo ops in his symbolic football jerseys, Sao Joao hat, and farmers suspenders. But the MST is still landless, crime and drug use are up and the poor are still under educated and hungry...did he really rise to the occasion and produce the results he promised? Oh, there will be the die hard Lula defenders, but their defense is based on a nationalistic pride not a realistic view of Lula's Brazil. I just hope that the Brazilan people get it right next time. I am a fan of Jose Serra the Mayor of Sao Paulo, although I am sure there are other strong candidates. He loves Brazil as much as Lula, he is an educated intellect that has made a difference in Sao Paulo after Marta's corrupt and failed rule there. I know he is not as flashy as Lula, or does he have the outward carisma. But he is a proven problem solver, unafraid of hard work, and has a vision for Brazil.

"The simple fact is that Mr. Lula was in no way , shape or form, qualified to lead Brazil into the future."

The facts belie that statement. If Mr. de Silva were so unqualified, the nation would be worse off than when he began. It's better off. That's a fact. Your statement is an opinion and a demonstrably false opinion at that.

People are disappointed? People are always disappointed. In Brazil, that's no surprise.

Get off the "it's all becuase of Cardozo's policies" nonsense. Lula's been in office for more than three years now. Give the man credit for guiding the ship in a competent manner and not crashing it on the rocks like an incompetent captain would do (e.g., George W. Bush).

You dislike Lula. You are in love with Serra. Fine. But stop your lying about the facts.

"The simple fact is that Mr. Lula was in no way , shape or form, qualified to lead Brazil into the future."

The facts belie that statement. If Mr. de Silva were so unqualified, the nation would be worse off than when he began. It's better off. That's a fact. Your statement is an opinion and a demonstrably false opinion at that.

People are disappointed? People are always disappointed. In Brazil, that's no surprise.

Get off the "it's all becuase of Cardozo's policies" nonsense. Lula's been in office for more than three years now. Give the man credit for guiding the ship in a competent manner and not crashing it on the rocks like an incompetent captain would do (e.g., George W. Bush).

You dislike Lula. You are in love with Serra. Fine. But stop your lying about the facts.

OK...if Lula's legacey will be "he did not crash the ship into the rocks" and that is your determination of good, satisfactory leadership. Then I concede. I just think he failed to take full advantage of his opportunity. Agree to disagree. I like Lula until Brazil found him corrupt...big surprise.

No, fool! The economy is far better off than it was under Cardozo. Stop distorting and lying!

His legacy is a strong economy (it's the largest in Latin America and just surpassed Mexico). He has many other accomplishments to be proud of and will have many more after he is re-elected.

No one has found Lula to be corrupt! NO ONE. He works in the historic pig stye of Brazilia and is himself honest to the core. Stop your lies!

He didn't take full advantage of his opportunity? You're nuts. "Lula received 67% of the vote in 2002, but the PT - although the largest party - won only a fifth of the seats in congress." Are you deaf, dumb and blind? If you think Lula had the power to do all the things he wants to do, you are a hopeless cause. Just how would he get laws passed in the Congress? What kind of fantasy world are you living in? You think Serra could do it with minority support in Congress and constant sniping and hatred of the press and rags like Veja? You're crazy. Lula has done a fine job with running a difficult country under difficult circumstances. If you say otherwise, you're a damned liar.

Viva Lula!

Typical of Brazil's left, blinded by passion and with no brains. Give specifics to his accompishments...Aero Lula? Land reform? Blosa escola? Bolsa familia? All programs with great heart felled by shameful corruption...whose to blame? Does not the buck stop with Lula? Oh...and the biggest failure of all "Zero Fome". Don't you remember the promises? You are correct, Brazil's economy continues to grow and will in the short and long term future. Things are getting better...for the rich. The private sector, fueled by the Cardosa polices of which Lula has never completly understood, icluding the privitatzation of Petrobras and telecommunications, has started the economic freight train in Brazil. But the taxes collected from the poor and middle class by Lula's inept government, instead of paying for new infustructure and promised much needed social reform still goes into the pockets of rich politicans of which Lula is now one and their croonies as well as the rich and getting richer Paulistas. The problem my blinded by ideology friend is that the only people benefiting from Brazils wonderful economoy are the ones that have always benefited. So the favelas will continue to get larger, fathers will sell their sons and daughters to feed their familes, and drug gangs will continue to rule there communites...as will the homes in Angra get larger and the helecopter fleets to take the rich there become newer. Not the "new" rich, but the same old Brazilian familes that have always been rich...no chance for the poor, but as your darling President is so adept at doing...the poor and exploited are the easiest to fool. Lula is a burro my friend, hate to say it this way, but it really is black and white...the PT is history...once again he had a historic chance, he just was not smart enough to make it work. If Lula is the best you've got...then good luck...your going to need it.

You are such a naive child. Brasil has many problems too big for Lula, Serra, or anyone to fix in one term or in 10 terms. Your arguments about Lula's supposed "failures" are silly and childish. Which president of Brasil has done more for the common person than Lula? None. Instead, every past president has been able to drive the ship into the rocks, EXCEPT Lula! Oh, yes, he's sooo incompetent, unlike the past "successful" presidents. What a complete partisan moron you are. I'm just calling it as I see it. Brasil is better under Lula. That much is indisp**able. Has he turned it into a paradise. Please! Shut the f**k up. Progress will be slow and hard in Brasil. But someone like you, truely "blinded by passion and with no brains," will never understand that. Grow up, please, and see the truth. Stop lying to yourself and to others. Brasil is better since Lula took the reigns. Lula is honest. Lula is hard working. Lula has fought his entire life to improve the condition of Brasil's people. Again, shut your ignorant pie hole.

Lula is used to the barbs from opponents since assuming power in January 2003 when he formed Brasil's first leftist administration in 40 years.

After that South America's largest economy endured a dismal 2003 when the economy shrunk by 0.2 percent and joblessness rose to 13 percent. Of course, THAT was Lula's fault, not Cardoso's, right? During the first year, the right and center-right opposition were already calling for Lula's head, saying the former lathe operator with a 5th grade education wasn't competent enough to run the country.

But by the end of 2004 even some of his harshest critics had to be impressed when Brasil snapped out of its doldrums and posted 5 percent economic growth and broke every recent export record and unemployment fell to 10.5 percent.

The accomplishments are many for Lula. In addition to reeling Brasil back from the economic abyss in 2004, he oversaw the Brasil's successful challenge of U.S. cotton subsidies in the World Trade Organization, the first time in its history a developing nation won in the WTO forum against a super power.

Britain also invited Brasil to attend next month's G7 meeting, a possible sign that the nation of 180 million people just might be on the cusp of being considering a legitimate global economic power.

That's paraphrased from an article. I could find more, but you aren't really interested in Lula's successes, only where his lofty goals have fallen short. If he hasn't been able to come through on his goals, it's no surprise with a minority of support in the congress. But at least he has goals, like Zero Fome and the others you mention, which is more than can be said for past presidents of Brasil.

In addition, I don't really think you know what the hell you're even talking about when you recite your list of failures. You just have this list that you recite. You really don't even know what the programs are, do you?

And as for corruption, are you too stupid to know that the so-called corruption scandal has implicated nearly every political party? You are truly an ignorant partisan fool to lay Brasil's political corruption at the feet of a man who has fought against it his whole life. Nothing has shown Lula to have been corrupt. So, shut up!

The fact that Lula has presided during an unprecedented investigation of political corruption in Brasil and has emerged unscathed is truely remarkable and should be admired! THAT is a success, to be sure. One honese politician in Brasil, and it's the guy you can't stand. That must just gall you. I wonder how Mr. Serra would fare? Cardoso? I would bet all my money they wouldn't fair so well.

Name his successes, actions taken that have had a significant impact on the Brazilian people who voted him in power? Aand I will grant you the small increase in the minimum salary. You all rally around him without substance, it's actually very funny...and honestly very Brazilian. You have no knowledge of macro economics or what has happened with Brazil's booming ecomomy. Do you all really think Lula took office and the next day the economy took off...yea right. Previous polices and privitization by yes...the right started the train rolling, Lula simply jumped on the cabosse for the ride, he did not even drive it Direcu did. Once again, answer the questions, are the taxes from the new economy being used for succesful cutting edge social social programs? Is the crime rate any better in Rio or Sao Paulo or any of Brazil's large cities? Are the drug lords more poorly armed? Is the MST happy that even after all the promises and propaganda they are they not still landless slaves? Did he really break the cycle of income disparity which is worse than 95% of African countrie?. Why are you all so proud of this man? Is it because you yourselves are uneducated and simple? That's OK I respect that, but don't urge your short comings on the rest of your country men. Perhaps you have that famous Phd in economics that you can buy from one of the Wednesday adds in Globo. Gee...no responsibility for the failure of his staff, cabinet and all the croonies he made rich with plum governement jobs? What is it they say...see no evil, speak no evil, here no evil. What fine leadership traits these are. The new airplane is nice, and all the shots with the football playes and novela stars is cool, even the pictures of him with Bono's gutair. But the bottom line is he is a jolly fellow who had a chance to make a difference and did not have the courage to stand up to the elite. No balls, timid policy. I'll say it again...I hate Chavez...but he is someone who has made a difference. Lula should have at least followed the Chavez lead.

"Why are you all so proud of this man? Is it because you yourselves are uneducated and simple? "

Enough said. You are simply an ass, my friend. Your comments clearly demonstrate that you do not read either. You have no genuine interest in Brasil. You have no respect for Brasil or its people. You talk nonsense. Your not interested in anything. You cannot be bothered with facts, because you've made up your mind. Your comments demonstrate such profound ignorance that it's painful. So, I'm done with you.