Monday, October 29, 2018

The widows of the left crying over Bolsonaro

I was weighing whether I would leave Venezuela for a post. But that election in Brazil had so much of Venezuela in it that I shall not diverge.

Most of the "democratic" left, and of course the whole undemocratic one are in tears tonight. The awful Bolsonaro has been elected.  He did not get the 60% he was threatening to get but with 55% he has, well, a mandate. However, I do not read much self criticism within the left in the rise of Bolsonaro.  I will take for button its lack of condemnation to the Maduro regime. The  losing Haddad never got to condemn as far as I know, costing him a couple of points at least. Bolsonaro did not lose those points.


The left should start measuring the amplitude of its failure, made the worse that it is replaced by the extreme right in Brasil. And yet the PT of Brazil can only blame itself for that stupendous defeat, where Haddad failed to rally enough people in the middle who ended up voting Bolsonaro or staying home.  Let's see.

First, the crazed candidature against all odds of Lula. The guy is in jail, no matter how rigged his trial may have been. I, for one, think he got a bad rap but he has enough guilt to be at least barred from running. It is that arrogance of Lula that started the unraveling of democracy in Brazil. Or rather, it had started before (under Lula) when corruption ate most of the political class, a corruption led from the PT itself as a tool to remain in office and bring someday the Sao Paulo Forum into governance. His jail was a trigger. Now that I think of it, maybe they should have left Lula run, he probably would have been defeated any way, and, by a larger margin.  Bolsonaro would have made mincemeat of him I bet

Second, there was no repentance inside the PT, only a few circumstantial words from Haddad, who committed a major mistake visiting Lula right after the first round balloting. Deaf ears at the PT.

Third, further mistakes that alienated some of the liberal right. I mean, a Communist Party running mate?  Not a word to seriously condemn Maduro and promise to do something about the Venezuelan dictatorship?

And many more I would know if I really could follow closer Brazilian politics, very complicated already in normal times. But enough of Brazil.

When history books will be written what will astound more future scholars is that the arrival of leftist governments in Latin America, on the shoulders of a fight against corruption, will have turned out to be the most corrupt governments in the history of these countries, That is the case of Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.  Ecuador had some problems but Correa could do no more harm than he did because its currency is the US dollar. Bolivia curiously seems to have "normal" levels of corruption. But in Nicaragua, Suriname, and of course Cuba, corruption is also an essential reason for their failure even if they manage to hold to office.

The human rights under these leftist rulers did not fare much better. Venezuela and Cuba are now regimes akin to Stalinonazism in the cruelty of their repression.  In Brazil the PT could not care much about its crime rate, a violation of HR by itself.  San Salvador left rulers do not do any better. 

That is why tonight I am angry at that left that tried to convince me that Bolsonaro was anatema. Why would not Haddad ALSO be anathema? I wrote ALSO on purpose.

Yes, as a gay man and a feminist and a social democrat/ADLE European style I am appalled by Bolsonaro, but I am appalled by the Brazilian left which has done a lot to make Venezuela what it is today, amen of wrecking Mercosur.

The sad fact is that under Bolsonaro we will return to a past where gay rights and feminism, amongst others, were not priority. Bolsonaro will force Brazil to face to its weaknesses, to sort out what are the core values of the country. Once these values, hopefully oriented towards freedom, free press and rule of law come to pass we will be able to bring back feminism and gay rights and other luxuries of civilized societies. But as is the case today in Venezuela, our countries will need a "first is first" approach to rebuild themselves from the moral disasters the left has brought upon us, a left today unrepentant for the most part. Even those that have started criticizing are grudgingly admitting that they supported Lula and Chavez at first and refuse to condemn the ideas that marked the origins of their rule, ideas that people like me saw as fraud BEFORE they were elected. And I was then returning from the US as a Liberal!

So tonight I feel sorry for Brazil, but they had it coming. Sorry. There is always the hope that not having a majority in congress Bolsonaro may turn out to be better president than expected. But from his own character flaws I doubt that very much. Brazil has a tradition of presidents not completing their terms.....

And now back to Maduro, for the time being way worse than Bolsonaro and Haddad.




11 comments:

  1. Rodrigo8:54 AM

    What does it mean "I was weighing whether I would leave Venezuela for a post."

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  2. Anonymous5:15 PM

    I always write about Venezuela. but on occasion i "leave" that subjet. metaphorically
    daniel

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  3. Such great analysis, per usual. Thanks daniel!

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  4. Sorry Daniel but you still don't understand why your country (and the whole region) are what they are today...

    If I were you I'd feel relieved that Brazil will no longer play the role of the hidden big brother and support a regime that has driven millions into exile and millions more into desperation...

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    Replies
    1. That is right. After 20 years living the hell in Venezuela itself I understand nothing.

      Delete
    2. Yes, as a gay man and a feminist and a social democrat/ADLE European style I am appalled by Bolsonaro, but I am appalled by the Brazilian left which has done a lot to make Venezuela what it is today, amen of wrecking Mercosur.

      One would think that after all the experience you have had, by now you would understand that socialism IS NOT VIABLE, it relies on wealth generated by a healthy economy (itself a product of a thrifty and smart populace) to accomplish some things and that even in Europe your "social democrat/ADLE European style" socialism is falling apart slowly due to the realities on the ground.

      I wish you the best and I hope that you can get out of that country or participate in the revival of it if the current regime is toppled.

      Delete
  5. Tom in Oklahoma4:40 PM

    Daniel, it is heartening to read that you are starting to see the left for what it really is and I think that as time goes by you will also come to see that Bolsonaro is not nearly the monster that the leftist press has portrayed him to be. I think he will make putting Brazil's house in order a top priority.

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  6. Boludo Tejano5:01 AM

    Second, there was no repentance inside the PT, only a few circumstantial words from Haddad, who committed a major mistake visiting Lula right after the first round balloting. Deaf ears at the PT.
    Good point.

    Third, further mistakes that alienated some of the liberal right. I mean, a Communist Party running mate? Not a word to seriously condemn Maduro and promise to do something about the Venezuelan dictatorship?

    Good point.

    The elephant in the room, from the Venezuelan point of view, is Lula's record with El Finado. Haddad has made attempts to distance himself from Venezuela, or to be more "neutral," in an attempt to make Brazilians forget Lula's support of El Finado- and the disaster that is El Finado's legacy.

    But what Gleisi Hoffmann, the head of the PT, said last year in support of Maduro, did not help Haddad's attempts to distance the PT from Chavismo. Why does Brazil’s Workers’ Party still support the Maduro regime in Venezuela?
    "The PT expresses its support and solidarity with the government of the PSUV, its allies and President Nicolás Maduro in the face of the violent right-wing offensive against the Venezuelan government and condemns the recent terrorist attack against the Supreme Court. We expect the Constituent Assembly to contribute to an ever greater consolidation of the Bolivarian revolution and that political differences will be solved peacefully."

    Haddad, who has carefully constructed what he said about Veneszuela, is contrasted with loose cannon Hoffman, the PT's head. Haddad-Hoffman reminds me of Salvador Allende and Carlos Altamirano,then the head of Allende's Socialist Party.

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  7. Tom, Ven's problem is not 'the left', and Brazil's will not be 'the right'. A reasonable left oriented regime would be a very welcome relief, to Daniel and all of Venezuela I imagine. And, dear Tom in Oklahoma, in a year or two you will see the result of Bolsonaro in Brazil....it will not be pretty, not economically and not with regard to civil liberties...I will be surprised if Brazil's democracy survives.

    It is hard to hold the center when extremists with simple slogans, from both the far left and far right, can so easily rouse the animal spirits of the many who do not think they are getting their fair share. And once the one of the far extremes gains control, democracy is often considered a superfluous luxury...….Bolsonaro vs Maduro....the answer from anyone with a sense of history, is, neither, thankyou. Give us, please, a boring centrist leader, a competent honest civil service, a bus service that works, gasoline stations with gasoline, pharmacies and hospitals that function...…..enough slogans and bs.....good governance is what's required

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  8. Poor Daniel....Bolsonaro is going to turn Venezuela into ashes..He is much tougher than Trump, Trumpwont even deport the venezuelan exiles who strut around south florida and treat americans like shit....

    Venezuelans think their shit does not stink....Your nation will pick a fight with Brasil...and Brasil will stomp you..as am american I will never ever forgive your people laughing at 3000 dead people on 9/11/2001..The Venzuelan people cheered americans leaping from the trade center to their deaths...I hate Venezuela and I hate the Venzuelan people

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    Replies
    1. I was wondering whether I should have blocked you right away. But then again as I read such an unthinkable comment I realized that you may have gone postal, not quite sure who to hate, but shooting at random anyway.

      Delete

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