Brazil's Lula courts centrists at unofficial campaign launch
At the effective launch of his campaign on Saturday, Brazil’s former President Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva aimed to lure centrists into his coalition to strengthen his bid to unseat incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro.
“We want to unite democrats of all origins and colors to face and beat the totalitarian threat, the hatred,” da Silva told thousands of supporters of his Workers’ Party, members of unions and political allies who gathered in São Paulo.
“We want to come back so no one ever again dares to challenge our democracy and so fascism returns to the gutters of history, which it should never have left,” the former president added.
“To end this crisis and grow, Brazil needs to be a normal country again.”
The event was technically the launch of da Silva’s pre-campaign, as the law doesn’t permit people to formally declare themselves candidates before Aug. 5.
The leftist, 76, leads all polls to return to the job he held from 2003 to 2010 - but his sizeable advantage against the far-right Bolsonaro in the October election has been narrowing in recent weeks, according to some surveys.
At: https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-covid-business-health-campaigns-83819f918df530cc887b0d2c95ecae8e
= new reply since forum marked as read
He never treated his position as the President with respect, making extravagant gestures, comments, dramatic claims, accusations, constant negativity and hostility toward political "enemies." Just like Trump.
You might recall as soon as Trump started claiming he suspected "vote fraud" in the Presidential election, Bolsonaro started insisting he believes Brazil's voting system is fraudulent, too.
Who can forget Bolsonaro's using a right-wing Judge in Brazil to frame Lula da Silva, who was trending FAR ahead of him in the previous run-up to the last election, and maneuvered Lula right into prison, and unable to continue the campaign. Then Bolsonaro, as soon as assuming power, moved the judge who murdered Lula's campaign into his own cabinet! Not a bit of shame, doesn't care how many people could see what had happened.
Bolsonaro had to be furious when the Brazilian legal system finally released Lula from prison, after sticking him in there, out of sight and mind.
Horrible news, if actually true, that Lula is not viewed as the inevitable winner this time. I hope that's just wishful thinking from the corporate media which seems to control what is heard and seen almost everywhere.
Of course the real campaign doesn't officially begin until August, so maybe there, as here, a lot of slanted rumors are going around with hopes of influencing the common beliefs early.
Throughout his Presidency, Lula was considered the BEST President Brazil ever had. Not the case with Bolsonaro.
Both fascists seem to feel deeply insecure about their "masculine" images.
On edit:
I forgot to watch the newsclip. It brings really good news. So glad I listened. That newsman took the time to inform people who may have been victims of a right-leaning news source what actually happened concerning the bogus charge against Lula. Every time the truth is told an angel does a cartwheel!
I forgot the first account was from the Associated Press. They, and Reuters, etc. have to be examined closely as one learns, with experience, they DO tend to devaluate leftists subtly. It's their thang, sadly, and they are the best we can often get, since the big papers closed down their foreign bureaus, a terrible decision.
Glad to have checked the news video.
Thank you, peppertree!
