By MANUEL DOMINGOS NETO*
It is impossible to underestimate the possibility of re-election of the current president. Most Brazilians have no idea what this means for their lives
Lula had more votes than his opponent. Progressive governors were elected in the first round; others, may win in the second. The PT increased its bench in the Chamber… Polianas appease restless souls, they hate facing damage.
The fact is that a Hamilton Mourão without charisma takes the place of an icon of democratic resistance. The ruthless Eduardo Pazzuello is the champion of votes in Rio. A former judge destroying jobs, technical capabilities and institutions wins a seat in the Senate. A destroyer of forests and an astronaut who despises science are enshrined in the powerful and civilized state of São Paulo. An unknown surpasses Fernando Haddad by presenting himself as fulfilling the “captain's mission”.
It is impossible to underestimate the possibility of re-election of the current president. Most Brazilians have no idea what this means for their lives. Much less achieves the worldwide significance of this election.
What polling intentions fail to capture is the capacity for articulation and mobilization of a vast, intricate and well-oiled (money-rich) network of decidedly mobilized political actors under efficient coordination.
With unsurpassed capillarity, spread over every piece of ground, capable of responding in real time to stimuli from an issuer not clearly identified, this network conducts collective emotions. He even knows how to manipulate seasoned journalists, academics and political leaders.
Do voting intention calculators hold the map of Brazilian streets dominated by militiamen? Are they aware of how territorial control extended from north to south works? Would they effectively measure the power of thousands of “churches” over millions of hopeless people? Did they have any idea of the dense and profuse transmission belts of the unknown “military family”?
The analyzes of what happened revolve around “migrations” of votes (who would have benefited from the “useful vote”), leanings of the financial barony, reactionary behavior of wealthy men, reactions of members of superior courts… They take into account the real Brazil ? Do you know this Brazil?
Analyzes tend to assume that people from the Northeast vote for Lula because they are hungry and can be manipulated by beliefs. They do not hypothesize that it is more averse or resilient to cognitive shock or well-programmed moral panic by internet terrorists. They reject the idea that Brazil is becoming politically northeastern.
Analyzes tend to assume a Brazil in which coups were carried out with the use of tanks, not with the handling of collective anxieties and fears. They do not understand that military commanders, in addition to leading ranks, were trained to conduct “psychosocial” operations.
The institutional left stopped, some time ago, calling the most suffering to fight. He got used to calling them to the polls to enshrine political representation promising benefits. Now, the ballot boxes were arranged to maintain iniquitous order. The president strikes the hearts of many when, embodying the system in its cruel essence, he cries out against the system.
Against this faker, Lula must call the people to change Brazil, not to go back to the time when he ate picanha, traveled by plane and had a chance to achieve higher education.
Politics contains the promise of a good, said Aristotle. The good that Brazilians hope for is not a chimerical return to the past, but a rupture with the colonial legacy.
Lula must bet on the intelligence of the people and describe tim-tim by tim-tim what he intends to do to change Brazil. She still has time.
* Manuel Domingos Neto is a retired UFC professor, former president of the Brazilian Defense Studies Association (ABED) and former vice president of CNPq.
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