Anarkismo.net: Brazilian presidential elections and the ills of this democratic process by BrunoL (pt)

[machine translation]

In the middle of the race of the 1st round, where the 7th world economy will decide their 
fate referring to will and disinformation 79th world society in HDI index, one must make a 
series of reflections. For this we need to go beyond denouncing the emptying of democracy 
in its liberal and indirect version. I understand we live in a structural problem that is 
directly related to two phenomena. The first involves the individualization of everyday 
life, with tasks that multiply times and exhausted. Capitalism in its informational was 
not giving enough time for the collective life and even less to the massive political 
experiences. When this occurs, we have a "crisis", as in June 2013 Healthy "crisis" by the 
way. ---- In the absence of full capacity to participate and critique, representative 
democracy ends up becoming a ritual where they decide perceive little about what they are 
deciding.

The second applies the detachment of the electoral process in relation to the political 
process. A massive choice of rulers, especially the competitors to the Executive Branch is 
crossed by advertising language, passing away from political propaganda, light years of 
the great ideologies and universes away from the achievements of government or propose 
public policies. Bad news. These two phenomena are not the result of unfortunate publicity 
Brazilian democracy, but a standard in the Western world, where the liberal, indirect, 
non-deliberative and oligarchic tendencies democracies exhaust their ability to represent 
the wishes of majorities who decide without even knowing for sure about the who are deciding.

The electoral detachment is simple to be observed. In some tests - not scientific without 
control variables - I have observed the following procedure, using as a point of debate in 
the race for the presidency in 2014.

If we admit as valid socio-economic criteria IBGE, individuals of class C and D would be 
likely to vote in Marina, yet they can not set a policy of government with which it was 
committed. Measurement of candidates takes place, mostly through media effects, and most 
do not understand the functioning of the Brazilian state and even less the weight of 
public debt, although this pattern has been highlighted in the initial televised debate 
(on Rede Bandeirantes, the 3rd day 26.08.2014). So, first impressions define more choices 
vote more than any rational analysis of the benefits through Lulism and his government 
class conciliation and win-win game. The formula is simple. A variation point Selic 
implies a year of spending Bolsa Fam?lia. Still, nothing indicates the loyalty of votes 
shy of the beneficiaries by social policies Lulism.

Already in classes A and B, at least where it circulates a good level of information and 
alignment both with the West and with the harder neoliberal thinking are not so evident, 
the trend is likely to vote for Dilma by the logic of the sequence of projection Brazilian 
state and public policies covering both ventures such as social policies. It seems that 
the only gains Aetius - according to IBOPE tracking - with people with income above 5 
minimum wages. It is class-struggle opposition (upstairs and ideological), so the hope of 
toucans that are not so tied to a behavior udenista tradition migrates to the chance to 
win with Marina.

Like what counts is the rule campaign, the president is indeed symbolically fragile. 
Rousseff speaks evil, and evil has expressed truncated diction. It is a bad product and a 
good television operator government. Without pushing Lula and some depletion of Brazilian 
growth model, can jam in the second round. As for the PSDB, understand that Jos? Serra and 
Alckmin are pulling votes for Marina, emptying the campaign Aetius. But it may be that 
Marina did not surf this wave positive for 30 days and come with some wear in the 
elections (the case of plane fields and the group of direct campaign aides with Natura and 
Ita? group around him).

If there was some kind of rationality in this process, two obvious findings would be 
consensus. The first claims to be the center-left to better management of capitalism (and 
that's not a compliment or appreciation). The second finding states that any proposed 
democratic left and should become increasingly away from the polls, but in the direct 
struggle for rights and deliberative democratic forms.