INTERVIEW

Lula Wants to Fight

Invigorated by the crisis, Brazil's president says he's praying for Obama.

By Fareed Zakaria | NEWSWEEK
Published Mar 21, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Mar 30, 2009

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  • Posted By: David Nielsen @ 04/09/2009 11:33:17 AM

    I live in Brazil and, honestly speaking, Lula is cetainly the best best president we've had in the last 20 years. Changing subjects, he got rid of the huge international debt we had, controlled the crisis by puting down taxes on industrialized products, which made our car industry produce more during the crisis than it did last year.
    Brazilian people have a cultural tendency to criticize politicians no matter the reasons, based on the last 2o years of chaos we went through. In high school, teachers call the 80's a "lost deacde" to our economy, leaded by the international debt I mentioned before. Students can't deny, once they hear the very same from their parents. Now, every progress is welcome, and we're welcome to him.

  • Posted By: AlejNav @ 04/01/2009 12:18:22 PM

    The world problems are created for its own people. Who do we think we are? we are just PEOPLE, we are just HUMAN BEINGS, we are not inferior or superior, we all have the same necessities. We all have the same fears and same weaknesses. The day I found someone who does not age, get sick and die I will agree with his or her superiority, otherwise we all live our lives fooling ourselves with the stupid believe of superiority because certain skin color. Again, the ignorance it is the biggest people's problem.

  • Posted By: AlejNav @ 04/01/2009 11:54:02 AM

    The Venezuelan problem is not the present government is the people who elects those leaders. Only people who knows the Venezuelan history can agree with me. Chavez is not the first dictator, or corrupt president, he is the worst president yes, but the Venezuelan people is the one who allows him to be an abusive leader. The biggest problem for the Venezuelans is their own ignorance and lack of values.

  • Posted By: Disappointed Democrat @ 03/26/2009 4:14:34 AM

    When the bankers and business people of Venezuela tried to oust Chavez in a coup, thousands of peasants and workers flooded into the city and got their president back. We need some of that kind of democracy in the US. If Obama doesn't start helping the working class pretty soon, and not just the Wall Street elites, we may see people take to the streets here. I hear stock in torches and pitchforks are starting to surge.
    Disappointed Democrat.

    • Posted By: RSPBrazil @ 03/31/2009 2:46:05 PM

      The USA is so big to have successfull on dificult situations and cry for the chinese money on last years.
      The Europe Union is a better example to change the USA. The states should pay for your problems each one, and contribute to militar service how much each state agree or not with invation* on other countries.
      (* Has not Irak War or Afeganistan war)

      • Posted By: elenabro @ 03/31/2009 7:24:10 PM

        Your comment about Venezuela is very ignorant and as a Venezuelan living in Venezuela and having suffered the last 10 years of government, I can tell you the reality here is more complex than many can understand.

  • Posted By: RSPBrazil @ 03/31/2009 11:51:04 AM

    by R:
    My reply for the question on as he obtains a so high index of approval: He is a product of the media, that distracts the voter of the true administrators of the party. He has been a non-workers since seventies, pensioner since young. A product of the media, that keeps high approval same with about 36 ministries and thousand of positions without work and supported by the Senate with 181 directors, giving laugh of the voter.

    The workers party (known as "PT") is a product of the media, established for university professors, who had been born rich and knew, that people without education believes marks as ???PT???, short and expressive.

  • Posted By: Paulinho551 @ 03/29/2009 8:44:41 AM

    Newsweek's mistakes go far beyond the cover. The title "Lula wants to fight" is ridiculous! And to say that Brazil's presidente is invigorated by the crisis and is praying or Obama could not be less sensible. Who cares for the prayers of that man except his own family?

  • Posted By: Paulinho551 @ 03/29/2009 8:25:12 AM

    Portraying the Brazilian president in the cover has been a bad-oriented editorial choice. Mr. Lula da Silva is a rude, poorly educated, leftist demagogue. And few days after the Newsweek edition with his portrait in the cover hit the news stands,, he made a racist remark never heard before in Brazil. Disgusting!

  • Posted By: eubenm @ 03/27/2009 11:43:18 PM

    I never voted for Lula, because I support the right, but we have to credit him for three big things: (1) he speaks to the masses and boost confidence, without being an outrigth populist by any means. He means hope for many of our poor fellow citizens that see upward mobility as a real possibility; (2) He leads a party that congregates some well intentioned people with some of the scum of our union leaders, corrupt politicians and parasyte bolchevists, but on the big matters he took the right choices, such as supporting the complete independence of the Central Bank, and honoring the democratic institutions. He quieted the left and let the country prosper (as much as possible under a leftist government); (3) This is yet to be seen - he definitely has the power to ammend constitution and play the pseudo-democrat, running for a third term. If he does honor the constitution and refrains from compromising to the appeals of easy power, he will have his name written in history.

  • Posted By: paty @ 03/27/2009 8:42:55 PM

    Hi, I'm brazilian and I'll talk about what I see in reality here in Brazil. The real problem here (about the crisis) is NOT like lula said. Here, he's always saing that "Brazil is not in problem 'cause the crisis, we'll pass this..." and really, this is nonsense.
    Lots of people had lost their jobs, like General Motors' workers, for example...
    "We have economic stability"..... not... maybe for the president...

    About Obama, brazilians are supporting him. We really like Obama =)

  • Posted By: paty @ 03/27/2009 8:40:27 PM

    Hi, I'm brazilian and I'll talk about what I see in reality here in Brazil. The real problem here (about the crisis) is NOT like lula said. Here, he's always saing that "Brazil is not in problem 'cause the crisis, we'll pass this..." and really, this is nonsense.
    Lots of people had lost their jobs, like General Motors' workers, for example...
    "We have economic stability"..... not... maybe for the president...

    About Obama, brazilians are supporting him. We really like Obama =)

  • Posted By: Jane Mary @ 03/27/2009 11:42:24 AM

    You only have comments from Brazilians here? What Americans think about our economic success?
    Allies? Until when? Obama expectancy of Americans want to mirror in Lula! hehe

    • Posted By: Gustavo CL @ 03/27/2009 5:07:57 PM

      Which economic success? See the number, compare and stop guessing like Lula and this magazine.

  • Posted By: giulianobc @ 03/27/2009 9:58:11 AM

    I read any comments here, agree with any and desagree.
    The fact of high level of aproval of the Lula can be explaned by the fact that he always associate his image
    the poorest and least advantaged as in Brazil we have only 5% of rich is natural is natural that it be approved by a majority (95%). Well, the problem of Brazilian politics is not the president because he only represents the country. The big problem in Brazil are the congressman 95% corrupts, hes they have to pay more than the president and will never work and are above the law, never re never arrested for his crimes.

    The Brazil would be the best country in the world had less parliamentary

    • Posted By: Gustavo CL @ 03/27/2009 5:05:27 PM

      Please, stop guessing number and percentages like "5% of rich, 95% of poor". Define rich, define poor. If 95% is poor than many poor is against Lula.

  • Posted By: say_muah @ 03/27/2009 4:02:39 PM

    White with blue eyes --- hmmmmm.... I have clearly lived within my means in my 45 years, and I truly resent some yahoo from south of the equator with an anti arian itch thinking he knows who is at fault here, when unlike the President and his wife , my husband and I of over 23 years have never had a 400.00+ lobster dinner.

  • Posted By: Jane Mary @ 03/27/2009 11:42:48 AM

    You only have comments from Brazilians here? What Americans think about our economic success?
    Allies? Until when? Obama expectancy of Americans want to mirror in Lula! hehe

  • Posted By: giulianobc @ 03/27/2009 10:12:33 AM

    I read some comments here and in my opinion the Lula President have high level of the approval because he always link your image with brazilian poor people. In Brazil only 5% are rich people this explains the high approvals of Lula.

    The big problem of Brazil not is the president but the parliamentarians who earn more than the president, never work and are above the law - ( They are never convicted of their crimes). In Brazil more than 90% of parliamentarians are corrupt, so if we had only 10% of those working there in Brasilia, Brazil would be the best country in the world.


  • Posted By: lmeneghello @ 03/25/2009 1:25:04 PM

    I was very impressed by the first comment, posted by Sandra. Brazil has a lot of social problems; it is a huge mistake to say that Brazilians live in paradise! Rio de Janeiro is not a safety place at all, poverty is all over, people are starving in the northeast and our forests are being devastated. Come on!! Lula did not finish junior high school, don´t speak English and can´t speak his own language property. He is a shame!! Besides, he supports corrupt politicians who steal money from the population. We need an "Obama" in our next election. And Sandra, correct your sentences before writing, there are many English mistakes.

    • Posted By: sandrasallee @ 03/26/2009 8:02:30 PM

      I agree 100% with You . I will try to correct my sentences next time . I was just joking , beeing sarcastic , that's all .
      People were mad with me , after read my first comment .
      Thanks for Your criticism . Hope Brazilians can elect better President next election .

  • Posted By: Felipe Toulon @ 03/24/2009 10:19:07 AM

    Lula is a liar? In fact, I believe Sandrasallee is a liar. Thanks God you had to move from our country, because we don´t need people like you here.

    She said: "The President made his son a rich man from the night to the day" - Sandra lies.
    "The scandals are coming out to the public everyday" - She lies, Lula is the most popular leader in Brazil´s history.
    "They don't punish the corrupts the way they should" - The Federal Police is arresting corrupts as never before.
    "The President is an alcoholic" - It´s almost funny!
    "He wants to follow Chavez and take the country forever" - Lula is suporting Dilma Roussef as new brazilian president in 2010. Sandra lies. Lula is veeeery diferent.
    "That's better to live as a second class people than don't live at all " - Ok. It seems to be a good chose! I´m living very well here, and I´m from middle class too.

    80% of brazilian thinks Lula is doing a good or excelent job, 15% thinks it´s regular; only 5% thinks it´s bad.

    So, why Sandrasallee is angry with him? That´s simple: Sandrasallee is a brazilian middle class girl, that left her country and went to USA, because she hates her local small city, to married someone american or to work, probably as a babysitter.

    Despite of her poor job, she thinks everything that is "American" is better. She just doesn´t like brazilians and doesn´t like her country. And she doesn´t care. This is the tipical immigrant that goes to the USA (or Europe) and causes the problems that you have there. People that could be in her original country working as the others, but prefered to blame the country (and not herself) by her poor job, and goes to America.

    • Posted By: Gustavo CL @ 03/26/2009 7:56:36 PM

      And you are a plain ignorant. Middle class people aren't the ones which emmigrate and why would a middle class person emmigrate? Are you from the same party of Lula? IDRNP: 'I Don't Read Newspapers Party'. You don't know the reality of your own country.

  • Posted By: Gustavo CL @ 03/26/2009 7:51:10 PM

    Is this interview a joke? Why the American press love Lula so much? Biggest economic succes of Latin America? What a joke! Brazil's economic growth during was always below the Latin American average during Lula. This is no secret. The datas are in the internet, all you have to do is to research. No guessing, please. A great symbol of democracy? Why? What has he done? Just because he is not Chávez he becomes a symbol of democracy? Uh? I guess there are a lot of 'symbols of democracy' out there then. Lula, by the way, is a close ally of Chávez. He smiles to you Americans at your face and then stab you in the back when you turn around. What I confess gives me some pleasure because I hate how much you support this idiot.

    Gustavo,
    Belo Horizonte, Brazil

  • Posted By: Gustavo CL @ 03/26/2009 7:50:53 PM

    Is this interview a joke? Why the American press love Lula so much? Biggest economic succes of Latin America? What a joke! Brazil's economic growth during was always below the Latin American average during Lula. This is no secret. The datas are in the internet, all you have to do is to research. No guessing, please. A great symbol of democracy? Why? What has he done? Just because he is not Chávez he becomes a symbol of democracy? Uh? I guess there are a lot of 'symbols of democracy' out there then. Lula, by the way, is a close ally of Chávez. He smiles to you Americans at your face and then stab you in the back when you turn around. What I confess gives me some pleasure because I hate how much you support this idiot.

    Gustavo,
    Belo Horizonte, Brazil

  • Posted By: Vigilance @ 03/26/2009 8:51:46 AM

    Go Lula. I'm becoming such a fan.

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