Child's Play in Politics
Politics is a game of hide and seek. Politicians hide their true opinions and actions while intentionally seeking to deceive the public by manipulating them in various ways. The most successful politicians are those who can control the masses best. This is not something that is restricted to one culture or country. It is universal and timeless. So I am not fully surprised to see parallels between the current Brazilian presidential campaign and the 2004 elections in the U.S.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is at the opposite end of the political spectrum of George W. Bush. Lula, as he is called down here, has strong lower-class and socialist roots while Bush is from a wealthy conservative family. But despite their apparent divergence in political beliefs they both use the exact same strategy in their re-election bids – misinformation that leads to fear.
In 2004, Bush used the fear of terrorism to win a second term. Even though there was a strong argument to show that his actions had not made America any safer during his four years in office, Bush played up the assertion that Kerry was wishy-washy (I believe the Fox News catch-phrase was, “flip-flop”) and could not make up his mind on important issues. This was parleyed into showing Kerry as a president who would make America unsafe. Coupled with a constantly changing sword of Damacles known as the “Terror Alert,” which supposedly gauged how much danger America was in of terrorist attacks at any given time, the image of a weak Kerry was too much for Americans to risk and they voted for Bush. Better the devil you know…
Now, Lula is using the same strategy in his re-election campaign. For his four years in office, Lula has kept none of his campaign promises. He promised to lower taxes – he raised them. He promised to improve education – public education is as bad as it has ever been. He promised to reform the agricultural face of Brazil – he has done nothing of the sort. He promised to end corruption – his party has been involved in as many if not more scandals as his predecessors.
So, in his desperation to remain in office he is now playing the only card he has left – fear. He is making unsubstantiated claims that his opponent will privatize popular governmental corporations. Lula is also claiming that the opposition will end a popular program that combats hunger and poverty.
The similarity between the two examples of Bush and Lula is striking. Misinformation and fear have both been used to perfection to discredit their opponents and manipulate the ignorant masses. Bush’s campaign led to re-election. I am sure that Lula’s bid will have the same result.
I guess this is why I am so disillusioned with politics in general. Liars are constantly rewarded while those who would strive to tell the truth are left out of the political circles. At a time when we most need serious and honest people, we are stuck with the spin doctors and illusionists instead.
The world is most certainly doomed.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is at the opposite end of the political spectrum of George W. Bush. Lula, as he is called down here, has strong lower-class and socialist roots while Bush is from a wealthy conservative family. But despite their apparent divergence in political beliefs they both use the exact same strategy in their re-election bids – misinformation that leads to fear.
In 2004, Bush used the fear of terrorism to win a second term. Even though there was a strong argument to show that his actions had not made America any safer during his four years in office, Bush played up the assertion that Kerry was wishy-washy (I believe the Fox News catch-phrase was, “flip-flop”) and could not make up his mind on important issues. This was parleyed into showing Kerry as a president who would make America unsafe. Coupled with a constantly changing sword of Damacles known as the “Terror Alert,” which supposedly gauged how much danger America was in of terrorist attacks at any given time, the image of a weak Kerry was too much for Americans to risk and they voted for Bush. Better the devil you know…
Now, Lula is using the same strategy in his re-election campaign. For his four years in office, Lula has kept none of his campaign promises. He promised to lower taxes – he raised them. He promised to improve education – public education is as bad as it has ever been. He promised to reform the agricultural face of Brazil – he has done nothing of the sort. He promised to end corruption – his party has been involved in as many if not more scandals as his predecessors.
So, in his desperation to remain in office he is now playing the only card he has left – fear. He is making unsubstantiated claims that his opponent will privatize popular governmental corporations. Lula is also claiming that the opposition will end a popular program that combats hunger and poverty.
The similarity between the two examples of Bush and Lula is striking. Misinformation and fear have both been used to perfection to discredit their opponents and manipulate the ignorant masses. Bush’s campaign led to re-election. I am sure that Lula’s bid will have the same result.
I guess this is why I am so disillusioned with politics in general. Liars are constantly rewarded while those who would strive to tell the truth are left out of the political circles. At a time when we most need serious and honest people, we are stuck with the spin doctors and illusionists instead.
The world is most certainly doomed.
posted by Neil Dallas | 9:19 AM
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