Election next week

it will be interesting to see how he fares. Survived a stabbing during the campaign I believe.

One of the delivery guys here in FL was wearing a t-shirt in support of him. I like seeing that. it would be good if their economy worked properly.

BEASTMODE.

He’ll win, but he’ll not govern as well as he can, because (a) the “deep state” won’t let him and mostly because (b) Brazil has an extremely bad constitution, akin to that of a socialist state, and it makes the country ungovernable; even though the constitution is only 30 years old, it has precisely 99 amendments to this date. It is SO BAD that the gov’t can only function - and miserably, at that - by poking holes in the constitution, through very lengthy and costly processes.

Plus, the culture of corruption is widespread: it goes from the very top to the very bottom of society. As much as I’d like him to succeed (because my extended family are still there, by and large), I do not believe a man and his (temporary) supporters can defeat the structural corruption that Brazil has.

When I concluded this, I decided to bail. My only regret was not having done so earlier.

Steyn, why do you refer to his supporters as being temporary?

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Steyn, why do you refer to his supporters as being temporary?

Because many of them are rightists in name only (think Jeff Flake and John McCain).

It’s a very weird country. You have a population which is essentially conservative (much like that of USA’s), but which cannot elect - for one reason or other - a conservative government. Some of that incapacity is structural: a REAL conservative government would have to dump out the 1988 Constitution, and invoking a new constituent congress could be a double-edged sword; we could end up with an even worse constitution. Some is infrastructural: the economic interests at the base of the deep state will not let a right-wing president to govern. There’s just too much money at stake.

Sounds like a good old fashion revolution is in order. I have a Brazilian friend who says that Brazilians aren't the kind to overthrow the government, and on top of that, gun ownership is restricted.

It is very restricted indeed. I was only allowed to have one and carry it because I held an «important» government position. The plebes are not allowed guns.

Scores of parties at local, state and national level. Everything depends on a coalition of many small parties to get a "ruling" majority. Lots of horsetrading within the coalition to get anything accomplished so legislation gets watered down.

“just like me, he (Trump) doesn’t want gun control in America”

“I want to allow guns in Brazil so that the Brazilian people can have safety”


Sounds good to me.