COMMENTARY: The Jair is supposedly the Brazilian clone of The Donald. So why isn't Bolsonaro calling on his followers to overturn his presidential re-election defeat?
OK, who鈥檚 hiding the real right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro? Just two days after he loses his re-election bid on Sunday by a margin as thin as a slice of picanha, he really indicates he won鈥檛 challenge the result and will make the transition of power as amicable as Tom and Gisele鈥檚 divorce?
He suggests he鈥檒l 鈥渇ollow all the commandments鈥� of Brazil鈥檚 constitution? He admonishes his MBGA (Make Brazil Great Again) troops to adhere to 鈥減eaceful鈥� protests?
Yes, I understand Bolsonaro 鈥� appallingly 鈥� has yet to actually concede (although reportedly he told Brazil鈥檚 supreme court behind closed doors he realizes 鈥渋t鈥檚 over鈥�) and that he hasn鈥檛 quit his unsubstantiated bellyaching about the 鈥渋njustices鈥� of the country鈥檚 electoral system.
But, come on, this is The Jair who was supposed to be the Amazon clone of The Donald?
This isn鈥檛 how masters of the Great White Christian Reconquest that鈥檚 reclaiming countries like Brazil and America respond when woke institutional democracy violates them like an FBI agent rifling through a Mar-a-Lago boudoir.
READ MORE: Macho and maskless: Trump, Bolsonaro make U.S., Brazil weaker COVID prey
Two days? Heck, a full two months after Donald Trump lost re-election by twice the percentage of popular votes Bolsonaro was denied, the MAGA Madman wasn鈥檛 just obstructing the U.S. presidential transition. There he was on Jan. 6, 2021, diabolically barking at his bug-eyed cult followers to violently storm Capitol Hill and attempt to overturn the constitutionally legitimate result of that 2020 contest. They obeyed 鈥� and came horrifyingly close to succeeding.
Doesn鈥檛 Bolsonaro realize how much like um banana 鈥� a wimp 鈥� he now looks by comparison? Sure, hordes of pro-Bolsonaro truck drivers have blocked highways across Brazil this week; but late Wednesday Bolsonaro asked them to go home. And he's not ordering anyone in Brazil鈥檚 Congress to grandstand and nullify Sunday鈥檚 ballots. In fact, Bolsonaro Buddies there have accepted Jair鈥檚 defeat 鈥� and told him to get over it.
This isn鈥檛 how masters of the Great White Christian Reconquest that鈥檚 reclaiming countries like Brazil and America are supposed to respond when woke institutional democracy mugs them.
顿辞苍鈥檛 they realize how banana they look compared to the legions of Trump Toadies in the U.S. Congress? Aren鈥檛 they emboldened at all by the large bloc there 鈥� including Miami鈥檚 own Republican congressmen Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez 鈥� who so courageously voted on Jan. 6 to trash the same legalized Electoral College votes that Trump鈥檚 whack warriors had hours before tried to shred? (And let鈥檚 not forget Miami鈥檚 Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, who couldn鈥檛 vote that day but cast her own aspersions on the election result.)
And what about all those real fears Bolsonaro was stoking just a few months ago about a post-election coup? He wasn鈥檛 just threatening to reject the election results if he lost 鈥� his rhetoric and actions strongly suggested he鈥檇 try to dragoon Brazil鈥檚 military into keeping him in power. Many of his backers on O Planeta MBGA are now shouting for the generals to intervene; but Bolsonaro doesn鈥檛 appear to be backing them.
Que banana, cara.
Resilient reactionaries
So instead of fearing Brazil will be an anti-democratic inspiration for all the U.S. election deniers itching to hijack next week鈥檚 midterm votes, we鈥檙e suddenly faced with the prospect that Brazil could be a democratic, post-populist example.
For sure, the leftist who beat Bolsonaro on Sunday, former President Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva, will have less room to maneuver than a Carnival reveler on a Rio sidewalk when he takes office Jan. 1. His victory margin was less than 2 percentage points; and Bolsonaro鈥檚 Partido Liberal won the most seats in both chambers of Congress and several state governorships.
Bolsonaro performed remarkably well for a man whose boorish pandemic denialism is widely blamed for Brazil鈥檚 epic COVID death tally, the world鈥檚 second-highest. He fell 鈥� but his movement, like Trump鈥檚, looks as resilient as it is reactionary.
And yet, this week the Speaker of Brazil鈥檚 Chamber of Deputies 鈥� Bolsonaro ally Arthur Lira 鈥� not only was among the first to recognize Lula鈥檚 victory; he called Lula to congratulate him and reportedly has told colleagues he鈥檒l work with him on several fronts (although that may not include protecting the Amazon rainforest, which Bolsonaro鈥檚 policies merrily torched).
Granted, Lira is jockeying to keep his speaker鈥檚 seat and may need support from Lula鈥檚 Workers Party.
Still, if you鈥檙e a MAGA flamekeeper in the U.S., you鈥檝e got to be sadly asking: where are they hiding the real MBGA flamethrowers in Brazil?
