Jacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: Escalating Fascism in Brazil

Alex Sammon at the American Prospect says Democrats who believe we should keep the filibuster think that offensively they are at their limit, and need to keep the filibuster to prevent things from getting any worse. It is a defensive stance against the Republicans. His article, “The Vanishing Case for Liberal Inaction” makes the case that when Democrats in Congress have power, they act as placeholders until handing it back. The Republicans, on the other hand, push their strategic goals, using whatever tactical means available. Pedro Paulo Zahluth Bastos, Political Economist at UNICAMP in Brazil, says that President Bolsonaro is setting the stage for a coup to remain in power. Borrowing from Trump’s playbook, Bolsonaro is sowing doubt about Brazil’s highly-prized electronic voting system, undermining confidence in the Supreme Court, democratic institutions and the media. Bolsonaro has also borrowed the Republican stance on the pandemic and vaccinations, with catastrophic results for Brazil. Overall Bolsonaro’s approval ratings have sunk, but he remains popular among the poor and ever-growing evangelical movement, despite his extreme authoritarian proto-fascist politics. We get Pedro Paulo’s analysis of the state of Brazilian democracy. His latest piece is called “Live and Let die: Bolsonaro and the Fascist Escalation in Brazil."