Brazilian Election: Dilma says she won't send legislation to congress that affects religion

[Meshuga]

Dilma Rousseff is going to write an open letter where she is going to side with religious groups and go against issues like decriminalizing abortion and gay marriage. In return, various evangelical groups will write an open letter in support of Dilma Rousseff.

Both documents will be ready by Saturday.

Text in Portuguese:

"BRASÍLIA e TERESINA - Em reunião com lideranças religiosas nesta quarta-feira, ficou acertado que a candidata à Presidência Dilma Rousseff (PT) escreverá uma carta aberta em que se coloca contra pontos polêmicos para setores religiosos, como a descriminalização do aborto e o casamento homossexual. Em contrapartida, as lideranças, que incluem várias denominações evangélicas do país, redigirão outro documento em que declaram apoio à candidata. Parte deles também gravará depoimentos favoráveis a Dilma. Os dois documentos devem ficar prontos até sábado."

http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/eleicoes2010/mat/2010/10/13/dilma-diz-que-nao-mandara-ao-congresso-nenhuma-legislacao-que-impacte-na-religiao-922772173.asp

[Peace Patriot]

1. Sorry to see yet another progressive go down that road.

These HUMAN RIGHTS issues are even tougher for Latin American politicians, because of the Catholic Church prelates/Vatican lobby. That's why I have more admiration for the Latin American politicians who have taken them on--Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and Rafael Correa, in particular. Chavez, for instance, risked losing a constitutional referendum on term limits by including an amendment for equal rights for women and gays. He lost that vote, I think largely because of the equal rights issue. When they put term limits to the Venezuelan voters as a stand-alone issue, it won, hands down. And Morales and Correa have both supported equal rights provisions in their constitutions.

It doesn't surprise me a lot that Rousseff is compromising on the rights of women and gays. Maybe if she wasn't in such a close election, she wouldn't do that. I don't really know what her personal views are. She's certainly the best candidate on other issues--closely aligned with Lula da Silva. But it's disappointing, nevertheless, to see that women and gays, for all of their improved situations, with these leftist governments in Latin America, are not fully included in the leftist movement that has swept the region.

[Meshuga]

3. Dilma and Serra are pro-choice

Both have said things in the past or promoted debate to reform the current laws related to abortion at some point. But being pro-choice does not win elections and makes it tough for both candidates in Brazil. I agree, the election is pretty close so the candidates cannot speak frankly about these issues.

[rabs]

2. Dilma ahead in latest poll released yesterday

That favorable vote for Dilma in the northwest and sertao is amazing.

Read an article last week that said Dilma only needed 15 percent of the Green vote to beat toucan.

So at this stage it looks like Dilma will come out on top.

http://www.estadao.com.br/estadaodehoje/20101010/not_imp623102,0.php

[Meshuga]

4. The Northeast has been consistently favorable to Lula

So it makes a difference for Dilma. Southeast and the South are the tough regions for Dilma but she will probably win her state (Rio Grande do Sul) which will make a difference in an election that is closer than I thought it would be.

[rabs]

6. Mixed signals from Dilma?

Antes das declarações, Dilma assumiu o compromisso de não mandar ao Congresso nenhuma legislação que tenha impacto sobre a prática religiosa. "Não vamos enviar nenhuma lei deste tipo ao Congresso, com relação a lei de aborto e outras. Ficamos de discutir os termos de uma carta compromisso. Agora, o grande compromisso que assumo é que o Estado é laico e não vai interferir em questão religiosa. O Estado não será de uma religião", apontou.

Dilma promises that she will not send to Congress any legislation that could impact religious practices. "We are not going to send any law of this kind to Congress, in relation to the abortion and other laws. We (agree) to discuss those terms in a letter of compromise. Now, the great compromise that I assume is that the STATE is "laico" (non-religious) and it is not going to interfer in the question of religion. The State will not be a religion."

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Also saw where both Serra and Dilma support the RIGHT of CIVIL unions of gay couples and MARRIAGE is the purview of the Church.

So will wait to see what Dilma's open letter will say; right now it seems to me like mixed signals.

-- Oh, tks, northeast instead of northwest in previous post.

[Meshuga]

8. I totally missed that you wrote "northwest" in the previous post

In other words, I wasn't correcting you. At least not intentionally. :-)

On edit: whatever Dilma says in the letter is just political stuff to get support from the evangelicals. She has to do this to make sure she wins the election but I don't think the letter is going to represent her true feeling on the issues. I don't blame her for doing it but people here might get the wrong idea and think she is moving to the right merely because of empty words to appease a pain in the ass group who are one issue voters and can make a difference as far as the results.

[Peace Patriot]

5. Does "escolaridade" mean schooling? Wow! That's a BIG difference in the college educated

support, Rousseff (16%) vs Serra (50%). Any thoughts on that?

What is "renda"? (I'm assuming household income--right?)

[rabs]

7. Escolaridade = education

and yes, renda is income.

What the poll indicates is that the low-income voters are firmly for Dilma. So are the voters with the least education. Interesting that men prefer Dilma by a hefty margin, as compared with women.

It is the same old formula, the workers and poor are for continuation of Lula's policies.

The rich and the university graduated are for Serra, although he has always been a quasi-leftist.

[Meshuga]

9. Affluent voters and voters with college education gravitated toward Marina and Serra

Like Rabs said in his reply, Serra has consistently been progressive except in this rhetoric when he needed to attract votes from conservatives. He pissed off his supporters on the left when he attacked Lula as a left wing extremist back in 2002 but Serra (in practice) is closer to a liberal in the American sense of the word than anything.

It is not surprising that this election is close and that it is hard for voters to pick a candidate. So the choice is usually partisan or how voters perceive the candidates. Lula's popularity is more likely to help Dilma with the poorer less educated population and there is a split within the more educated population with the advantage going to Serra.

[Meshuga]

10. BTW, the introduction of religion to the process is annoying

It is taking over the debate. Now we have Lula citing god in speeches and the two candidates trying to show that one is more religious than the other. :puke:

What a bunch of bullshit!

Instead of debating the issues that people in the real world have to face, the stupid religious bullshit prevails. People worry what god is going to think if one candidate wins over the other but it is not god who has to go to sleep hungry because he does not have money to buy food to feed his children, or live in a slum with very good chances of taking a bullet as an innocent bystander, or not being able to find a job that can pay the bills, or not be able to get a decent education, or decent health care, etc. God has it easy with a bunch of people sucking up to him all the time. The people, on the other hand, need a government that will work on their behalf to better their lives.