Barbosa and the authoritarian bias

The figure of Joaquim Barbosa is detrimental to Brazilian political culture. Much has already been said about how the current president of the Supreme Court conducted the trial of Criminal Action 470, which deals with the "mensalão" scandal. Except for radical anti-PT (Workers' Party) supporters, who were delighted with his behavior and idolized him, most commentators criticized him.

Throughout the process, Barbosa was never a judge, but an accuser. From the initial phase, he seemed to consider himself imbued with the mission of condemning and punishing those involved with "exemplary" sentences, as if he were fulfilling a divine design. He never showed the necessary doubt for the balanced application of the law. On the contrary, he revealed himself to be a man of unwavering certainties, the worst type of magistrate.     

It went too far. In his desire for revenge, he legitimized flimsy evidence and admitted widely questionable evidence against the accused, innovated in legal matters to harm them, was creative in establishing a procedural framework that inhibited the defense, used his prerogatives as rapporteur of the case to coerce his peers, and took advantage of his connections with a large part of the media to intimidate anyone who confronted him.

Now, after the convicts were imprisoned, he went so far as to dismiss the judge responsible for carrying out the sentences: he seems to find him lenient. He wanted a harsher punishment.

Barbosa exemplifies something unacceptable in a democracy: a judge who believes his convictions are sufficient. Who justifies his actions by a supposed moral superiority over others. And who, by behaving in this way, authorizes anyone to take up arms (as long as they believe they are "right").

His image is negative, also for a second reason.

Whether you consider running for president or not, Barbosa is a true example of something that has grown in recent years and could become a serious problem in our society: the feeling of hatred in politics.

Those who work with opinion polls, particularly qualitative ones, see a growing number of voters who show hatred for something or everything in politics. Not simple disapproval or rejection, or dislike of someone or a party. But hatred.

It's easy to see the spread of this phenomenon on the internet, particularly on social media. In posts about the daily events of politics, for example regarding the imprisonment of those convicted in the "mensalão" scandal, the language of many expresses intense resentment: a desire to kill, destroy, exterminate. And what is most extraordinary is that these individuals are not surprised by their emotions; they consider violence normal.   
They are not surprised, for they see similar sentiments on television, and they read editorialists and commentators who pride themselves on their boorishness. The hateful people in society reproduce the hatred they consume.

This wasn't a significant part of our political culture until recently. Certainly, it existed, but it wasn't typical of the hatred against the military during the dictatorship. There was rejection of José Sarney, but nobody wanted to kill him. Fernando Collor rose and fell without being hated (perhaps only because of the confiscation of savings). Fernando Henrique Cardoso ended his government disapproved of by nine out of ten Brazilians, faced opposition, but not the anger of today.    

The hatred that one Where does the current sense of opposition stem from? From the (irrational) aversion to the changes our society has experienced since Lula? From the (rational) fear that Dilma Rousseff will win the 2014 election? From the stupidity of believing that problems (like corruption) that didn't exist (or were "small") have just arisen? From the need to mimic the spokespeople of conservatism (as happens with any fad)?

Barbosa is one of the main people responsible for this wave that only continues to grow. He consolidated this dishonorable position by offering the country the spectacle of the plane carrying those convicted in the "mensalão" scandal to Brasília on November 15th. He displayed it only to fuel the hatred of some.

The third reason is that he has created for himself an image that is harmful to democracy. The role he plays, that of a relentless avenger and scourge of the corrupt, is profoundly counterproductive.

In a country so marked by personalism, Barbosa presents himself as the "incarnation of good," yet another sanctimonious figure who comes from outside politics to cleanse it. He only serves to confirm authoritarian errors and misinform about democratic life.