Dilma, sharp-witted, uses a 'tit-for-tat' style in her campaign.
The president doesn't let provocations go unanswered; in long interviews, like the one given yesterday, brief remarks, or speeches, Dilma Rousseff shows that she has left behind the peace and love image that prevailed in the 2010 campaign; to deflect attacks from the opposition, she now relies on straightforward sincerity; "The pre-World Cup pessimism is now in the economy," she stated regarding catastrophic projections from the financial market; "Banks interfering in politics is unacceptable," she established after the controversy surrounding the partisan and opposition recommendations of Santander; "What is happening in Israel is a massacre," she asserted regarding international politics; her television program will make extensive use of comparisons between the PT and PSDB administrations; now it's 'you hit, you get hit'.
247 - President Dilma Rousseff has left behind the campaign attire she wore in 2010, when she won the election sporting a truly 'peace and love' style. Protected by then-President Lula, she didn't need to engage in contentious battles with her opponent José Serra and cruised over the electorate while her political godfather took care of fighting her battles.
Now it's different, as was seen in the long interview with the traditional media given yesterday by the president. Faced with a certain amount of pressure from the questions, what was seen was a confident, objective Dilma, unwilling to silently accept the criticisms made of her government. She also didn't hesitate to express her positions on current issues with short phrases and strong words.
This Dilma, who seems comfortable with the so-called 'tit-for-tat' style, is clearly evident in her positions regarding the daily attacks on her economic policy management:
- The pessimism of the pre-World Cup phase has shifted to economic policy, says the president, earning her the headline of Tuesday's edition of the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. Considering the tone of the latest news highlighted in the same space by the Frias family's publication, Dilma has achieved the best moment for her government in weeks.
The president also didn't remain quiet for a minute in the face of the gaffe committed by the Spanish bank Santander in Brazil, with its report for high-income clients associating the president by name with future economic failure.
"Banks interfering in politics is unacceptable," Dilma retorted, bluntly and bluntly, as they say.
Dilma's emphasis, regarding electoral effects, is being clarified in polls conducted by her campaign team. What is known initially is that few people will find it strange that a candidate is advancing along the 'speaks her mind' line, since Dilma has never been given to embellishing her positions while in government. In other words, the 'hit and get hit' Dilma is more in line with the president's current moment, surrounded by attacks on the economic and political fronts, than the 'peace and love' Dilma.
In government, the president's current situation has also led to the adoption of clear and objective positions. After strengthening her position with the BRICS meeting, held in Brazil, and the rapprochement with UNASUR, Dilma positioned Brazil at the forefront of the opposition to Israel in the Gaza Strip.
"What is happening on Israel's part is not genocide, but a massacre," the president retorted in response to one of the questions posed to her yesterday. Dilma was not intimidated by the critical stance taken against Brazil's decision to censure Benjamin Netanyahu's government for the "disproportionate use" of force in the Gaza Strip.
The sharp-witted Dilma, with quick wit and unafraid to deliver stunningly clear answers to difficult questions, is the one entering the race for reelection. A tough nut to crack.