Lula: "The word 'impossible' is only for the weak."

247 - To shouts of "ole, ole, olá, Lula, Lula," former President Lula was greeted before speaking at the PT's tenth anniversary celebration. The former president began by greeting President Dilma Rousseff and "the president of his house," Marisa Letícia. "It is a very important day for the history of our party, for the history of popular parties, and for the history of our country," he stated. "In ten years, we can give extraordinary signs that the word 'impossible' is only for the weak, only for those who lack perseverance."

Before preparing his speech, the former president said he asked his advisor, Clara Ant, who works at the Lula Institute, to verify the goals set in the 2002 campaign. "Our program was followed to the letter," he stated. "And we will take a leap in quality in the coming years."

At the beginning of his term, Lula said he feared failure. "I couldn't afford to make mistakes, because they [his opponents] are ruthless; they don't like popular and left-wing governments," he stated. "But I was convinced that it was possible to make the poor achieve social mobility in this country." He also recalled the difficulties in implementing the Bolsa Família program. "They said the poor would become vagrants; they said it was necessary to have an exit strategy, when the poor didn't even have an entrance strategy into society."

Lula also spoke about the press. "When I criticize the press, they say: Lula attacks the press. When they attack me, they say: we made a criticism." He recalled that, in 2006, there were meetings held by media barons who predicted that he would not be a candidate because he was politically destroyed. "And at that time Millenium didn't even exist yet," said the former president, referring to the Millenium Institute, which brings together major media outlets and their columnists.

Lula also provoked the PSDB. "We are not afraid of comparison. We accept comparison. Including in the debate about corruption," he stated. "There are two ways to deal with the dirt: one is to show it; the other is to hide it." Regarding the opposition, Lula was incisive. "They are restless because they lack values, proposals, and a project," he stated. He also spoke about Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB-MG). "One of our potential adversaries cited 13 mistakes by the PT, but the answer to them is Dilma's reelection in 2014."

One of the first to speak was the mayor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad. He recounted that, in 1989, when he learned that Lula had advanced to the second round, he packed his bags and returned from a trip abroad, where he was studying, to vote in the second round.

"But I started to think: will I ever vote for someone who can win an election?" According to him, a victory for Lula, in a country marked by patrimonialism, never seemed likely. But it happened and, according to Haddad, Brazil experienced the greatest economic and social transformation in its history. "For the first time, the people had a say and a voice." The mayor of São Paulo also stated that he never imagined that a government, like that of President Dilma, would confront the financial system.

According to the president of the Perseu Abramo Foundation, Marcio Pochmann, the cycle that began in 2003 will be compared to the 1930s as a period of great historical inflection. "For the first time, Brazil reconciled growth and social inclusion within a democracy," he stated.

In a video, the PT borrowed a phrase immortalized by Abraham Lincoln: "Of the people, by the people, for the people."

José Dirceu and José Genoino, convicted in Criminal Action 470, are at the event, but not at the main table, where former president Lula, president Dilma Rousseff, dressed in red, and the president of the PT (Workers' Party), Rui Falcão, are seated.

In his speech, Rui Falcão celebrated the support of the PT's activists. "Without them, none of this would have been possible," he stated. "Never before in the history of this country has there been such an extraordinary distribution of income," he affirmed. He also defended political reform and a democratization of the media. "It is no longer possible for us to remain at the mercy of private financing, the source of so many scandals," he said. Regarding the press, a direct message: "It is necessary to broaden freedom of expression in the media."

On Twitter, a protest is accompanying the PT party's celebration, and the hashtag #CiteumaCagadadoPT (Cite a PT screw-up) is one of the most discussed tonight.