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Who amplified the rejection of Marina? Marina herself.

Columnist Tereza Cruvinel demonstrates that, contrary to what Marina Silva says, the increase in her rejection rate does not stem from low blows or electoral brawls; it was the PSB candidate herself who gave her opponent Dilma Rousseff arguments to challenge her in the realm of ideas; "It was Marina who backed down from supporting the law against homophobia, expressed in her program, after the ultimatum given to her by Pastor Malafaia," recalls Tereza; she also says that it was Marina's program that neglected the pre-salt oil reserves and that she was also the candidate who "went far beyond Aécio Neves, in terms of liberal-orthodox overtures to the market, by defending an autonomous and independent Central Bank"; check out the analysis.

Former Senator and Environment Minister Marina Silva gives a news conference regarding her possible candidature for presidential elections in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 4, 2013. Silva, the top-polling opposition candidate for next year's presidential election (Photo: Leonardo Attuch)
247 - Is Marina Silva being subjected to attacks and low blows by her opponents, or has she herself exposed her own contradictions, opening the door to criticism in the realm of ideas?

The journalist Teresa Cruvinel, a columnist for 247, points out that it was the PSB candidate who proved vulnerable on several points.

In column Rejection and negative campaignsShe points out some weaknesses Marina has shown in her campaign that explain the increase in her disapproval rating:

1. Homophobia – It was Marina who backed down from supporting the anti-homophobia law, as expressed in her platform, after the ultimatum given to her by Pastor Malafaia. But Dilma didn't explore this point much, as she also faces a difficult situation in her relationship with evangelicals. She has the support of a segment of them and won't risk losing it by praising LGBT discourse.

2. Pre-salt – It was Marina's program that dedicated one or two lines to the exploration of this energy source. And it was the newspaper O Globo, before Dilma's campaign, that pointed out the lack of emphasis. The PT campaign capitalized on this.

3. Independent Central Bank – Marina went far beyond Aécio Neves in terms of her liberal-orthodox approach to the market, defending an autonomous and independent Central Bank. She didn't need to commit to this point. If elected, and if she truly believed in this path, she could have adopted it. She made it easy, and got what she deserved.

4. Support from Neca Setúbal and bankers - This is an attack that resembles a noose in the house of a hanged woman. In one of her strongest responses to the attacks, Marina recalled the extraordinary profits that banks made during the PT governments, although during the PSDB era they were also generously bailed out with Proer, which injected more than R$ 30 billion into the restructuring of the banking sector. This is the least coherent attack, let's say, of the Dilma campaign. But it seems to have had an effect.

Read the full text at Tereza Cruvinel's blog