First Woman President For Brazil—Third Consecutive Victory For Left In Nation Of 195 Million

For the first time, Brazil has elected a woman President. Dilma Rousseff  represents the left-of-center Worker’s Party.

(Above–Ms. Rousseff making a speech.)

Here is a profile of Ms. Rousseff from the BBC.

From the BBC—

“Ms Rousseff has a somewhat brusque manner and is reputed to have a short temper – attributes that have, perhaps unsurprisingly, led to her being dubbed the Iron Lady. Dilma Rousseff was born in 1947 and grew up in an upper middle class household in Belo Horizonte. Her father, Pedro Rousseff, was a Bulgarian immigrant. Her seemingly conventional background changed in the mid-1960s, when she was in her late teens. She became involved in left-wing politics and joined the underground resistance to the military dictatorship that seized power in 1964….Ms Rousseff, 62, joined President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government in 2003 as energy minister. In 2005, after a corruption scandal brought down key government figures, Mr Lula made her his chief of staff, a post she held until March 2010, when she launched her campaign for the presidency as the Workers Party (PT) candidate.”

Here, in English, is the web page of Brazilian Presidency

There are at the moment three women leaders in Latin America. Costa Rica and Argentina have female Presidents.

The election marks the third consecutive Presidential victory for the Worker’s Party. Brazil is the fifth most populous nation in the world with 193 million people.

The world’s largest democracy, India, also has a left-of-center government.

Here are some facts about population and wealth in Brazil.

Here is how the victory in Brazil was reported in the leading Indian newspaper The Hindu.

From The Hindu—

“Ms. Rousseff said her most “fundamental commitment” would be the eradication of poverty and the creation of opportunities for all. She emphasized economic development, the fight against “the protectionism of rich countries,” and he need to put an end to financial speculation which increases “the volatility of capital and currencies.”

Ms. Rousseff won election by 56%-44% in a runoff. The first round of voting, which involved three major candidates, had no representative of a right-wing party. There was Mr. Rouseff, a centrist and a Green.

The outgoing President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, likely could have been elected to a third term.  He was unable to run again due to term limits.

(Below—Ms. Rousseff shaking hands with President Obama with Lula, and Abe Lincoln, looking on.)

Lula, as he is known, may seek the office again in 2014.  Lula will remain a power in Brazil no matter what.

This seems similar to the situation in Russia where Vladimir Putin may have left the top job, but seems likely to return at some point.

The contrast being that Lula has kept Brazil on a path to democracy, while Mr. Putin has in mind a different direction.

Congratulations to the people of Brazil on a successful election and on the absence of any serious right-wing contender for the highest office.

Please pass on your secret chucking the conservatives for a Presidential elections.

Here are some basic facts about Brazil. Here is a history of Brazil.

(Below—Rio de Janeiro. Must be quite a place to visit. Photo by LecomteB)

Should You Vote Green In Texas Comptroller Race?—Greens Not Running A Solid Operation

In the race for Texas State Comptroller, there is no Democrat on the ballot.

There is a Republican, a Green, and a Libertarian.

If the Green, Ed Lindsay, gets 5% of the vote, as he may well, than Greens get automatic ballot access in Texas in 2012.

On the one hand, this would allow a competing and possibly more liberal voice on the Texas ballot. On the other hand, Greens on the ballot would likely take away from Democrats.

You’ve just got to decide which of there things are of greater value in your estimation.

The Green got on the ballot with a great deal of help from Republican money. Republicans want to see Greens taking votes away from Democrats in 2012.

While I did not like the Republican involvement, I felt both major parties take a lot of corporate money and they they rig the ballot access process to harm third parties.

The issue under consideration in this race has been what do you think abut Greens on the ballot. The actual candidate,  Mr. Lindsay, has been something of an afterthought.

As it turns out, he is not a great candidate.

The Texas political blog Burnt Orange report has been of the view that you should not vote Green in Texas in 2010.  BOR says the Greens in 2010 are a Republican creation with no point but to harm Democrats.

Mr. Lindsay took exception to this view and wrote BOR a letter.

You can go and read the letter for yourself. It is not coherent.

I don’t wish to be disrespectful to Mr. Lindsay, but he does not appear to be fit for this office. There is a bottom line standard of competence that all candidates most meet.  They need to be able to get on the ballot, and at least be able to give the appearance of being credible for the office they seek.

It would also be nice if the Green Party of Texas could have updated its web site since July 23 of this year.

I voted nine days ago. It does no good to consider if I would have voted Green if I had seen this letter from Mr. Lindsay before I voted.

For those of you who have not voted, you have to ask yourself if Texas Greens are running an operation that merits a statewide ballot placement.

At the moment, it seems that they are not running such an operation.

Texas Liberal Endorsements For 2010 In Houston, Harris County & Texas

(Blogger’s Note—With Election Day tomorrow, I’m rerunning this post from last week.)

Here is the Texas Liberal endorsement post for the 2010 general election.

(Above–The red is the City of Houston within Harris County, Texas.  In the upper right is Harris County in Texas.)

Where possible, I am voting the straight Democratic ticket.

In the case of the office of the State Comptroller, I am voting for Green candidate Edward Lindsay. There is no Democrat in this race. If the Green gets 5% in this race, then Greens get automatic ballot access in Texas in 2012. I want the option of Green Candidates on the ballot.  Texans merit a choice that will consistently advocate for social justice and fair play. Hopefully the Greens can grow into this role in cases where Democrats let voters down.

(Blogger’s Note —I voted for Mr. Lindsay in early voting. Since that time, Mr. Lindsay’s ability to hold the office has come into question. You’ll have to figure out for yourself what course is best in this matter. It is a frustrating situation.)

I am voting Yes on Houston Proposition 1 in favor of the job-creating Renew Houston. This issue will help address our flooding problems in Houston.

I am voting Yes on Houston Proposition 2. This issue will help manage the Houston City Council redistricting process more fairly for incumbents not sure where their new district lines are drawn.

I am voting Yes on Houston Proposition 3. A yes vote in on Issue 3 will help save lives on our already dangerous streets by keeping our red light cameras.

I’m not voting the Democratic ticket with a full measure of enthusiasm. I’ve lived in a city everyday of my 43 years. Democrats sometimes take advantage  of the loyal support of urban voters and offer little in return. It is really little different from how Republicans take the majority of rural votes in our nation, yet at the same time offer few solutions to the many problems of rural America.

While I do believe that former Houston Mayor Bill White will be a much better Governor than the incumbent, I’m disappointed that he has not put forth a vision that includes all Texans. We live in what is many ways a poor state. Yet the poor frequently seem shunned by the modern Democratic Party.

Ohio Endorsements From Texas Liberal

(Blogger’s Note–With Election Day tomorrow, I’m rerunning my Ohio endorsement post from last week. I lived in Ohio for many years.)

While I live in Texas today, I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for 18 years. I left Ohio in 1998.

( Above–The flag of the great State of Ohio at Lake Erie. Photo taken by Matthew Trump.)

Since I still have a number of connections in Cincinnati, I’d like to offer up a brief slate of Ohio endorsements.

In the race for Governor, I encourage all to vote for incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland. Governor Strickland has moved up in the polls in recent days and appears to have a shot at winning. Governor Strickland will help President Obama carry Ohio again in 2012, and will make a big difference in redistricting Ohio’s many Congressional seats for the decade ahead. After so many years of a Republican Governor in Columbus, Mr. Strickland has restored priorities that benefit average Ohioans.

For the United States Senate from Ohio, I endorse Socialist Dan La Botz. The idea of a Socialist U.S. Senator is not as odd as it may seem. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is a self-declared Socialist. His presence in the Senate has not caused the Republic to fall.

Mr. La Botz offers the hope of an alternative to the two major parties that will take the needs of working people into greater consideration. Many elected Democrats are decent people. But the role of big money in our politics has become such that an additional option merits a look.