Obama praises Lula, infuriates right-wingers.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

Not the blogger I link below, but the blockheads in the comment section. I'm itching to see the reaction in our favorite Neanderthal sites.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/04/thats-my-man-ri.html

The Significance of President Obama Praising Lula's "Good Looks"

April 02, 2009 6:37 AM

"That's my man right here," President Obama said this morning at the G-20 summit as Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva approached him. "Love this guy. He's the most popular politican on earth. It's because of his good looks."

Lula, it should be noted, is hardly the George Clooney of the G-20. But beyond that, the moment was quite telling in terms of the understanding that these leaders have for one another's domestic political considerations.

A few days ago, Lula said that the global economic crisis "was fostered and boosted by irrational behaviour of people that are white, blue-eyed, that before the crisis looked like they knew everything about economics."

‘Now they have demonstrated that they don’t know anything about economics," said Lula, adding that "no black man or woman, no indigenous person, no poor person" can be held responsible. (more at link)

[ShortnFiery]

1. Obama can demonstrate both graciousness and soft-spoken power simultaneously.

His smile is so disarming and warm, it's easy to like him as a person as well as a world leader. :-)

[EFerrari]

2. There was some poll that showed Lula was the most popular

politician in the world. Fareed Zacharia referred to it last weekend. :evilgrin:

[Tim01]

3. Correct me if I am wrong here.

Lula says the world financial crisis is caused by white people, Obama says "That's my man right here,"

That's it, right?

[EFerrari]

4. That's right. Obama isn't an ignorant @sshole and he understands

the reference that Lula was making. Lula also is actually the world's most popular politician according to some poll taken last week.

Is that a little clearer for you?

[cali]

6. wow. now you're claiming that YOU know what Obama thinks about

that statement of Lula's? How amazing. Not to mention unbelievably arrogant of you.

Must note: I admired Lula for refusing to sit next to, or interact in any way with Bashir.

[BeFree]

5. Yes, Tim

That's right. Ya got a problem with that?

[Tim01]

8. I do have a problem with racists.

[EFerrari]

11. Well, then you should get to know Lula because that's what he was talking about, racists

who condescend to Latin American leaders and economists because they are mostly brown people.

[BeFree]

13. Is Obama a racist?

Are all blacks and other minorities supposed to be color blind? That since they have been the victims of racism that they are not allowed to factually discriminate between black and white races?

[cali]

10. I don't think Lula is a racist. I do think he used unfortunately chosen

and unfortunately racist language to make a valid point.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

14. Anybody with a brain knows that actually meant "the ruling class."

The operative word there being "with a brain."

[Tim01]

15. Then he didn't say "white" people.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. vast brown people conspiracy against poor downtrodden white bankers.

similar to the vast nobel prize conspiracy of last week

[EFerrari]

19. You do know that other peoples, even brown peoples, have their own cultures

and that those are not the same as yours, right? They have their own expressions, their own metaphors, their own experience and everything? :sarcasm:

[cali]

17. and anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together and a shred of decency

knows that using racist language to make a valid point, is a mistake. duh.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. I never denied his language was unfortunate.

I just say that much, if not most, of the outrage is disingenuous.

[EFerrari]

22. The language wasn't unfortunate in the least. It turns out to be colloquial (link)

in addition to being true. Let's see if I can get the link for you. Hang on.

Here's a link for ya:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=405&topic_id=13281&mesg_id=13366

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

24. That's correct. I say unfortunate because it gives an opening to the right-wing propaganda machine.

As you can plainly see, it you catch my drift.

Obama, on the other hand, DOES have a brain and is not disingenuous.

[EFerrari]

25. Lula did a great interview with Zacharia. Zacharia wasn't as good

as he normally is but Lula was brilliant. I never heard him speak informally before. He's a very attractive individual and now I bet our president is having a little competition with him. (The link to it is on the front page of the LA forum, iirc.)

[EFerrari]

18. It was further explained to me that the precise expression Lula used

is a local colloq. for arrogant -- much in the way we use "fair haired boy" without actually insulting all blond people.

[Tim01]

21. Ah, I'll bet you've got it. That would make sense.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. yes, there is a vast people of color conspiracy to point out some obvious truths. nt

[EFerrari]

12. LOL! That's funny.

[HughMoran]

27. Lula was being facetious

Is that what you're asking about?

[PufPuf23]

7. POTUS Obama's warmth to Lula makes me glad

as the USA has taken such a haphazard, self-defeating, and often evil path with Central and South America.

[Blue_Tires]

23. rec'd

[HughMoran]

26. A man who knows Lula said he was being facetious when he made those comments

I know, a little too sophisticated for the on/off right-wing mind!

:rofl:

[LeftishBrit]

28. Great!

Good for Obama!

From all I've heard, Lula has been a very good influence on Brazil. I have several Brazilian friends, who were thrilled when he was elected. They remember life under military dictatorship until the mid-80s - their delight when Neves was elected as the first democratic president and grief when he died before taking office - the gradual move toward a more progressive society.

I don't think Lula is racist; he was pointing out that the poor and people of colour were not to blame for the economic crisis, and should not be the ones to suffer for it. He's white himself, after all, though not from a wealthy background. His remark could undoubtedly have been better expressed, but I infinitely prefer it to a few renarks by earlier Brazilian presidents, e.g. João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo as cited in his Wikipedia entry:

"I prefer the smell of my horses than that of the people."
"The people are a beast of burden you pull by the reins."
About elections: "A person who doesn't know how to brush their teeth cannot vote."

From the early 19th century? No. He left office in 1985. Democracy is an amazingly recent and precious development in Latin America: one of the few regions where one can unequivocally say that massive political progress has been made in the last 20 or 30 years.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

29. Heh. Guess I didn't even need to wait for it to be posted at the Dumbwebs.

Thanks, trolls, for helping me make my point. Your predictable poutrage is much appreciated.

[Peace Patriot]

30. Naw, Rafael Correa is cuter than Lulu. BoRev thinks so, and I tend to agree.

Tho' Rafe has an almost put-offish "Sir Lancelot" thing going. Almost too beautiful.

http://www.borev.net/2008/09/big_galapagos_voting_preview.html
http://www.borev.net/2008/11/correction.html
http://www.borev.net/2008/09/rafael_correa_unleashes_second.html
http://www.borev.net/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&tag=Ecuador&limit=20
http://www.borev.net/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&tag=Rafael%20Correa&limit=20
http://www.borev.net/the_borev_beyond_venezuela/

But then again I tend to dig Evo's more accessible, high altitude soccer beefiness...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4636190.stm
http://www.borev.net/2008/11/the_man_with_the_golden_pr_age.html
http://www.borev.net/2008/11/evo_takes_on_the_worlds_lamest.html
http://www.borev.net/2008/08/start_learning_to_speak_aymara.html

Just sayin.