THE ILLITERATE LEADER OF BRAZIL

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – known as “Lula” – is functionally illiterate. He won’t read anything, any studies, reports, books et al. His aides have learned to give him only one-page bulleted summaries of any issue, then explain it to him verbally. He has no education and knows nothing of economics or business. Yet he has a photographic memory for events and what is said to him. He is incredibly articulate and persuasive in speech. Thus he is the perfect populist demagogue to rouse the poor Brazilian masses.

He was backed by key Brazilian business leaders who concluded that Brazil had to go through a left-wing disaster to prove that such populism can’t work. They have concluded that there is little hope for the Brazilian economy for the next several years (Lula is in the 2nd year of a 4-year term and is limited to two terms).

On the bright side, both Lula and Argentine President Nestor Kirchner have come to despise Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. While sympathetic philosophically to Chavez, they personally can’t stand him and his constantly begging them for support, money, and favors. So any conspiracy theories of a leftist Triumvirate of Demagogues emerging in South America seem out the window for now.