From Brasília
Johnny Bravo president of Brazil. Emulating that Apollonian character from the cartoons, Jair Bolsonaro acclaimed his followers for having an infallible sexual performance. “I am imbrochavel, imbrochavel, imbrochavel” he assured. This popular word, non-existent in the dictionary, refers to a type of man who has a penis that “is never flaccid”, according to the translation published in the newspaper New York Timeswhich published an article mentioning the sexual self-esteem of the far-right president.
The phrase was said on Wednesday during one of the most mentioned moments on social networks about the events for the Bicentennial of Independence Day in which tens of thousands of people poured into the center of Brasilia to attend a civic-military parade and proselytizing concentrations with a view to the elections on October 2.
In that same speech, the candidate for re-election for the Liberal Party (PL) affirmed that his wife Michelle is a “princess” and compared her to the sociologist Rosangela “Janja” da Silva, wife of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the candidate of the Workers’ Party (PT) whom all the polls give as the favorite. The mention of “Janja” was marked by a derogatory tone.
“Toxic Sexuality”
On more than one occasion, Bolsonaro has compared himself to the character Johnny Bravo and has given free rein to machismo and misogyny that, so exaggerated, seem to have been taken from a cartoon script. That speech earned him the sympathy of the ultra-right electorate and the majority of evangelical pastors. Silas Malafaia, one of the leaders of that religious current, was next to the president on Wednesday when he spoke of his undefeated virility.
Of course, these verbal overflows and the almost four years of a declared anti-feminist government have cost him the rejection of the bulk of the female voters, as indicated by practically all the opinion polls. And it is that one of the most irreducible bastions of anti-Bolsonaro is in the feminist movement, which stood up to it since the 2018 electoral campaign by organizing massive marches with the slogan “he (Bolsonaro) no”, a slogan echoed by stars international like Madonna.
The presidential candidate Simone Tebet, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) was categorical when commenting on the sexist phrase expressed by the president this Wednesday: “Bolsonaro once again demonstrated all his contempt for women and his toxic and childish masculinity, as a Brazilian I must say I feel embarrassed.”
Journalists
The conservative candidate Tebet starred in a strong clash with the president two weeks ago during the first television debate in which all the candidates for the presidency took part. It was there that she asked him: “Bolsonaro, why are you so angry with women?” In that same program, the former captain insulted the journalist Vera Magalhaes and implied that she should have some erotic fantasy with him.
A few days later, last Monday, he returned to the fray, this time against the journalist Amanda Klein. Faced with a spicy investigation about corruption, the president lost his temper making a sexist comment about the relationship that the reporter has with her husband.
political trial
The misogynistic expressions, as well as the manipulation of the activities of September 7, can bring negative consequences to a ruler who seems ready for any type of maneuver to recover ground in the polls and get closer to Lula da Silva.
Senator Jean Paul Prates, of the Workers’ Party, presented this Thursday a request for impeachment against the president for his actions in the military parade and the speeches he gave in Brasilia and also in Rio de Janeiro during Independence Day.
In his complaint, the legislator recalled that Bolsonaro made “macho and misogynist statements” on Wednesday, threatened to “extinguish” the opposition and hinted at supporting a future coup by declaring that history “can be repeated,” alluding to 1964. , the year in which the elected president Joao Goulart was deposed.
It is difficult for this impeachment request to prosper in the Deputies, where it must be processed, since in that chamber there is an official majority thanks to which more than 120 similar initiatives were filed.
At the same time, the center-left Democratic Labor Party (PDT) filed an appeal with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) demanding that Bolsonaro’s candidacy be challenged, whom he accuses of “abuse of power” for having used state resources with proselytizing purposes and having violated the principle of equality that must govern all candidates.
This action may have consequences in the medium term, because although the TSE is not expected to rule before the October vote, a conviction could prevent the president from standing in future elections.