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FEBRUARY 17, 2022
Meyerson on TAP
Putin and Bolsonaro: The Second Time as Farce?
It's not the Nazi-Soviet Pact, but their alliance is rotten
nonetheless.
The ideological reshuffling of the known world continues apace.
Yesterday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro paid a call on Russian
President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, after which each spoke
enthusiastically about the mystic chords of homophobia and illiberalism
that bind them together. Well, actually, they failed to mention the
bigotries that underpin their policies and politics, but did effuse
about their common concerns in matters relating to energy and
agriculture, and the closer diplomatic ties they were creating.
Bolsonaro's office denied that, despite its timing, his visit had
anything to do with supporting Russia's deployment of armed forces on
its borders with Ukraine. (I suppose it's theoretically possible that
the only thing Bolsonaro has read about the current standoff is the
analysis of the situation from the DSA International Committee, which
neglected to mention
Russia's
stationing of troops in assessing the factors that have led to the
currently heightened tensions. I doubt, however, that this is the case.)
I suspect that what's really behind Bolsonaro's visit, at least in
part, is his need to solidify his ties with both Russia's cyber
warriors and America's Trumpian right. With his prospects for
re-election in considerable jeopardy (his current approval ratings hover
around 20 percent), widely seen by his compatriots as incompetent,
corrupt, and autocratic, he's in need of the kind of hacking operation
directed at his political opponents that Russia is capable of mounting.
Moreover, after having warm relations with Trump and cold if any
relations with Biden, he could also use the support of Trumpworld if and
when he needs to overturn the results of Brazil's coming election. If
Tucker Carlson can shower love on Hungary's Viktor Orban, Bolsonaro
probably wonders, why can't he be the next tin-pot autocrat who rates
Fox's affections and contributions from the likes of Peter Thiel?
And Putin? If NATO sets up shop on his frontiers, why can't he find
allies in the Western Hemisphere?
Compared to the world-shaking impact of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, the
meeting of Putin and Bolsonaro is small potatoes, but it gives off a
distinctly foul smell.
~ HAROLD MEYERSON
Follow Harold Meyerson on Twitter
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Rollups: Private Equity Eyes Youth Treatment Centers as a Takeover
Target
A new report highlights increased private equity investment in troubled
teen, foster care, and other behavioral services, alongside disturbing
reports of abuse and neglect. BY DAVID DAYEN
Michelle Childs Sentenced a Man to 12 Years for Selling Eight Ounces of
Weed
'I had more time than people in there who killed somebody,' says
Willie Roy Goodwin, who received the harsh sentence from the Supreme
Court hopeful. BY ALEXANDER SAMMON
The Year of the Tax Cut
State lawmakers are using temporary budget surpluses to pass permanent
tax cuts that will force cutbacks in public services and widen
inequality. BY ISABELLE GIUS
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