Good morning! This week, we talk about the Lula v. Bolsonaro debate. How the Chinese Communist Party congress affects Brazil. And the new low of the social media war during the presidential campaign.
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Lula v. Bolsonaro, one-on-one
After sharing the stage with barely competitive candidates in the first round, President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva finally squared off toe-to-toe in Sunday’s presidential debate, the first of this runoff stage.
- Though the quality of debate was predictably poor, the format of the match-up brought a positive innovation. In two of the broadcast’s three segments, the candidates were each given 15 minutes to use as they please, allowing for direct confrontation that veered from rehearsed 1- or 2-minute soundbites.
Lula. The former president and leader in the polls had a good start, conducting discussions around themes he feels more comfortable talking about, such as Jair Bolsonaro’s pandemic failures and Mr. Bolsonaro’s poor record of education policies.
- Still, he wasted too much time on issues that are not...