Immersed in the Crisis, President Rousseff Stops Reading Newspapers but Denies to Be Aloof

08/10/2015 - 09h32

Immersed in an unparalleled crisis over the last two decades, President Dilma Rousseff has changed some of her habits.

A former unstoppable reader of the press, she no longer reads the Brazilian newspapers as she used to do every morning at breakfast. From time to time, she might even navigate through the international news. But that´s all.

Quite often, what happens is that an adviser is the one who calls her attention to a specific topic in the media.

Thus, Rousseff repeats the habits of her predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who used to consider that the press could only bring bad news and thought the best was to ignore them.

In the peak of the "mensalão" scandal, in 2005, her predecessor stopped reading the newspapers and even brag about it publicly.

In presidential surroundings, there is the perception that Rousseff may be in a reality denial phase, away from the seriousness of the crisis.

Others deny it and point out that, in a recent dinner at the Alvorada Palace, the president herself said she was "not depressed, nor aloof".

They claim this attitude reflects a personality trait of hers, of showing self-control in times of greatest difficulty to avoid a generalized drop in the moods -something, by the way, noticeable throughout the Esplanade of Ministries.

Despite the "dark" scene, as defined even by close ministers in the last days, Rousseff, known for her tough and untimely charging style, has shown some serenity behind the scenes and, often, even good humor.

On Thursday (6), upon learning her record levels of unpopularity (only 8% of excellent and good responses), according to a poll conducted by Datafolha, she merely complained about the fact that the presentation of the survey coincided with the PT program released that same morning.

Rousseff´s aides claim that she takes no mood stabilizer, whether allopathic or herbal. Instead, they report that she hates remedies.

The President has also been more worried about her appearance, trying makeups and buying appropriate clothes to the silhouette she has started to show after joining a fad diet. Actually, she keeps recommending this diet for those who complain about excess weight.

Even politicians who usually take people´s sleep away at Planalto Palace say Rousseff is in good spirits -as defined by Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL), chairman of the Senate who has been with her in recent days.

Not that the famous presidential reprimands have ceased. She has distributed scoldings among PT ministers during an emergency meeting to assess the stage of the crisis, on Thursday (6).

The targets this time were Edinho Silva (Social Communication) and José Eduardo Cardozo (Justice), who is a frequent victim of the boss´ wrath.

The President´s good humor, however, did not infect her team. The atmosphere at the Planalto is of apprehension. As defined by a close aide, requesting anonymity: "We are going down the hill without brakes, and we couldn´t drift the car yet."

On Sunday (9) there was a meeting to discuss the crisis. The ministers closest to Rousseff argue that some kind of action should be taken before the 16th, when many people are expected to participate in the protests scheduled against Rousseff.

Rousseff should travel more, can make a cabinet reshuffle and is assessing a radio and TV address. But the likely public reaction, in the form of pot-banging protests, weighs against it.

Translated by DENISE MOTA

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	Alan Marques - 28.jul.15/Folhapress
	Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff