The Wheels Seem To Be Falling Off for President Dilma Rousseff and the PT in Brazil

!!!

Just months into her second term, the Brazilian president faces a political and economic crisis driven by vocal (but not necessarily united) opposition forces, a scandal at the state-owned oil company (Petrobras), and a faltering economy.  The Petrobras corruption case and proposed fiscal adjustments have taken a toll on her approval numbers throughout the country.  She is also in a very public dispute with her supposed allies who control both houses of the Brazilian Congress.  In this complex economic, political, and social context, where powerful forces on the Right and the Left call millions of followers into the streets to march against or in support of the president, commentators have struggled to diagnose the situation and come up with a plan of action.  The problem is that Rousseff has many critics on both the Right and the Left, which makes characterizing the recent massive protest marches very tricky.