Tebet’s support for Lula had a rushed PT and embarrassment in photo – 12/02/2023 – Power

The then senator Simone Tebet ran for President of the Republic in 2022 knowing that she would lose. She took on the mission to prevent her lifelong party, the MDB, from splitting in the first round between the pro-Lula (PT) and pro-Jair Bolsonaro (PL) wings. She always knew which side she would be on.

On October 2, Tebet emerged from the most polarized election in Brazilian history in third place, with 4.9 million votes, or 4.1% of valid votes. Lula’s campaign hammered home the message that he had come first, with 48.4%, but was also perplexed by the 43.2% obtained by Bolsonaro.

PT emissaries didn’t even wait for Monday, the 3rd, to begin an operation to combine all possible efforts in the face of a tougher second round than expected. The first task was as predictable as its outcome: getting the support of third place.

On Sunday night, businessman Márcio Toledo, married to former mayor and former senator Marta Suplicy and interlocutor of MDB leaders, was approached by PT members such as federal deputy Rui Falcão (SP) and lawyer Marco Aurélio de Carvalho. It was a request for the couple to help get closer to Tebet.

Toledo was receptive and suggested lunch at the couple’s apartment, in Jardins, an upscale area of ​​the capital of São Paulo.

Tebet, still on Sunday, made a statement in which he gave his party and the others in the coalition (PSDB, Cidadania and Podemos) 48 hours to take a position. His personal decision had already been made and was known by the national president of the MDB, Baleia Rossi, but would only be announced after that deadline.

“Don’t expect any omission from me”, he warned. “I have sides and I will speak out at the right time.”

Haunted by Bolsonaro’s performance beyond expectations and the wave in favor of him that was being created, Tebet spent the following morning writing what he would say to his voters and the country.

Another wink was given on Monday by now First Lady Janja da Silva, who called the emedebista and put Lula on the line. The conversation was friendly.

Tebet told the PT member not to worry, because she had already made up her mind. The two, whose previous relationship was limited to very old meetings and greetings behind the scenes of debates, agreed to see each other after the limit she gave to her allies.

Janja called again after a while and confirmed lunch for Wednesday (5) at Marta’s house, with whom Tebet had become friends when they were senators, both for the MDB. In the clash between Lula and Bolsonaro, the party would end up releasing the support of its members to one or the other.

On the appointed day, a small mismatch. Tebet could arrive at 11am, the agreed time, but the still-presidential candidate would only be able to be there at 1pm. She arrived early and was welcomed by her hosts, who also had to deal with a setback: the PT member’s entourage kept growing.

Lula’s aides informed that, in addition to him, Janja and the then candidate for vice president, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), the then candidate for governor of São Paulo Fernando Haddad (PT) and the party president, Gleisi Hoffmann, would go, accompanied by advisors and other coordination members.

Haddad, who had gone through to the second round against Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), also wanted the emedebista on his platform, but the expectation was frustrated due to a partisan issue. As Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) supported the Bolsonarista, Tebet remained neutral in the state election.

The then senator was with her campaign marketer, Felipe Soutello, and an advisor. Tebet only tasted a salad, because she was still going to have another lunch, at the Parigi restaurant, with economists and businesspeople who had collaborated on her campaign.

The menu of the day at Marta and Toledo’s house included couscous with shrimp sauce as a starter and, as a main course, gnocchi with ossobuco ragout.

When Lula and Tebet finally came face to face, there was what witnesses define as a “match”, an immediate understanding, despite political differences.

According to people close to her, the frank and transparent conversation paved the way for the relationship of trust that continues today, with her heading the Ministry of Planning. Her relationship with Haddad, current Minister of Finance, became an example of rapport.

In that chat with Lula, Tebet was objective and didn’t even wait for a formal request. She said that she would vote for him anyway, as she saw that democracy was at risk under Bolsonaro.

But, to go from voter to de facto supporter, she asked the PT member to incorporate five points from her platform, such as equal pay between men and women — which became a law sanctioned by the PT member in July.

The current president did not impose resistance. She reported that support would have a high political cost for her in her state, Mato Grosso do Sul, where sympathy for Bolsonaro predominated, and that allying with the PT would be like looking into the abyss.

Lula showed gratitude and tried to reassure her, saying that she would not return to her electoral home because she had become a national name and from then on what would dictate her destiny would be politics, not just her will.

To relax, the PT member said that he himself had been preparing his return home since 1979, when he stood out for leading metalworkers’ strikes in ABC, but public life always spoke louder.

Lula only made one repair. When the emedebista informed him that she would say in her announcement that the support did not involve the offer of positions in the possible future government, he advised her to remove that part. She stated that, in politics, it is much more difficult to say no, because the person is asked to give explanations.

The guidance was read as a hint that if he won, he would invite Tebet to the team. Hours after lunch, she made no mention of the position in the public speech in which she announced her support for Lula — recognizing “his commitment to democracy and the Constitution”, which she was unaware of in her rival.

As the hours passed, those around Lula understood that it was naturally time for a photo of him with Tebet. The PT was in a hurry to show off the arrival of forces for the campaign. And the new ally, with a moderate and central speech, would reinforce the symbolism of the desired broad front.

Ricardo Stuckert, who has been the PT’s photographer for 20 years, was there and observed the environment. That’s when Soutello intervened and said that, for strategic reasons, Tebet would not pose for the photo at that moment.

In the plan drawn up by the marketer, first the emedebista would appear alone to satisfy her electorate and declare her vote for Lula. Afterwards, with the PT member committing to her proposals, Tebet would express formal support and embark on the campaign.

The embarrassment of refusing to take the photo was soon overcome. Having the image of the two together was a matter of hours — and it happened two days later, on a Friday (7), in an event called by the PT.

Still at lunch, a joke by Lula when some of the guests had left illustrates the atmosphere. Saying that sewing with Tebet had been simpler than he imagined, he laughed as he recalled the long negotiation to receive Leonel Brizola’s support in the 1989 presidential election.

He said that the conversation with the historic leader of the PDT dragged on for two days and included a proposal that he refused: Brizola wanted the PT member to give up his place in the second round and devised a move in which the tucano Mário Covas, fourth placed, would go for the clash against Fernando Collor.

Lula left Marta’s apartment relieved, with one less problem to solve for the second round. Tebet left for the next lunch already late, something she hates. She arrived for dessert.

Asked to comment on support in an interview with Sheet in August, the minister said: “I know I lost a lot. I’m aware, but that’s what politics is, it’s made up of choices.”

She did not dwell on the practical effects, but qualified her entry into the campaign as essential for the victory, as the result was close — a difference of 1.8 percentage points, the smallest since redemocratization.

“There are no absolute defeats. The only defeat is cowardice. The times I have won the most are when I have lost. Having lost the election and immediately taking a stand, no matter how difficult it was, made all the difference for me, for my party and, I hope, for Brazil”, she stated, convinced.