Presidents Day: Lula and Obama - Parallels

I was thinking about the parallels one may draw between Lula, the President of Brazil, and Obama. I am not trying to compare these two men with one another. With that said, there is plenty to say about the similar feelings and reactions that they have created among their followers and opponents.

Lula is a nickname for Luiz. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is now in his second term in the presidency of Brazil. His election was an important historic moment. Lula was born poor, in a small, rural city in the Northeast of Brazil, a region known as the third world of the third world. The seventh of eight children, Lula's childhood was marked by poverty and lack education: he learned to read when he was 10, quit school in the fourth grade, and started working by age 12 as a shoeshiner. He later became a factory worker, union leader, and one of the founders of Brazil's Worker's Party. Needless to say, his candidacy raised heated arguments about social class and prejudice.

You can read more about Lula in Wikipedia.

Regarding any parallels that might be made between Lula and Obama, I found this interesting article. The paragraphs in Portuguese are followed by their English translation. I also suggest you read the comments (some are in Portuguese and some in English). I found them very interesting.