He said the country faced a second economic crisis because the money pumped into the economy had not gone to generate solid jobs, and that in the face of the ensuing crisis the BNP stood poised to "sweep aside" Labour in a number of seats.
Over that time, the old establishment in Washington has been pushed aside, starting with Ronald Reagan's conservative sweep into Washington in 1980, followed by the Bill Clinton years, the Newt Gingrich revolution in the House in 1994, and the Democratic comeback of 2006.
Thus, leaving aside natural disasters, such as the periodic droughts that sweep Brazil's north-east, a huge programme of food aid might be missing the point.