Brazil Follows U.S. Lead in Politics

Even after 8 years of President Downgrade, America is still a guiding light to the world. Other countries follow our lead — Brazil, for example:

If Brazilians were ever shocked that the U.S. decided to put a onetime star of The Apprentice in the White House, they’re over it.

Two popular potential candidates for the 2018 contest in Latin America’s largest country are former hosts of O Aprendiz, the local version of the show. Another with an enthusiastic following is a Twitter-happy congressman who has said the military dictatorship in the 70s erred when it tortured dissidents; it should have just killed them. Then there’s the plastic surgeon known as Dr. Hollywood who, despite his heavily American-accented Portuguese, figures he has a shot.

The people of Brazil want someone from outside of politics to drain the swamp.

Brazilians have made showings of being fed up before. In 1988, the chimpanzee Macaco Tiao, a resident of Rio de Janeiro’s zoo, placed third in the mayoral election with 400,000 write-in votes. In 2010, a circus clown whose stage name is Tiririca was sent to Congress with more votes that any other lawmaker after running on the slogan, “It can’t get any worse!”

Here again, American influence is clear. Professional clown Al Franken (a.k.a. Stuart Smalley) was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008 — although admittedly Franken relied not so much on public disgust as on voter fraud.

On a tip from Bodhisattva.