When Michel Temer was permanently installed as president less than one year ago after the impeachment of elected President Dilma Rousseff, the primary justification offered by Brazilian media figures was that he would bring stability and unity to a country beset by political and economic crisis. From the start, the opposite has been true: Temer and his closest allies were a vessel for far more corruption, controversy, instability, and shame than anything that preceded them. His approval ratings have literally collapsed to single digits.
But yesterday’s emergence of proof showing just how dirty and corrupt Temer is makes the situation utterly unsustainable. Leaks from the ongoing corruption investigation reveal that Temer was caught on tape in March endorsing an executive’s ongoing payment of bribes to maintain the silence of Eduardo Cunha, the formerly omnipotent, now-imprisoned house speaker who presided over Dilma’s impeachment and belongs to Temer’s party. Temer had already faced allegations of deep involvement in bribes and illegal contributions, but that could be overlooked because — unlike now — no smoking gun existed.
Meanwhile, Dilma’s 2014 opponent in the presidential campaign — conservative Senator Aécio Neves (shown above with Temer at the latter’s inauguration), whose party led Dilma’s impeachment and now dominates Temer’s government — was caught on tape requesting 2 million reals from a businessman. He was removed this morning from his seat by a Supreme Court ruling, had his office raided, and now faces immediate imprisonment. Aécio’s sister was imprisoned this morning as part of the corruption investigation.
In sum, the two key figures driving Dilma’s impeachment were just revealed to be hardened criminals, with documentary evidence — audio recordings, videos, and online chats — which all Brazilians will soon see, hear, and read. The exact type of smoking gun evidence that Brazil’s notoriously biased corporate media searched for with futility for years against Dilma was just discovered against the two key figures that drove her impeachment, one of whom they installed as president.
To say that this situation — Temer’s ongoing presidency — is unsustainable is an understatement. How can a major country possibly be governed by someone who everyone knows just months ago encouraged the payment of bribes to keep key witnesses silenced in a corruption investigation? The sole rationale for Temer’s presidency — that he would bring stability and signal to markets that Brazil was again open for business — has just collapsed in a heap of humiliation and destruction.
*BRAZIL STOCK FUTURES PLUNGE 10% ON OPEN https://t.co/lQS9nUityj pic.twitter.com/W1aKkJ1AMw
— Bloomberg Markets (@markets) May 18, 2017
At this point, Temer’s removal — one way or the other — seems inevitable. Although he is momentarily refusing to resign, his key allies are starting to abandon him. The media stars who installed him are now trashing him. There is open discussion everywhere about the mechanisms that will be used to remove and replace him.
Even for the sleazy power brokers of Brasília, getting caught on tape directly participating in blatant criminality is disqualifying: not to stay in the House or Senate, but to serve as the symbolic face of the country to the world and, more importantly, to capital markets. What’s new is not that Temer is corrupt: Everyone knew that, including those who installed him. What’s new is that the evidence is now too embarrassing — too sabotaging of their project — to allow him to stay.
This always was the towering irony at the heart of Dilma’s impeachment. As those of us who argued against impeachment repeatedly pointed out, removing the democratically elected president in the name of battling criminality was such a farce precisely because her removal would elevate and empower the most corrupt factions, the darkest criminals and bandits, and enable them to rule the country without having won an election.
Indeed, the empowerment of the country’s most corrupt factions was a key goal of Dilma’s impeachment. As shown by yet another secret recording — one revealed last year that captured the plotting of Temer’s key ally, Romero Jucá — the real goal of impeachment (aside from austerity and privatization) was to enable those politicians most endangered by criminal proceedings to use their new, unearned political power to kill the ongoing investigation (“stop the bleeding”) and thus protect themselves from accountability and punishment. The empowerment of the nation’s most corrupt politicians was a key feature, not a bug, of Dilma’s impeachment.
The key question now — as it was then — is what comes next? Those of us who argued against impeachment repeatedly urged that if Dilma were really going to be impeached, only new elections — whereby the citizenry, rather than the band of criminals in the halls of power, chose their new president — could protect Brazilian democracy. The absolute worst option was to allow the corrupt line of succession in Brasília to elevate itself and then choose its own successors. That would ensure that political criminality became further entrenched. As David Miranda and I wrote in a Folha op-ed in April of last year:
If, despite all this, the country is truly determined to remove Dilma, the worst alternative is to permit the corrupt line of succession to ascend to power.
The principles of democracy demand that Dilma Rousseff complete her term in office. If that is not an option, and if she is going to be impeached, the best alternative is new elections. That way, the population would assume its proper place as provided by the Constitution: All power emanates from the people.
Yet that’s exactly what took place. What Brazilian elites fear and hate most is democracy. The last thing they wanted was to allow Brazil’s population to once again choose its own leaders. So they foisted on them a corrupt, hated mediocrity — who could never have been elected on his own, who indeed is now banned from running for any office due to election law violations — and he was tasked with imposing an agenda the country hated.
Brazil’s elite media and political class are now openly plotting the same scam. Many are suggesting that Temer’s replacement should be chosen not by the Brazilian people but by its Congress: one-third of whom are the targets of formal criminal investigations, most of whose major parties are rife with corruption. As we saw with Temer’s installation, allowing corrupt institutions to choose a country’s leaders is the antithesis of democracy and anti-corruption crusades. It ensures that criminality and corruption reign. The only debate should be whether direct elections should include not only Temer’s successor but also a new Congress.
Brazil’s democracy, along with its political stability, has already been crippled by the traumatic removal of the person who was actually elected to lead the country. That her successor has been exposed as a criminal exacerbates the tragedy. But it is not an overstatement to say that allowing the same corrupt factions to choose one of their own to replace Temer — once again denying the right of the people to pick their president and instead imposing on them a leader who emerges from the sleaziest precincts of Brasília’s sewer — would be its death blow.
Top photo: Michel Temer greets Sen. Aécio Neves following Temer’s swearing-in ceremony as president of Brazil in Brasilia on Aug. 31, 2016.
What I love most about Brazilian politics is that it is not “jogo belo” at all ;-)
At least they have a spine and that is hopeful!
Here in the U.S. the only ones that constantly get their butts kicked hard is “We the people”
Well, I don’t think they are doing so bad if only (1/3) of Brazilian politicians are corrupt, but I don’t think that is even the problem.
Most people think of politicians as a bunch of stupid, morally base @ssh0l3s, psychopaths and all of that, but quite honestly I think it is actually “We the people” abusing them. We are entrusting them with issues they have no control of and putting them in very complex situations they don’t really know how to handle. So, they, no wonder, get entrapped in their group inertia of their culture of liars and b#llsh!tters (other politicians).
Glenn, if I have been reading your articles right what we actually need is do away with politics as we know it.
Fora Dilma! Fora Temer! Fora políticos corruptos! Fora políticos!
How can you do that? Well, I have heard that they have constituencies in Brazil and some other places where “We the people” govern ourselves through our own tax returns. They collectively decide:
1) how much (percentage-wise) of their tax returns should be used
2) for whatever social project (including referenda), and
3) their local and federal politicians entrusted with §2
Voting in Brazil is mandatory, right? Tax return and ballot together!
Notice that you are not trusting your politicians to get smart about your monies, but you are kind of giving them a restaurant order for some food you will ultimately have to taste and eat, and all transactions including “recipes” (how a certain project is rolled out and by whom) relating to public funds must be open and traceable.
They have told me they have such things in relatively small and homogeneous constituencies, but Brazil is a big and messy hell with crass societal gaps you can’t expect to govern like the Netherlands or Finland. I think that kind of societal technology is simple, transparent, self-auditing and easily adjustable or changeable.
In addition to the executive, judicial and legislative branches we need some sort of “Fiscal National Credit” branch with that charter of §1, §2 and §3, so it would work IRS, Census Bureau, Electoral College and NSA, basically were all the “information” that makes society work is kept and monitored. Yes, NSA, too ;-), were not only the data spied about the people is being kept, but also about the inner functioning of the government. There is value in big data but in its comprehensive evaluation and the correlations of streams of data.
I just finished reading/studying Bruce Schneier’s “Data and Goliath” (which BTW I didn’t find that impressive). At times I went LOL about the kinds of “solutions”, as he called them, he suggested for governments and business. I would suggest an honestly radical approach or “solution” as Schneier would say. Make all of the NSA data public! If citizens, business or police want to access it, they can access it from there … of course the data made public must be stratified and cleared of personally identifying information (well, I know that is not so obvious ;-) by the way what part of Mathematics deal with such issues? I haven’t even found a solid theory about friends of friends and topical networks) If police is investigating an actual crime they have to submit a request for a warrant which could be more situational or personal. Any citizen, including those indicted and/or under investigation should know they are being investigated, by whom and the reason the investigating party gave for the warrant.
I could explain this idea at length and yes, I am crazy enough to think I can fix the world singlehandedly. The Yes men wanted to include me in their gang but I negged them. I want to get it all done by myself ;-)
Are you sure journalists are doing their job 100% of the time? Or is it 100% enough for you that they are noticing that Melania doesn’t seem to like holding hands? (which by the way I think it is the right message to encourage women in Muslim countries, but her jerky husband didn’t seem to have seen it like that)
Quite honestly, the only strategic thing I liked about Trump is that I hoped the media and “We the people” were going a learn a lesson, hopefully one better than voting for Hillary or some other “cool” niggah with some anti establishment stage banter.
RCL
MacRandall is not saying that at all. You should reread his sentence. I’ll highlite the part you are misreading.
Clearly, he believe they are now doing what they are suppose to have been doing all along, yet they weren’t. That’s why it’s sad . Because, clearly they have not been doing what they should be doing as evidenced by the second half of your blockquote statement. In short, MacRandall believes journalists only do their job 50% of the time, when opposition is in office.
All is true. But Glenn does not write that as a president Dilma Rousseff was not a perfect angel, her name is in the Car Wash investigation list of persons that are going to be prosecuted for corruption, and she tried unsuccessfully to shelter her mentor, previous president Lula from prosecution, and Lula is now prosecuted for severe corruption allegations and he is considered as one of the main founders and architects of Petrobras’s corruption. So Dilma and Lula were not better than Temer.
You are misinformed or clearly with bad intentions. Lula has been investigated for over 4 years now and absolutely nothing has been found against him. The same happens with Dilma, against who no evidence of criminal behaviour has been found. Temer is a known scoundrel and is a puppet for the “god market”. Temer and his gang.
As usual, Glen, you tell it like it is.
Regrettably, what has occurred in Brazil, is occurring with great stealth in nearly every nation.
Denying the masses any opportunity to be anything other than economic slaves, is the game plan which began in earnest back in the early 1970’s, as the ruling elites began to ramp up their disenfranchisement agenda, and so here we are today, 40 plus years on, with the people worldwide nearly completely subjugated, the elites fully in control of markets, and the wealth, and with no intention of relinquishing a smidgen of their power.
Great article, Glenn…..keep up the good work. There is too damn little news in the cyber media world about the Brazilian tragedy. Silence is the enemy of accountability.
Down here in my corner of Patagonia, we are all desperate for some hope that Brazil will not collapse completely, drowning Argentina in its wake. One of my neighbors suggested that Brazil should hold new elections in July so all the corrupt politicians and their big business bosses will be away skiing in Bariloche and thus will be unable to steal democracy away from the Brazilian people yet again. Brazil is the heart of South America, the heart of mercosur. If it does not replace Temer and those other faulty valves, we will all die when this giant heart fails this time.
The only democratic solution is democracy, ie direct democracy Porto Alegre and Athenian style. Why? Because in that system you vote for ideas and laws, not people. By making everybody a politician you wash out the corruption – you take out the personal access to power that leads to temptation.
Great piece. Speaks volumes of respectable, mainstream opinion in the West that it’s taking this farce in its stride. A Congress of thieves, headed by the most corrupt member of all, deposed an elected president for the sort of budgetary irregularity that’s characterized Brazilian governments of every stripe. Then replaced her with the only person that could challenge Cuhna for the title of most corrupt individual in Latin America.
Relief in DC and European capitals, no doubt, that the era of heretical governance in South America seems now to be coming to a close; full spectrum ideological dominance resuming just in time for the centenary of 1917.
Dear Glenn Greenwald,
My only complaint about your writing is that you completely ignore Latin American Integration as a possible exit. Other than that, your writing is spot-on…but please, don’t disregard regional integration.
Abraço,
Nate Allen
Excellent paper, mr. Greenwald – in a few words, you revealed the dirty core of our country. Congratulations
Yes, GG let’s have another election in Brazil then “democracy will be restored” after having an election is all that is necessary for “democracy.”
Greenwald should know as much as anyone that Brazil is not a democracy and never has been a democracy. Except for Uruguay and Bolivia there has never been a democracy in South America. Most of the nations of Latin America have never progressed beyond modern feudalism and is ruled and controlled by a corrupt and rapacious oligarchy.
We see all sorts of revelations about the corruption in Brazil and the world from this source yet the editors still support the corrupt establishment and pretend that all the world’s problems can be solved with just one more election. It is more than a little disingenuous.
Actually, currently I would definitely include in your count of LA democracies: Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile. I could even include other ones as “pretty democratic” but to me plutocrats and corrupt @ssh0l3s as government officials don’t count as such
Also, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I could include many more democracies toppled by “Vladimir Putin” and democratic effort thwarted by “Russian hackers” such as: Jacobo Árbenz (Guatemala), Jaime Roldós (Ecuador) and Salvador Allende (Chile)
RCL
your comment is far from clear to me,but I can say how could Chile be considered a democracy when governed by a constitution set by a criminal dictator Augusto Pinochet?
Glenn’s analysis of Brazil is quite shallow. Statements like “What Brazilian elites fear and hate most is democracy” is nothing more than a cliché. The evidence shows that it is the more popular classes that don’t care for democracy – hence the growing support for right-wing authoritarians like Bolsonaro; whereas left-wing parties like David Miranda’s PSOL get their votes overwelmingly from the elite.
In case you’re wondering why, today’s NPR will “inform” you that it’s because the turmoil is likely to derail Temer’s “plan to kickstart the economy.” And nothing makes “objective journalists” in the corporate-funded media more dejected than the prospect of “populism” (i.e., that which is popular with the 99% but not the 1%) blocking neoliberal deforms (e.g., austerity, precarity).
It’s a bit early to say this or that politic will escape from these or other recordings… You certainly know who I am talking about… Again another Pandora’s box is open. Certainly, there will be others interesting informations and other boxes… No parties nor politics are Candide dear Glean… Most of them are Cunegonde!
Glenn won’t say it, of course, but it is worth mentioning that, since the impeachment, there has been more evidence of Dilma’s involvement in corruption, from testimomy of her former campaign manager and the same CEOs that just denounced Temer and Aécio Neves.
Also – it should be noted that Glenn’s proposal here is not allowed by the Constitution. Needless to say, there is a lot of danger to democracy from solutions outside the Constitution.
Also – it should be noted that the latest revelations are taking place entirely within the mainstream media, in particular the O Globo journal denounced by many, including David Miranda. Somehow people are no longer concerned about prosecutors pursuing their cases against politicians through the media…
Not when the Constitution itself is corrupt! We’re seeing much the same thing in the US, with our archaic, largely corrupt Constition 1.0 drafted by and for slave-holding or -profiting oligarchs. When a constitution serves the 1% and not the 99%, it’s time for it to go.
What is corrupt about the Brazilian constitution?
Awesome follow-up on the situation happening in Brasil. I had a feeling it would go in a downward spiral of corruption.
Great article, Glenn. Thanks again.
What Brazil needs is a referendum that calls for special elections. Preferably one that puts all congressional seats up for re-election. This would at least give the people the opportunity to purge the corrupt, entrenched politicians plaguing them.
Keep up the good work.
Looks like Brazil has had at least 3 noteworthy referendums.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendums_by_country#Brazil
Perhaps it’s time for a 4th?
Thanks for this amazing article, Glenn.
And then what? Who are we going to elect for president? Any squeaky clean candidates out there?
The true path for reform requires a clean congress. You may find a clean candidate for president but I doubt you will find hundreds of clean candidates to run for congress.
That doesn’t mean free direct elections aren’t a better alternative to these same crooks in the legislative choosing the new president in (the very likely) case Mr. Temer goes out the door.
I do agree cleaning up the congress is of utmost importance, though. It may seem hard, but a combination of democracy and good police work (like it’s being done right now) should make things progressively better.
Brazil is very fortunate to have Glenn Greenwald living in it.
Agreed.
Exact same thing could be said about America. True democracy has its own set of risks, but it has always struck me as more legitimate than plutocracy/oligarchy.
The more things change, the more they stay the same in America.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/05/02/plutocrats-v-oligarchs/
There are a lot of lessons in Brazil for those who want to exploit impeachment to undo the U.S. election as well.
The United States has a more robust system. The President has an insurance policy against impeachment, known as Mike Pence.
A good friend reminded me that Spiro Agnew was removed before Nixon.
I believe prayer is in order here. Nothing works like prayer when everybody participates so no back-sliders, or else.
“prayers?” Are you kidding me? A bunch of thieves, liars, corrupts, racists, and misogynists are running the country. Wake up!
I’d be willing to lay odds that Trump believes he can simply appoint Jared or Ivanka to the presidency….lol. ;) You know, because that’s what he does for his companies…….
And I’d be wiling to bet that he believes nothing of the kind. Although his long time acquaintance Bill Clinton, evidently did believe something very close to it. But then Bill thought that USA Inc was one of his companies.
Agreed. Undoing an American election, and unseating a nominally lawfully elected President absent rock solid proof of criminality is highly highly problematic.
I don’t like Trump, the GOP or anything they stand for. Their ideology and worldview must be relegated to the dustbin of American history.
But as Americans we are all treading on the very thin ice of democratic legitimacy when we start going down the path of impeachment, particularly if it is being fueled by certain undemocratic unaccountable domestic agencies selectively releasing information about a disfavored candidate or sitting official.
It’s why I’ve always argued that focusing on Trump and GOP’s policy agenda and fighting hard to throw them all out in the next couple of elections is the much smarter political and legal move, short and long term, than putting your eggs in this Russiagate/Impeachment/25 Amendment scenario(s).
Dems better hope to their God that Mueller finds serious criminality or this entire gambit may blow up in their faces and relegate them to the elector wilderness for the next 40 years and destroy this nation under one party GOP rule.
It’s sort of all or nothing. If Mueller finds nothing I predict Dems are basically a regional party confined to West and East coasts.
Interesting dangerous times for Brazil and America.
Dems better hope to their God that Mueller finds serious criminality or this entire gambit may blow up in their faces and relegate them to the elector wilderness for the next 40 years and destroy this nation under one party GOP rule.
It’s sort of all or nothing. If Mueller finds nothing I predict Dems are basically a regional party confined to West and East coasts.
As I watch the flacid attempts of the dem party to resurrect itself, all I see are zombies that poorly resemble nothing so much as the past performance of that party. Even Mueller’s best efforts will not affect that.
Good article Glenn. I hope the Brazilian people show their usual resilience in the face of adversity and show these fuckers the door…..of a prison cell.
It seems as though they (Dems) are doubling down on their failed strategy of “Look at what Trump is going to do, isn’t he awful!” (#Resistance)
In a lot of ways, having lengthy time-consuming investigations allows the minority to basically cease or severely slow-down legislation. I would suspect that even if nothing is found by Mueller Dems will still be wanting investigations and use that tool to slow-down legislation.
Most people, even Democrats, can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can, and do, oppose the GOP policy agenda while advocating (just as Glenn Greenwald has advocated) for a proper investigation of the possibility that the Trump campaign cooperated with the efforts of the Russian government to influence the outcome of the presidential campaign.
For DJT to be removed from office via impeachment would require a significant number of Republicans to conclude that his removal from office is warranted. It would, necessarily, be a bipartisan endeavor.
Of course, it is not known what the investigation will turn up. That’s why you have an investigation. I don’t see how any rational observer could argue in good faith that investigation is not warranted under the present circumstances.
” I don’t see how any rational observer could argue in good faith that investigation is not warranted under the present circumstances.”
Because there is no evidence? Isn’t that a fairly good reason?
Or do you have any evidence of ” the efforts of the Russian government to influence the outcome of the presidential campaign”?
So far I have seen nothing that would warrant an investigation. And the idea that that is reason for an investigation, which seems to be your position, is unusual.
The FBI, NSA, CIA and Glenn Greenwald have all concluded that Russia sought to influence the election. Anything agreed upon by that quartet must surely be true.
As for collusion, the multiple contacts before and after the election between people associated with the Trump campaign and people employed by the Russian government are evidence. The president’s recent firing of the law enforcement officer then responsible for investigating the possibility of collusion is evidence. Candidate Trump publicly asking Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s e-mails is evidence. There is plenty of evidence. Whether the investigation will unearth proof (which many people fail to distinguish from evidence) remains to be seen.
@ Gator90
Who argued an investigation wasn’t warranted? Not me.
All I’ve argued is the double edged sword that it is politically, regardless of what an investigation uncovers and regardless of whether or not those findings warrant impeachment proceedings (or could even be obtained from a GOP controlled House). And I’ve certainly never argued Dems shouldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time.
So not really sure how your comment is directed or responsive to mine.
I’m a little curious, you intimated over at LGM in the last couple of weeks (I still pop in now and then to see what the know nothing centrist liberals are babbling about) that you could no longer stomach Glenn or his commenters any longer and that you were no longer coming here. In fact I remember the comment beginning something to the effect “I’ve been following Glenn since just about the beginning, blah blah blah, but now I’m blah blah blah, and I don’t go there anymore because blah blah blah what goes on there isn’t in good faith . . . .”
What changed? Decide you wanted to come back and mix it up with folks who aren’t too busy kissing Lemieux’s ass and being in on his comments section insider jokes? What not enough hockey and music videos for you to discuss over there?
Loomis is the only one with half a clue over there, but I’d think you’d fit in much better over their given your centrist leanings. You’re just going to get hammered if you start peddling that tripe over here again.
I went a couple months without coming here and I was happier for it. You’re right, I don’t “fit in.” But today I stopped by on a whim, probably because I was bored.
Your threats are, to put it mildly, less than intimidating.
They aren’t threats, they are observations or predictions, based on your history here.
But you should do what makes you happy. Obviously that’s what’s most important in life for some folks.
At least the kind of folks that cure their boredom meeting and pressing the flesh with Hillary Clinton, and maybe getting a selfie or two for the office wall. Or like to talk anime, hockey and music videos with slap fighting academics few have ever heard of over at LGM.
Best of luck to you. If you get bored again, there’s always Balloon Juice.
You know, Mrs. Gator and I actually did get our picture taken with HRC, after which we were assured we would receive a copy of the photo in due course. And we’re still f***ing waiting.
If you actually had the balls to engage with the folks at LGM or BJ, you’d get them fed to you.
I also recall a certain journalist of note cautioning Democrats about how Harry Reid’s shenanigans were going to come back and bite them.
The sad thing is that journalists in the US are now actually doing what journalists should be doing 100% of the time – being tough on the political leadership.
The problem is that they only seem to do their job when the see the POTUS as “opposition”. The latitude they gave the Obama administration was terrifying, the perfect example ignoring the FBI posing as journalists to build criminal cases.
Is someone trying to impeach Bernie Sanders from his lofty and powerful position as outreach chair (or whatever) of the esteemed party of the donkey?? #election