Tiririca. Courtesy Creative Commons.

Italy elected a porn star, California elected two B-movie actors, but Brazil just topped them both by sending an illiterate clown to represent Sao Paulo in the nation’s congress.

With 1.3 million votes, Tiririca, (born Francisco Oliveira Silva), received the highest vote tally in last Sunday’s national election. Best known in Brazil for singing this hit, Tiririca cruised into office with slogans such as “Vote for Tiririca, because there isn’t anyone worse,” and “What does a Congressman do? I don’t know, but vote for me and I’ll tell you!” (Portuguese speakers can check out the amazing ads here.)

Though it might be tempting to dismiss the vote as another quirk of Latin American politics, (after all, citizens of Rio de Janeiro almost elected a popular chimpanzee at the local zoo as mayor in 1988, Tiririca isn’t the only clown that’s taken office south of the Rio Grande. However, he is the only one with the decency to campaign in a funny hat and suit.

Starting 12 years ago with the election of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, several nations in Latin America have fallen sway to populist movements promising progress and prosperity, but in reality delivering neither. Like in Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” these movements always start innocuously enough, (here is Chavez after his election promising not to nationalize any of Venezuela’s industries and not to meddle in the affairs of his neighbors), but usually end in destitution, repression and international isolation. In his years in office, Chavez has so badly mismanaged the Venezuelan economy that key food items are not available on store shelves, the murder rate is higher than Iraq and, at 27 percent, Venezuela has the third highest inflation rate in the world.

It would be one thing if Chavez were the anomaly, but unfortunately neighboring Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia are following Venezuela into the economic toilet known as the “Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas.” In Ecuador, President Rafael Correa's squandering of oil revenues during boom years has led to increased debt, a sagging economy and even periodic blackouts. In Nicaragua, former Sandinista Daniel Ortega rigged a major election two years ago, and last year stacked the nation’s Supreme Court to allow him to skirt constitutional prohibitions on reelection. Both nations endure crushing poverty as foreign investment has dried up in the face of ever uncertain political conditions.

The problem with Latin America is that their democracy exists in a vacuum. Unlike here in the United States, most Latin American nations lack the supporting institutions necessary for functional democratic rule—such as a robust legal system, a free and independent media and a constitution of enumerated rights with limitations on the powers of government. These institutions ensure that the basic rights of citizens are protected no matter which way the will of the majority swings. In ths U.S., businesses are confident that their assets can’t be seized because of our Fifth Amendment, newspapers are free to print what they want because of our First Amendment and the last resort against tyranny is enshrined in our Second Amendment (interestingly, Brazilians, with the memories of the military dictatorship fresh in their minds, voted against a national ban on firearms in 2005).

Tiririca’s showing at the polls was largely the result of a protest vote from Sao Paulo residents fed up with the corruption, bureaucracy and general worthlessness endemic in the Brazilian government. However, the fact that an illiterate clown can rise to such a position of power ought to give pause to anyone who advocates expanding the powers of the state. What makes a nation great is not a great leader, but great institutions and great citizens. Whether it’s the “Imperial President” of the North or the Caudillo of the South, any society that cedes too much power to the state does so at its peril. Robust restrictions on the size, influence and authority of the government over the market and the lives of individuals are the cornerstone of a prosperous and free people. After all, it’s at any given moment that we’re just one election away from sending a bunch of clowns into the halls of power—and that’s no laughing matter.

Reach Columnist Stan Oklobdzija here.

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