Renan is not the villain of the story.
He, like his mustachioed predecessor, is just another opportunist who landed a job where he won't have to do much to earn a lot of money. Those who voted for him, are voting for him, and will vote for him are wrong.
The Brazilian political landscape is something that deeply saddens me. But I don't feel anger towards the politicians who occupy (or should occupy) the National Congress. Most of them only do what they know how to do, which is nothing. They are unqualified, alienated, obsolete, and opportunistic people.
My anger is directed at those who vote for politicians of this caliber. Voters who don't take elections seriously, who complain about politics and then "protest" by electing Tiririca.
What kind of protest is this where the one who suffers is the protester himself? Our inaction, or perhaps even a certain laziness in keeping up with things, is not a sign of intelligence, much less of protest.
An indifferent society is the perfect breeding ground for a corrupt Congress.
Every now and then I come across people who are genuinely angry with politics and go around spouting the most insane ideas to save the country.
I'm from Brasília, and here there are some people "outraged" by the PT government who are asking for the return of Governor Arruda (remember him? Yes, the same one who was arrested). They've even created some car stickers with the brilliant slogan: "Bring back Arruda, and I'll vote for you."
It's impossible for anyone in their right mind to vote for a politician who has already been imprisoned. It's unacceptable that society's desire should be for the "lesser evil" to win. That's wrong... And unfortunately, the mistake lies with a large part of society that thinks this way.
It turns out we grew up watching movies, cartoons, and soap operas. Where there were always two sides, good and evil. In church, they taught us about heaven and hell. In math, we learned about positive and negative.
And, since we are a reflection of what we witness in life, we carry this bipolar thinking to understand society.
PSDB isn't doing well? Let's vote for PT. Wait a minute, now it's PT that's not doing well? Then go back to PSDB.
No! That's wrong.
This cannot be the mindset of a society that wants what is best. There aren't just two sides. In fact, the current Brazilian political landscape is a circle, where there are no sides.
Currently, the division is only between those already in government and those who want to join. There are no longer any ideological differences. Everyone will govern in the same way.
I believe that this concept of "two sides" cannot even be applied to define human beings, let alone explain politics.
Philosophizing within the concepts of metaphysics, I can say that no one is 100% good.
Based on this idea, when the goal is to elect our representatives in our society, we need to set emotions aside and carry out only, pardon the pun, coldly calculated actions.
In other words, the guy stole? He's out, regardless of the reasons.
Did the guy who replaced him steal too? Then he's out as well!
And may these two disappear from the map and never (but never ever!) have the courage to come back asking for votes claiming to be repentant. Remember that in politics we need to be cold and calculating; there is no room for forgiveness.
Let the next one come, and the next one, and the next one, until one appears who doesn't steal anymore.
Now, electing a bunch of crooks and then protesting won't change anything, unfortunately. Once elected, they aren't at all concerned with what we think. Or does anyone think Renan Calheiros is bothered by the petition circulating online calling for his impeachment?
Until proven otherwise, he was legitimately elected (by the voters of Alagoas) as a senator of the Republic. And later he was equally legitimately elected (by his fellow senators) as president of the Senate.
So far, everything is in accordance with our Constitution. It's outrageous, but how can anyone argue against it?
To make matters worse, Tiririca appears giving an interview saying that he wasn't born for politics and that he prefers to go back to being a clown.
Go back to being a clown? Was he referring to his former profession or did he simply mean that he would no longer be a member of parliament?
Is Renan Calheiros the villain of the story? Obviously not. He, like his mustachioed predecessor, is just another opportunist who landed a job where he won't have to do much to earn a lot of money. The dream of anyone, isn't it?
The wrongdoers in this story are those who voted for him, are voting for him, and will continue to vote for him and politicians similar to him.