The Ballad of El Bronco

The Ballad of El Bronco

By: Erreh Svaia

“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”

Arthur Conan Doyle

I bet Jaime Rodríguez never though it would be so hard to be governor of Nuevo León, perhaps he might have thought it would be a little harder than García, the small city where he was major, Jaime and his spin doctor Memo Renteria, among others, created plan, invited a cartoon hero like character, kind of like the Lone Ranger, a character in tune with the north of México, wearing cowboy hat and boots, this vigilante would display a macho like bravado and a Robin Hood sort of attitude, he would be on the side of the poor, and against the rich, a poor and unimaginative narrative, but like in soap operas, so popular in the country, the good guys are always poor, the bad guys are always rich, so the story was simple, they even added a touch of modernity, this Lone Ranger had a smart phone, and he was addicted to Facebook, What better could it be?

Jaime created the illusion of social activity in a place where there wasn’t such a thing, he was a politician who belonged to the PRI for thirty years, thirty years in the most corrupted institution in Mexican politics, so those who believed that after supposedly leaving the PRI, Jaime was sort of like purified from his past, must have their heads checked out by a doctor, Jaime successfully played the role Renteria created for him, in the middle of a security crisis, El Bronco was an avenger like figure in a fantasy world,  he offered to save the state from criminals and corrupt governors, Jaime never stopped being a politician, but he managed to make people think he was a mere citizen like them, he despised reading books, he loved football soccer, barbecues, beers and used dirty words, that was supposed to be part of his charms, but Jaime, without knowing it, gave birth to an active society, he empowered the citizen and made them believe that people really had the power to challenge the government and the two political rule of the PRI and the PAN, Jaime and Memo Renteria set in motion powers they didn't even know about, the created angry skeptical people, but Jaime astonishing triumph the day of voting wasn't exactly a result of Jaime’s acting skills, there was also heavy corporate sponsorship discretely behind Jaime that gave him the knowledge and resources to conquer the masses in an efficient way.

Big trouble was that a state is not like a small city, and Jaime's once friendly Internet interaction has turned against him, the social network made him, and now they seem to be a part in the destruction of his popularity, putting in display Jaime's style of government very close in fashion to the corrupt administration he criticized, with close collaborators denounced for corrupt actions, and with the citizens anger he managed to create and use, now turning against him, Jaime use of the transparency and immediacy of the social networks now are exhibiting how weak was his governmental proposal in reality.

After a couple of months as governor, it seems that the honey moon is over, the citizens now sound angry and skeptical about Jaime, they are deeply deceived by a child's cartoon of what they though it would be a real hero, Jaime has deceived everyone, his lack of action, of experience and lack of focus in the state, simply reveals a typical politician more worried by his next position rather than performing his actual one, trying to get funds at all costs in order to finance his next campaign, to make matters worse, these days Jaime is unashamedly closer to those politicians he supposedly despised during campaign, and looks enthusiast in being part of their political games, trying to gather other fake "independent" candidates in order to create his own political franchise, and keep living out of the citizen's money, but by doing this Jaime has alienated people, and the outcome could mean the end of his career, and at the same time another dark chapter in Nuevo León history.