"GO BLANK YOUR MOTHERS!" - A GOVERNOR'S FALL FROM GRACE

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUADALAJARA 000112


E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/24/2029
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL MX
SUBJECT: "GO BLANK YOUR MOTHERS!" - A GOVERNOR'S FALL FROM GRACE

CLASSIFIED BY: Edward Ramotowski, Principal Officer, EXEC,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1. (C) Summary: Jalisco Governor Emilio Gonzalez Marquez was
once considered a possible contender for the National Action
(PAN) Party's presidential nomination in 2012. But the
Governor's greatest assets - an engaging personality and
passionate oratory - have proved to be a double-edged sword. A
series of self-inflicted verbal wounds, culminating in a
tequila-influenced, obscenity-laden public diatribe against his
political enemies have seriously damaged his reputation. His
close relations with the Catholic Church, in a country where
Church-State relations are still unsettled, has also provoked
much controversy. A recovery from this political tailspin will
be very difficult. End Summary.

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A Promising Start:
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2. (C) Gonzalez Marquez - known to everyone as "Emilio" took
office in March 2007 as a kinder, gentler, and more personable
version of his predecessor, the dour but politically astute
former Secretary of Government, Francisco Ramirez Acuna. He is
also a more fervent Catholic and was not afraid to show it. At
first, the press took a mild interest in such things as weekly
Bible study sessions in the Governor's mansion, but as religion
began to play a more prominent role in the Governor's public
statements, public controversy grew.

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Six Packs and Silly Girls
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3. (C) The first big controversy erupted over the Governor's
desire to end a state program that distributed contraceptives to
the poor. In the course of the debate, Emilio declared that if
the government provided condoms to people, it might as well
furnish a six pack of beer and a hotel voucher. Enraged
opponents charged that the Governor was doing the Church's
bidding, since Guadalajara's Cardinal had also attacked the
program as immoral.


4. (C) Gonzalez's propensity to fund expensive television
programs also generated much criticism, especially the
multi-million dollar "Silly Girls Don't Go to Heaven" - a soap
opera produced by television giant Televisa SA and filmed in
Jalisco. The Governor assured a skeptical public that this show
(and similar spectacles such as the Latin MTV awards) justified
the public investment because they would promote the state and
encourage tourism. Opponents responded that the real "promotion"
would be of the Governor's image on a nationwide basis in
advance of the 2012 presidential contest.

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The 90 Million Peso Firestorm
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5. (C) The Governor's concentrated focus on religion and public
spectacles culminated in his April 2008 decision to donate 90
million pesos (US $8 million) in public funds to the Catholic
Church for the construction of the "Sanctuary of the Martyrs," a
massive basilica planned for a hilltop on Guadalajara's
outskirts, as a means of increasing religious tourism. This huge
project is the brainchild of Guadalajara Cardinal Juan Sandoval
Iniguez and will surpass Mexico City's Guadalupe Basilica in
size. Fund raising had lagged, however, and for the Church, the
Governor's donation was a godsend.


6. (C) For thousands of citizens, however, the Governor's
action crossed the line between the separation of church and
state, and the popular reaction was immediate and negative.
Critics raged in the press and on the airwaves, and thousands of
protests poured in to the State Human Rights Commission (CEDHJ),
giving Gonzalez Marquez the dubious distinction of being the
worst human rights violator in Mexico, in terms of the sheer
number of complaints registered. Nevertheless, the Governor
remained calm, telling the CG last Spring that he had predicted
a month of tough criticism after which he expected popular
passions would subside.

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A Night to Remember
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7. (C) The public criticism did not diminish, but rather
intensified as details of the donation became more widely known.
The FOIA release of a 2005 Consulate cable that appeared to show
a commitment by the Catholic Church to support Gonzalez
Marquez's gubernatorial campaign added fuel to the fire. As the
pressure mounted, Emilio took the podium at the Annual Diocesan
Food Bank Fund Raising Dinner in April 2008 to present the
state's traditional contribution. In front of the city's elites
and television cameras, a visibly inebriated Governor waved his
"blanking little paper" (the donation check),bellowed that his
Secretary of Finance "had finally done something good for
Jalisco," and then, begging the Cardinal's pardon, told his
political opponents to "go blank their mothers!"


8. (C) A chastened Governor apologized profusely the next day,
but the damage was done. Media criticism was savage, and
hundreds of additional complaints arrived at the Human Rights
Commission. His remarks were quickly posted on YouTube and other
websites, and his opponents and even high school students
gleefully chanted them during the Governor's public appearances.
His image and popularity cratered, and the Catholic Church,
facing its own critics, returned the Sanctuary donation.

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Damage Control
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9. (C) Gonzalez Marquez kept a low profile during the summer and
fall of 2008 as his staff sought opportunities to mitigate the
damage and portray him as focused on the needs of the state. A
round of "security summits" for example, enabled the Governor to
take credit for Jalisco's comparatively lower rates of crime and
violence. He also steered clear of major Church events, and
emphasized government investment in important public works. Even
then, however, his tongue occasionally got the better of him.
When the wife of a prominent businessman was murdered in a
brutal December 2008 carjacking, Emilio declared that
Guadalajara's captains of industry had no right to criticize his
security policies because their children never served in the
police or the army. He backpedaled before a wave of elite
indignation the next day, stating that he had meant to say that
security was everyone's responsibility and that all citizens
should contribute. His opponents were not assuaged.

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Comment: A Long Climb Back?
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10. (C) Nearly a year later, Gonzalez Marquez's Private
Secretary confided that the whole donation episode is still
hurting the Governor's image. Although Jalisco has had previous
governors use colorful language or drink too much, their
indiscretions were never as highly publicized (or
technologically preserved for posterity) as Emilio's have been.
Some business leaders have written him off, and even the Church
- burned by the controversy - is keeping a bigger distance from
the administration. The Governor's political allies were also
defeated by associates of Francisco Ramirez Acuna in the vast
majority of internal party contests to select the PAN's
candidates for the July 2009 mayoral and Congressional
elections. Paradoxically, however, Emilio's diminished political
future and renewed focus on local issues have lately given his
low popularity ratings a small boost. This will be aided by the
completion of several major state projects such as Guadalajara's
first bus rapid transit line, and the investment of over $500
million dollars in public infrastructure this year.


11. (C) Can he come back? The conventional wisdom says no. But
with four years to go in his term and several high profile
events such as Guadalajara's hosting of the 2011 Pan-American
Games available to showcase a reformed image, some form of
political rehabilitation might be possible. For now, however,
the rest of Mexico knows Emilio Gonzalez Marquez as the Governor
who sought to give a substantial sum to the Catholic Church and
cursed his opponents while doing so - a shaky basis for any kind
of national campaign.


RAMOTOWSKI