Mexican politician’s ‘House of Cards’ spot sparks row

MEXICO CITY: A small-town politician in Mexico got a stern warning from one of the most powerful men in American politics — the “House of Cards” version, anyway — after copying a speech by the series’ President Frank Underwood. Miguel Angel Covarrubias, the former mayor of the central town of Texoloc (population 5,000), released a video on Facebook in which he delivers a nearly word-for-word Spanish translation of a presidential speech from the Netflix hit. “They say we get the government we deserve,” Covarrubias says from behind a presidential-looking desk, the Mexican flag at his side and the iconic “House of Cards” theme music playing in the background. It is a nearly exact copy of a speech that Underwood — played by Kevin Spacey — gave in ads for the fourth season of the dark but acclaimed political drama. The similarities did not go unnoticed at Netflix. The US streaming giant posted a video on Twitter featuring Doug Stamper, Underwood’s shady adviser and right-hand man. “To the people of Mexico: It’s not a competition,” says Stamper, played by Michael Kelly. “You have no idea where people take their inspiration from. Pay attention now,” he adds ominously. “My objective was not to copy, it was to get the world’s attention,” Covarrubias said on Facebook. “Now I have your attention, Frank.”

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