Kinky Friedman? Musician – YES, Governor – NO

I was having a brief conversation this weekend with respected man about town, Bill Shirley, and the conversation turned as it will to politics and podcasting. While we both agree that it *might* be a good thing to have Kinky on the ballot we seem to be in agreement that having Kinky in office is another thing entirely.

No one I have talked to can really say why they’re for Kinky…what he stands for or what we can expect from him as governor. In some regards I think people just enjoy saying the word “Kinky” out loud or revelling in the perceived effect of the word prominently displayed on the bumper of their pick-em-up truck.

I mentioned that a good podcast subject might be to conduct interviews with random Kinky supporters (who seem to be in force on any given night at the Continental Club) to find out what they *really* know about the campaign of Mr. Friedman. It was agreed that it might be quite amusing to hear the results.

This is not the first time I have expressed my doubts/concerns here. Please refer to my Freak Candidate Principle post from last September.

I spotted this over at the Burnt Orange Report. I must say, it’s refreshing to see some critical thought applied to the Kinky campaign.

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The Conservative Kinkster
by: Ryan Goodland
March 05, 2006 at 22:36:53 CST
(Please don’t waste your primary vote & state convention chances on signing Kinky’s petition if you care about helping either Democrat get elected Governor. – promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)

I was talking to some friends tonight about Bob Gammage and the primary on Tuesday. These friends are young, urban artsy types and are pretty excited about Kinky Friedman; one even said he was skipping the primary specifically to sign Kinky’s petition. He’s probably not alone; drive around Montrose in Houston and you’re bound to see more than a few cars with those “Kinky Friedman: Why the Hell Not?” bumper stickers.
It’s disconcerting to see so many smart people out there fall for Friedman as if he’s the cool, progressive alternative to whoever the Democratic nominee will be. Following his campaign in the news, the more I learn about Kinky Friedman, the more conservative I realize he is. So rather than chastise him for being a potential spoiler, here are some on-the-merits reasons why you shouldn’t skip the primary to sign Friedman’s petition. Or vote for him at all.

1. Kinky Friedman wants to tear down the wall of separation between church and state. He supports school prayer and posting the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms.

2. Kinky Friedman wants to put up a wall between Texas and Mexico. In a March 2005 appearance on “The No-Spin Zone,” Friedman said, “Good fences make good neighbors, and, Mr. Fox, help us build that fence.”

3. Kinky Friedman won’t say if he supports a woman’s right to choose. When asked, Friedman dodged a question about his position on abortion. Incidentally, Texas is one nineteen states with a legislature that would be likely to ban abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade were overturned.

4. Kinky Friedman has promised to root out cronyism…and appoint his biggest campaign contributor Secretary of State. No one should be appointed to a position just because he “gave the most money,” according to Kinky. Except if you donate $600,000 to Kinky’s campaign. Then you get to be Secretary of State.

5. Kinky Friedman didn’t take the time to vote for the equal rights of the GLBT community. As Karl-Thomas has pointed out, Kinky didn’t bother to vote on Proposition 2 last year, which amended the Texas Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriages.

6. Kinky Friedman did take the time to vote for George W. Bush. That kind of voting record sort of speaks for itself.

7. Kinky Friedman talks out of both sides of his mouth on public education. Friedman says he wants a teacher pay raise, but at the same time he wants to spend the state’s 4.3 billion dollar surplus this year on a tax rebate.

8. Kinky Friedman is a Republican. In 1986, Friedman ran for Kerrville JP as  a Republican.

If Carole Strayhorn is Rick Perry in a skirt, as Bob Gammage has said, then Kinky Friedman is Rick Perry with a cigar. Why anyone would skip the primary for this guy is beyond me.