Sunday, October 22, 2006

More Kink

A very interesting interview with Kinky Friedman who is running for Governor of Texas. Here is a small sample:

Politically, he says he's like Frank Sinatra: "I started left, and moved right." Consequently, Kinky is still fairly liberal on social issues--he's reluctantly pro-choice, and he's for gay marriage ("they have every right to be just as miserable as the rest of us"). Otherwise, he does a fairly convincing impression of a Republican from ten years ago, back when they still had principles: tough on illegal immigration and crime, anti-tax and pro-fiscal responsibility.
I'm sure after that you will want to read the whole thing.

5 comments:

Duchess Of Austin said...

What, are you campaigning for Kinky? As much as I'd love to vote for him, he'd be just like Jesse Ventura, only a little worse, because he wouldn't be able to get as much done in the State House....he doesn't have the political chops, and if he does, I haven't seen them.

Texas is a cartoon state, and Texans do a great deal to promote that "larger than life" image, however, we don't need a cartoon governor. Kinky doesn't have the connections in the State House to get his platform from his mouth to reality.

For me, as a Texan, and an Austinite, I'm going to have to try Carol Strayhorn. She's come up in the ranks, paid her political dues, and has, I think, the chops and the connections in the State House to get the job done. In Texas, it's not what you know it's WHO you know.

Frankly, we could use another Ann Richards. She was amazing, Democrat or no, and she'll be sorely missed in Texas.

M. Simon said...

Duchess,

Government doing nothing? I'm a libertarian type guy and see that as a feature, not a bug.

Plus I think he is funny. And he has a bad habit of speaking his mind. Which is good.

And he is the only major politician on the scene today willing to tell the truth about drug prohibition.

He says we are jailing people who need medical attention. It is an issue I will not be silent about. If the devil himself supported my position I'd give him at least an honorable mention on my blog.

Besides he could turn out as well as Arnie in Calif. Wich is probably poor but not disasterous.

In any case I'm used to being in the minority. So all I can say is: vote like it matters. Get your friends to do the same.

BTW if you want to do a pro Strayhorn piece I'd be glad to put it up. You know me. Occasionally fair. Mostly unbalanced.

Duchess Of Austin said...

Like I said, Simon...I would LOVE to vote for Kinky, if he had a snowball's chance of winning. I think he doesn't. Sure, he's witty and funny, but he reminds me much of a failed gubernatorial candidate in Boston when I was living there in the 80's....John Silber, the embattled President of Boston University (who also hails from Texas). He actually told a reporter that was interviewing him for a newspaper piece that he wasn't very good at "kissing the ass of the newspapers" to get good press. Now, most of us mere mortals got it, and laughed, but it cost him the election.

Kinky is a great writer and humorist, but his background, which is what makes him interesting mind you, will also come back to bite him in the butt. Smoking dope with Willie? Yeah, that's gonna go over well with middle-aged conservative voters in Texas....

And although I'm supporting Strayhorn, the only reason is because I think she's got the political connections to actually DO something as governor. And I think Perry has shot his wad...time for new blood.

I'm hoping that Strayhorn's a member of that "good ole boy" club at the State House, and she's likely to get some cooperation from the Dhims in the State House because of her vocal opposition and oftimes contentious rejection of Rick Perry's causes. She is the current Comptroller of the State of Texas, and has, on several occasions taken Perry to task over his profiligate spending....

You gotta remember, the Dhims in Texas are such a cowardly group that instead of taking their defeat like grownups, they hied off to freakin' OKLAHOMA (sheesh) to avoid losing a vote. It's disgusting, but I think Strayhorn may actually get them to cooperate as a governing body.....guess we'll see.

Duchess Of Austin said...

Another problem, Simon....most people don't want to KNOW the ugly truth. They want platitudes and feelgood solutions that basically change nothing, but make them "feel" better. Bah!

90% of the population of this country are nothing more than sheep.

M. Simon said...

duchess,

If they were only sheep it would not be so much of a problem.

They are misinformed sheep.