Kinky Gets Another Newspaper Endorsement

The conventional wisdom is that Perry will retain his office in the governor's mansion this year. But Kinky Friedman was never one to listen to the political pundits. As his campaign manager, Dean Barkley, would tell you, no one thought Jesse Ventura would win in Minnesota until the votes had been counted.

So Kinky keeps plugging away, and good things continue to happen. Yesterday, the Brazoria County newspaper The Facts came out with an editorial endorsing Kinky in his race for governor of Texas.

Here is what they had to say.


October 29, 2006

No one would call Kinky Friedman anyone’s lap dog, accuse him of being beholden to any special interest group or say he is afraid of going with his gut rather than what is popular.

No one would dream that Texas would be the same under the leadership of Kinky Friedman as it is under the leadership of Rick Perry.

It is primarily for those reasons that The Facts editorial board urges your vote for Richard “Kinky” Friedman in his bid for governor of Texas.

A vote for Friedman is a vote against politics as usual in Austin. It is a vote against those who say one thing when running for office and once elected look for the first chance to run for political cover as fast and as hard as they can.

With Kinky Friedman, what you see is what you get, and love them or hate them, he has laid out strong positions on issues most important to voters in this election: border security, education and health care.

In his years in office, Gov. Rick Perry has talked much but accomplished little. Not until the last year has Perry done much to speak of, and many of those accomplishments he touts — school finance reform and enhanced border security, for instance — were made by a candidate, not by a leader.

Even surrounded by Republicans in leadership positions in Austin, Perry was largely ineffectual up until the time he came under attack by Comptroller-come candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

By contrast, when Friedman announced his candidacy, it was widely regarded as a joke. Somewhere along the line he became a factor in the race, not so much because of anything the man himself has done — his stump hasn’t changed much since the early days of the campaign. Instead, his stature as a candidate has improved as the field around him has stumbled.

Democrat Chris Bell has good ideas, but despite his differences in viewpoint from the current Republican leadership, he remains part of an establishment which we tired of long ago.

Unlike the true independence we see in Friedman, Strayhorn’s convictions seem to bend to whatever political constituency she finds most likely to vote for her.

The Kinkster has made a living out of unabashedly offending just about everybody. An entertainer and writer far removed from politics, Friedman’s platform is like that of most Texans — a cafeteria-style selection rather than an order straight from the menu of hard-line right- or left-wingers.

He’s for less of a focus on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and more support for teachers. He’s for investment in alternative fuels that will make us less dependent on foreign oil. He would increase the number of Texas National Guard troops on the border and levy hefty fines on companies that hire illegal immigrants. He is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, favors stem-cell research and favors optional, non-denominational prayer in schools.

Even if Friedman doesn’t win — and polls show Perry as the frontrunner — a strong showing will send a message to Austin that we’re sick of the double-talk and tired of special interests having the ear of power while Joe Taxpayer gets pushed to the back of the line.

The fact that Friedman has proven himself a factor in this race, including his twice winning of The Facts’ online reader poll by huge margins, proves Texans are desperate for his brand of frankness and for a change in course in Austin only a true independent can provide.

Today’s editorial was written by Yvonne Mintz, managing editor of The Facts.