Kinky Friedman, independent candidate for governor, has received the endorsement of the Galveston County newspaper, The Daily News. Their endorsement is reprinted below:
Published October 22, 2006
The Daily News endorses Richard “Kinky” Friedman, independent, for governor of Texas.
Having said that, let us acknowledge two points. One, it is not likely Friedman will win. Two, by conventional standards, Friedman’s background does not qualify him for the highest elective office in Texas. If he were elected, it’s not certain that he could get much done in the Legislature.
So why vote for him?
We find ourselves in agreement with Friedman on most issues.
He favors legalized gambling in Texas. Given the right legislation, we may also favor it, and we certainly would not be willing to dismiss it out of hand as some other candidates do.
Friedman favors reforming Texas education by reducing the rigid adherence to standardized tests as the sole measure of success. Those tests have simply not produced better-educated Texas students — just students somewhat more adept at taking specific tests but arguably less adept at everything else.
Friedman is for smaller, more efficient government.
He is for stricter control of the Texas-Mexico border.
He is for broader health-care guarantees for the poor, especially for children.
Friedman is for maximum personal freedom for all Texans. Translate that to mean he’s for gay rights and against the Texas ban on gay marriage.
But, having said all that, Friedman’s real strength is much simpler. It lies in what he is not — he is not a traditional, party-affiliated, lobby-financed Texas pol.
He is not Rick Perry or Chris Bell or Carole Keeton Strayhorn, all of whom are running multimillion-dollar campaigns paid for by people who expect something in return.
Realistically, it is quite likely that Rick Perry will win the race, in spite of the fact that he has been a very lackluster governor.
If you were interested in educational reform, he failed you.
If you were interested in property-tax reform or border security, he failed you.
If you were interested in more efficient, more cost-effective government, he failed you.
It is unusual for newspapers to urge readers to use their precious vote as a protest. But in this case, it’s justifiable. It is high time Texans told the politics-as-usual crowd in Austin that we are angry. We feel abused and ignored.
If Rick Perry wins with 50 percent of the vote, he’ll feel pretty comfortable.
If Rick Perry wins with 32 percent of the vote, he and other statewide politicians will understand that voters are paying attention. They’ll just have to see that people are tired of empty promises and a state run by the rich and the self-interested.
The only way to make your vote count in the governor’s race is to vote for the one legitimate protest candidate in the race.
UPDATE -- The student newspaper of the University of Texas, The Daily Texan, also endorsed Kinky Friedman in the Texas governor's race.
I gathered signatures for Kinky, but I have moved on to support Strayhorn. Nevertheless, I agree with much of that Galveston community paper's editorial.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the community paper says "One, it is not likely Friedman will win. Two, by conventional standards, Friedman’s background does not qualify him for the highest elective office in Texas. If he were elected, it’s not certain that he could get much done in the Legislature."
I agree completely.
Next, the paper says Kinky "favors legalized gambling in Texas." So does Strayhorn (and Bell, too, for that matter). The problem is that legalized gambling is where Kinky school revenue plans begin and end. He needs a backup plan because the Texas Leg won't legalize casino gambling in my lifetime, and yet Kinky has no backup plan whatsoever.
The paper next says "Friedman favors reforming Texas education by reducing the rigid adherence to standardized tests as the sole measure of success." So does Strayhorn (and Bell, too, for that matter).
The paper says "Friedman is for smaller, more efficient government." So is Strayhorn.
Next, the community paper says "He is for stricter control of the Texas-Mexico border." So is Strayhorn.
Galveston's community paper next says "He is for broader health-care guarantees for the poor, especially for children." So are Strayhorn and Bell. Actually, even though I've moved from Kinky to Strayhorn, if this was a top priority for you as a voter, you really have to give Bell this issue. Strayhorn comes in a close second to Bell on children's health, and Kinky comes in third.
Next, the paper says, "Friedman is for maximum personal freedom for all Texans. Translate that to mean he’s for gay rights and against the Texas ban on gay marriage." Again, this is an issue -- if it's important to you -- you really have to give to Bell. This is not my top priority, but if it was this would impress me: click here
Finally, the community paper says that Kinky isn't a "traditional, party-affiliated" candidate. Strayhorn is the one who actually thumbed her nose at the parties and took the bold move to reject the Republican Party despite the fact that she was the top Republican vote getter in her last election.
The paper explains Kinky is not "running multimillion-dollar campaigns paid for by people who expect something in return." What about John McCall as Kinky's sugar daddy?
The Houston Chronicle is -- by far -- the most widely read paper in Galveston (it has 25 times the circulation) and the Houston Chronicle endorsed Strayhorn. Even your local paper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram endorsed Bell and not Kinky.
If you are truly an independent, please consider Strayhorn. I was on board with Kinky for most of the last year, but I cannot in good conscience send a message that we need candidates who are more like Kinky (what would that get us?). I'd rather send a message that if politicians who are trapped in the two-party system break free and run as independents, Texas voters will support them.