An Old Texas

Disappointed in Kinky and Perry and Bell (0.00 / 0)

Kinky has now really disappointed me in that he should have apologized.  Perry is disappointing because he should have been stronger--not limited to men and women "of color."  Bell is right to attack here but all his campaign seems to do is attack all opponents.  We need to get rid of Rick Perry and his failures--leaning toward Strayhorn at this point.

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by: CB @ Thu Sep 21, 2006 at 22:46:22 PM UTC

Well that makes 5 of you (0.00 / 0)

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by: sandra1113 @ Thu Sep 21, 2006 at 22:53:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Why Strayhorn? (0.00 / 0)

All due respect, she's just another Republican. She's only running as a so-called Independent because she knew she didn't stand a chance in the Republican primary.

Bell's doing all he can with limited resources to get his message on the issues out, but when his opponents stick their foot in it, it's news. He gets asked for a reaction, and of course he rips them.

Again, why Strayhorn? She seems to be hovering around 10-12% She'd just do more or less the same things Rick Perry has been doing for the last six years. If you want to start to change things, we at least need a veto pen in the governor's office.

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by: davew @ Thu Sep 21, 2006 at 23:30:31 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Play the whole show (0.00 / 0)

Why only play that clip?  Someone has to have the whole Houston show from 1980, right?  Play it.  What do you have to hide?  Why only play that clip, because it serves your purpose?

Kinky has never run from what he's said, and I admire that.  He has nothing to hide.  His life has been documented in books, magazines, in audio and video recordings. 

Why apologize for being a satirist? 

Ever listen to Randy Newman?

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by: walt @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 00:12:29 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Are you suggesting Randy Newman would be a good governor? (4.33 / 3)

One of the consequences of the millions and millions of dollars Newman has made over the years is that he's probably alienated the short people vote.  That song was satire or a joke or a comedy routine or a parody or whatever you want to call, but -- still -- Newman has probably lost the short people vote.

Same with Kinky and the minority vote.

When you think about it, it's not that big a loss because both Newman and Kinky are entertainers and neither knows jackshit about running a state which has been left in a perilous state by the outgoing administration's mismanagement.

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by: SouthTexasDemocrat @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 00:57:45 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Kinky and Grandma Strayhorn support I&R (0.00 / 0)

Kinky and Grandma Strayhorn support I&R and Perry and Bell don't.  I am disappointed that neither political party supports I&R.  Repubs use to until they took power and Dems never have (that I can remember). I trust people who trust voters.  That is why now I am leaning towards Strayhorn.  Please don't attack her convince me otherwise.

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by: CB @ Thu Sep 21, 2006 at 23:50:04 PM UTC

I & R has been a disaster in Florida (0.00 / 0)

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by: SouthTexasDemocrat @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 11:52:52 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Come On,... (0.00 / 0)

Anyone offended by Kinky Friedman is just too ef-ing thin-skinned for words. He's obviously a decent, non-PC, kinda guy and I appreciate such people in this do-it-according-to-my-personal-restriction environment. It's they who go "too far" in declaring what we (Americans of all colors and stripes) can or cannot do. And, yes, I'm black.

Go Kinky!

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by: crack emcee @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:29:22 AM UTC

Am I missing something? (0.00 / 0)

Is there anything even remotely coherent about this post? What does a 26-year-old joke and an out-of-context blurb from a year-old interview have to do with Ann Richards? What evidence - aside from old jokes - is there that Kinky Friedman is not progressive? Is it his support of gay marriage, which Bell won't endorse? Or his support of abortion rights, the very rights Chris Bell won't come out and back? How does a link to two campaign ads by Chris Bell demonstrate his commitment to a "new" Texas?

I'm not saying there aren't answers to these questions, incidentally. I'm just suggesting they're all questions this post needed to answer to make any sense whatsoever.

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by: jeremytodd @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:33:15 AM UTC

Well... (0.00 / 0)

I think that's what happens when people don't read the, oh, dozen or so posts on BOR and just read one. We've talked constantly on Bell's progressive stance, and many others (look up stopkinky) have talked about Kinky's decidedly non-progressive stance. I don't have time to re-hash them all (or repost them every single time), but they're all here.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 04:24:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You are wrong in every detail you mention (5.00 / 1)

Bell has not only endorsed equal marriage rights, he has actually co-sponsored equal marriage rights legislation (which won him the hatred of the Christian Coalition so it was a politically coreagous thing to have done).

In contrast, Kinky told people he would vote against the homophobic constitutional amendment but he broke that promise.

Bell has a 100% pro-choice voting record according to NARAL, and he is the ONLY candidate who would work to repeal the Texas law which mandayes that doctors give women medically disproven inaccurate information touting a false link between abortions and cancer.

In contrast, Kinky has said he didn't know whether he would support or oppose Texas' "misinformed consent" law, and he is the ONLY candidate who has said that he would sign Dan Partick's trigger bill into law and this would ban all abortions in Texas - with no exceptions - if Roe v. Wade were ever to be overturned by the Supreme Court.

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by: stopkinky @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 17:19:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Once again... (0.00 / 0)

Once again Phillip Martin removes the truth when the truth hurts.

Again, Ann Richards did not endorse Chris Bell.  Nor would she have.

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by: Baby Snooks @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 05:07:54 AM UTC

you dont know that.. (0.00 / 0)

now you can read minds from afar... get off it.  if anyone Richards would have endorsed Bell.  thats the facts.

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by: hamiltonfan @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 13:01:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Once again, you LIE (2.00 / 1)

I didn't remove any truth. Someone else zapped and zeroed your comment -- not me. If you wouldn't mind:

a) learning how rating commments works, since you post more comments than me and KT combined; and,

b) stop accusing me for everything wrong in your world

That would be spectacular. Thanks!

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 13:24:02 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I DEMAND AN APOLOGY! (0.00 / 0)

From the following artist for offending one group or another over the course of their careers. (please exhume the bodies as needed.)

Aesop
Oscar Wilde
Will Rogers
Joseph Heller
Robert Mapplethorpe
Mel Brooks
Frieda Kahlo
Stanly Kubrick
Kanye West
Shel Silverstein
The Batsheva Dance Company
Pablo Picasso
The Dacula High School Theater Dept.
The Beastie Boys
Natalie Maines
John Lennon
Yoko Ono
David Sedaris
Mel Gibson
Sir Mix-A-Lot
John Belushi
Mark Twain
Frank Zappa
Georgia Okeefe
Ralph Bakshi
Evelyn Waugh
Kurt Vonnegut
The Coen Brothers
The Wayans brothers
The Marx Brothers
The entire staffs of,
The "National Lampoon"
The "Onion"
The "Satarist"
The "Daily Show"
The "Colbert Report"
"Saturday Night Live"
"Laugh In"
Etc.......etc ...ad naseum.

I have to give Wilhelm Richard Wagner a pass since he was only being "PC" for his era and that seems to be what's most important to some here.

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by: spiny norman @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 14:50:07 PM UTC

Quick question: (0.00 / 0)

How many of those folks are running for Governor of Texas? And how many of those folks said that the Katrina evacuees still in Houston are "crackheads and thugs" that are still "mostly black." And how many of those folks went on a television interview and -- not in the context of a book as a character, but on a live television interview -- said that a good punishment for sexual predators would be to force them to "listen to a Negro talk to himself."

You all can slam me all you want -- no one is explaining any of that to me. At least not without lying, anyway.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 15:16:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Who's lying? (0.00 / 0)

That's pretty harsh. 

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by: walt @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 15:20:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The folks that continue to claim... (3.00 / 1)

That Kinky's remarks on CNBC were taken out of context. Kinky wasn't repeating lines from the book -- he was speaking of his own free will. The second time he said "make them listen to a Negro talking to himself" was entirely unprompted (and, in my opinion, uncalled for).

Also, many people continue to deny that Friedman ever said that the "crackheads and thugs" remark was targeted at African-Americans. Well, here's what he actually said -- in the paper:

On September 9, 2006, the San Antonio Express-News quoted Kinky saying "Racism was here before I came around... I am just trying to bring up these issues within the (expletive) society.... "As it happens, the crackheads and thugs who remain in Houston after Katrina happen to be black; that's fact."

And yet on September 13, 2006, the Dallas Morning News published an interview where Kinky said "I am not a racist, I am a realist. ... I never said what color their skin was. .... I'm smarter than that."

That's what I'm talking about. Again, not harsh -- just in his own words.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 15:28:59 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Point taken (0.00 / 0)

To be honest, when he made those statements in Houston it made me wonder "what are you thinking?".  He could have chosen his words a bit more delicately, but again he's Kinky Friedman.

It should be noted that 99.9999 % of evacuees to Houston from New Orleans were and are, black (not scientific).  Kinky was in Houston to offer $100 million to the city to deal with the increase in crime, partly due to the recent and suddent rise in population.  Everyone in Houston, regardless of color, should welcome funding for more police and patrols.  Don't look past WHY he was having a press conference.

I guess the word "negro" is something we disagree on and we should leave it at that.  Don't look past his statements on what to do with sexual predators. 

The sound clip from Houston from 26 years ago (!) is totally out of context and if it was your intention to post selectively edited content to boost this blog's readership, kudos. 

I bet it backfires and Kinky gets more votes and $ because of it

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by: walt @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 15:50:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

If your response is "the word 'negro' is something we disagree on' (0.00 / 0)

you have missed the point.

If Kinky had said "let's punish criminals by locking them up in prison and making them listen to African-Americans speaking to themseves," that would be racially offensive.

Why is it punishment to be forced to listen to a black person in prison any more than it's punishment to listen to a white person in prison?  The distinction is racial, and offensive to many.

Deliberately choosing the anachronistic word "Negro" in that context magnifies the offensive nature of the comment.

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by: stopkinky @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 16:34:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

this is rapidly growing tiresome (0.00 / 0)

While your point that Oscar Wilde is not currently running for Governor is well-taken, very little of the rest of your comment is anchored in fact. Kinky Friedman didn't say Katrina evacuees  were "crackheads and thugs" who were "mostly black." He said there was violent crime being caused by crackheads and thugs (no mention of race). This is possibly the least controversial assertion anyone remotely familiar with the crime statistics coming out of Houston could make. Then, in a separate interview, he acknowledged that Katrina evacuees in Houston are primarily black. That's, you know, a demographic fact. Trying to cobble those two statements together into some sort of racist diatribe isn't going to get Chris Bell elected.

I've got to think there's something more substantive than this out-of-context

I'm not even going to try to delve into what logic prompts you to think a comment being part of a "live television interview" means he wasn't referring to his book. Especially when the doctored video BOR itself put online clearly shows that he was referring to a passage from his book.

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by: jeremytodd @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 15:51:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

And again... (0.00 / 0)

I'm not going to apologize for accurately stating his words. Read the blockquote I put up top:

On September 9, 2006, the San Antonio Express-News quoted Kinky saying "Racism was here before I came around... I am just trying to bring up these issues within the (expletive) society.... "As it happens, the crackheads and thugs who remain in Houston after Katrina happen to be black; that's fact."

And yet on September 13, 2006, the Dallas Morning News published an interview where Kinky said "I am not a racist, I am a realist. ... I never said what color their skin was. .... I'm smarter than that."

Kinky did mention race -- right there. So stop denying that. And in the CNBC interview, Donny asked him about a policy initiative -- it was not unprompted. I admit that the video was not put up properly, and over the weekend I intend to put up the full interview -- but Friedman was speaking as a candidate for Governor when he said that.

I'm tired of arguing about the facts on this...

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 15:57:04 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

It is not an accident that people are getting the facts wrong - Kinky lied (5.00 / 1)

In Houston, Kinky initially commented about the "thugs and crackheads" remaining in town a year after Hurricane Katrina.

Later that week, Kinky revisited the issue in San Antonio and said "the crackheads and thugs who remain in Houston after Katrina happen to be black; that's a fact."

Kinky outright lied when he later said "I never said what color their skin was" (I guess Kinky assumes that folks don't read the San Antonio Express-News).  Moreover, KINKY KNOWS HIS COMMENTS WERE INAPPROPRIATE - notwithstanding the efforts that his supporters to say there is nothing to appoligize for - because Kinky expressly said "I'm smarter than that" when denying that he said the crackheads and thugs were black.

If anyone is not offended by the comment, they should at least be offended by Kinky's lies trying to white-wash his racially offensive comments.

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by: stopkinky @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 16:47:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Racism and that list of people above (3.00 / 1)

OK, I'll be fair to Kinky, assuming he'll stop calling good people "slimy cockroaches" for quoting his own words verbatim. And I'll concede that none of us can tell what's in Kinky's heart or mind when it comes to race.

But the problem is, that's not the measure of racism. It's not about what Kinky was trying to say or the "context" at all. As my wife, who is Hispanic, has often explained to others - the measure of racism is how it affects the person on the receiving end. In this case, the message they hear and perceive from Kinky's so-called "satire" is what really matters, whatever he thinks he may have been trying to say.

Poor Kinky, for him maybe it was all just about making a buck while he was "drunk or stoned" (taken from some of his own most recent words), and everyone else be damned. But that ain't what you do if you are asking for a position of public trust and responsibility. And trying to shift the blame those who dare discuss his past as a possible indicator of his character makes Kinky look  like more "politics as usual," not the anti-politician.

Which brings me to that long list of talented, famous people someone posted above. None of whom were candidates for public office. And the sad fact is that if Kinky were anywhere nearly as talented or funny as those individuals, he wouldn't need to use a Governor's campaign to make a buck and promote his career. Mark Twain, Frieda Kahlo, and Richard Pryor he's not...couldn't carry their bags. And he sure as hell ain't no Chris Rock, either.

Now, how about our schools, utility bills, health care, and the border? That's real life, not "satire."

 

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by: getreal @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 16:04:02 PM UTC

Maybe there is nothing wrong with satire or "nigger jokes" (0.00 / 0)

if you are a satirist or a comedian or a novelist or a songwriter or any kind of entertainer.

Many comedians rub people the wrong way - some people can't stand Dave Chappell because they think he's racist and other people can't stand Larry the Cable Guy. And in the marketplace of entertainment, I can choose not to listen to Larry the Cable Guy and someone else can choose not to listen to Dave Chappell.  That's how entertainment works:  Ann Coulter has her audience and Michael Moore has his.

Now, if Michael Moore or Ann Coulter ran for public office, then the qualifying and disqualifying factors are different than if they are merely offering entertainment. If I am offended by Ann Coulter's book, I can just not buy it, but if she is my governor, I'm stuck with that bitch. I'm sure that that some folks would be equally displeased with Michael Moore as their governor.

The problem with Michael Moore or Ann Coulter or Larry the Cable Guy running for office is that their entertainment is polarizing, and deliberately so.  If Michael Moore or Ann Coulter or Larry the Cable Guy were elected, then some large segment of the population would find the views of their elected governor odious, which is a crappy model for a public official who has taken the task of representing all people.

Maybe Kinky and his supporters think it is hilarious to be telling a nearly all white audience "nigger jokes."  Maybe Kinky and his supporters even think he is somehow fighting against racism by telling "nigger jokes" to a lily white audience.  The fact remains that lots of people in Texas (many who are black and many who are not black) just do not agree with that view and do not think those jokes were funny.

Unfortunately, Kinky isn't running for governor of a lily white audience at Rockerfellers; he running for governor of everyone in Texas. Kinky's racial jokes have made him rich, and they have made him fans within the lily white demographic of Kinky's audience, but they aren't going to play well to an audience as diverse as the whole of Texas. 

I don't want a governor who thinks "nigger jokes" are funny, and I am not alone. I'd be dissatisfied if it was Perry who had told such jokes, or Strayhorn, or Bell. It surely doesn't help Kinky that this “nigger jokes” is part of a very large pattern of saying "funny" things with a racial twist.  More importantly, it surely doesn't help Kinky that this pattern of racially divisive comments leaks from a candidate who also supports policies which consistently give minorities the worse end of the deal. 

I’d be a hell of a lot more willing to overlook this if it was an isolated incident and if Kinky did not oppose changing the rules which help kids from underfunded schools (including many minorities) get into Texas’s best colleges and if Kinky hadn’t cuddled up with the xenophobic “Minutemen” border vigilantes.  Too bad Kinky was already on the wrong side of these issues before his “nigger joke” became public because it really undercuts his efforts to portray this incident as anything other than a racial slur packaged as a not-very-funny joke told to a lily white audience.

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by: stopkinky @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 16:48:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Quick Answer (0.00 / 0)

(Well as quick as I can get away with here at work.)

You ask me how many of those mentioned are running for Governor?

Answer: None, not a one. Aside from most of them being stuck in the unfortunate state of "deadness", I don't think any except maybe Natalie Maines is a resident of our fair state. 

Now some questions for you......

Should having been a satarist at any time in your life preclude you from running for office?
Should having offended any one group at any point in your life preclude you from running for office?

IMO, a huge number of those on that list would have made fine leaders for this country. Anything but a career politician whos only interest is in keeping himself in office.

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by: spiny norman @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 16:12:01 PM UTC

Kinky's running (5.00 / 1)

That's why his words are fair game.

Do you really think Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor would be considered gubernatorial material?

Both were far better satirists that Kinky on his best freakin' day.

Before you win, you have to fight. Come fight along with us at TexasKaos.

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by: boadicea @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 16:57:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Do I think Lenny Bruce - Richard Pryor are Governor timber? (0.00 / 0)

Don't know but I'm more then willing to hear their views.

Yes, IMO, they were better satirist. (Others may not agree.)Would they make a good leader? Hard to say as neither of then ran for any office that I'm aware of.
One thing is certain, I won't preclude him from running simply because some folks don't understand his humor.

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by: spiny norman @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 18:46:41 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Who's precluding him from running? (0.00 / 0)

I'm treating him like a politician-which is what he is.

The pass I'll give him as a clown does not apply in this instance.

Before you win, you have to fight. Come fight along with us at TexasKaos.

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by: boadicea @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 18:51:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I wouldn't preclude Pryor or Bruce from running for governor (0.00 / 0)

but I also wouldn't act all surprised if they lost some votes due to the comments they made as comedians.

Bruce said "I hate small towns because once you've seen the cannon in the park there's nothing else to do."  I understand that this a joke, but I'm not a total idiot who would act baffled if this kind of joke annoyed some small town folks who maybe wouldn't vote for Bruce if he ran for office.

How can you genuinely be surprised that Kinky's jokes don't strike some people as funny and, as a result, some people aren't going to vote for him?

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by: stopkinky @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 19:29:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't have a problem with that... (0.00 / 0)

However, I object to to his opponants taking a joke that was clearly "Satire" made to make fun of racist and then using that joke to claim that he actually IS a racist.
Hey if you don't like his platform, attack that but when you attack him. and do so on a bunch of trumped up BS, don't be surprised when someone calls you on it.

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by: spiny norman @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 20:01:44 PM UTC

What platform? (0.00 / 0)

Like a clown he changes his act for whoever his audience might be.

Before you win, you have to fight. Come fight along with us at TexasKaos.

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by: boadicea @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 20:05:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

OK, wait... (0.00 / 0)

How are his comments involving Lincoln or Carter satire? Also, how are his remarks made on CNBC satire (remember, they weren't said in a book -- even Stromberg has admitted that). And finally, his remarks about Katrina evacuees? How was that satire?

At least think about it, even a little...

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 23:58:46 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Kinky's platform. (0.00 / 0)

Nope, it aint a slick power point presentation, but at the very least it is not a collection of empty promises designed to dupe as many voters as possible then one in office handing the keys to the state over to the special interest groups.

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by: spiny norman @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 20:14:05 PM UTC

Kinky's an empty pair of cowboy boots (0.00 / 0)

His platform doesn't matter-which you can tell by the way it changes based on who he's talking to.

He's gonna be bored with anything like the work of governing, and simply be using the  Governor's mansion as a staging platform for his publicity stunts.

Before you win, you have to fight. Come fight along with us at TexasKaos.

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by: boadicea @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 20:22:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Kinky's platform changes from audience to audience (5.00 / 1)

Kinky’s campaign has a history of telling different audiences whatever they want to hear.  That’s called pandering, and it is generally not widely respected in adult discussions of politics.

Kinky wants us to believe he can run his campaign without addressing many substantive issues.  How do I know this?  Because Kinky said so:

"I'm not serious about some issues," Friedman said.  … getting beyond the quips to learn details of what Friedman would do as governor on critical matters could be a challenge.

"I favor remember the Alamo," Friedman said when asked about his stance on immigration.

Friedman said he had no "specific plans" when it came to the issue in Texas.

"I can give you, 'Oh, I'd do A,B, C and D;' that's nonsense," he said..…

"No, we'll take it under review," Friedman said when asked if he had a plan or feeling on how the state might help out local taxpayers who are bearing costs such as the $22 million Dallas residents spend a year at Parkland Memorial Hospital on illegal immigration health care.

Texas homeowners pay the highest insurance rates in the nation. Yet, as the interview went on, Friedman was low on details to cut them.

"I'd get the career politicians," he said when asked what he would do to lower homeowner insurance premiums. "I'd kick their (expletive) out of politics. That's what I'd do."

But while kicking politicians out, Friedman said he would like to put back in the Ten Commandments and mandatory prayer for students in Texas public schools despite court rulings to the contrary.…

"All the little issues you're talking about are all (expletive)," he said. "It's all (expletives). That's the key. Okay, I mean, you can talk about, 'And I would deregulate this; and my plans is to give a seven percent raise on the textbook.' It's all (expletive) because the people who are doing this are crooks and they're corrupt and they don't give a (expletive) about the people of Texas."

This disdain for telling people what he would actually do as governor lies at the heart of Kinky’s campaign. 

Kinky’s belief that he didn’t have to address substantive issues is why he spent the first year of his campaign answering every question about abortion with the line "I'm not pro-life, and I'm not pro-choice. I'm pro-football!"

Yet when Kinky is later cornered into telling Texas voters what he would do about abortion, he has no clue:

"Are Texas laws too restrictive for adult women? Would you favor adding new restrictions or repealing current ones? 
Friedman: I have mixed feelings on parental notification. On the counseling requirement, I'm not sure, but I know the less I talk to social workers, the better. No issue with the public-funding restrictions, but I would want to investigate further."

Kinky’s lack of any fundamental understanding of issues which are important to many Texas voters is a problem (not you or Kinky, but those of us who have been voting in Texas for at least a decade).  This is why Kinky pledged on Dan Patrick's right-wing talk radio program that he would not veto Patrick's "trigger bill" to make abortion illegal in Texas immediately upon any reversal of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court.  He said that because he doesn’t know any better.

The reason why Kinky’s campaign told you a different story than Kinky told Dan Patrick’s huge radio audience is because Kinky’s internet campaign is reaching out to moderate voters while Kinky courts the far right wing.  Kinky and his campaign put out conflicting messages all the time.  Kinky tells right-wing audiences he’s an anti-abortion, anti-immigration, Bush-voting, pro-war, pro-death penalty, pray-in-school conservative and Kinky and his internet campaign tells a moderate or progressive audience that Kinky is a pro-choice, pro-immigration-amnesty, anti-death penalty, Gore-voting, Ann Richards-voting moderate.

One of these views is a lie.

Kinky’s pattern of telling different audiences the opposite story about various issues is a result of this fundamentally anti-substance vacuous campaign.

This is why Kinky tells regular folks "I am not anti-death penalty."

But Kinky tells advocates against the death penalty "Let's do away with the death penalty."

This is why Kinky’s campaign will issue a press release saying " Kinky Friedman today said he ... supports a portion of the House bill, which calls for the construction of 700 miles of security fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and which would make illegal immigration a felony."

But when someone questions Kinky about it, Kinky says "he never called immigrants felons, calling a reporter ‘full of (expletive)’ before apologizing... a spokeswoman said the initial statement was posted erroneously."

This is why Kinky’s campaign will file an ethics complaint asking "Travis County prosecutors to investigate Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn for possibly misusing state employees to help her campaign."

But a week later you hear Kinky blame his staff with the announcement that "Kinky Friedman on Saturday disavowed the criminal complaint that his campaign for governor filed against independent rival Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, but Friedman declined to withdraw the complaint or apologize to Strayhorn."

Most problematically, this is why Kinky you see Kinky give interviews like this

"Who did you vote for in 2000? 
Friedman: I voted for Gore then."

When the truth is, "According to Kerr County voting records, Friedman voted in the 2004 presidential general election but not in any other contest since 1994."

Kinky's platform is a moving target, and he gives different versions to different audiences.

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by: stopkinky @ Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 20:31:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]