"The clossest thing to compare this to is Howard Dean" Come on, Howard Dean was a loser. Kinky has a much better shot.
Posted by curt at August 4, 2005 11:41 PMWell, before that comparison can be made, Kinky has to lose and then take over the State Democratic Party. Then he could sell Craddick Bobblehead dolls for a fundraiser.
Posted by Karl-T at August 4, 2005 11:46 PMI helped set up the advance work for that event. Over the couple of hours we where there, about 2000 came in and out of the event. I would say that at the high point there were right over 1200 people gathered. It really was an interesting sight. People love this guy. I would like to note however that outside of Austin, San Antonio is our second biggest hot bed of supporters so that did help to pump up the event. Nevertheless, people did stand in line over an hour to meet Kinky.
Posted by Grube at August 5, 2005 01:38 AMKinky's hired a former campaign pro with some experience on the Ventura campaign - that'd explain the action figure concept.
Thing is, if it were me, I'd focus on getting my name on the ballot first. But then again, we all know the real goal of "Kanky" isn't to get elected, it's to get a bigger royalty check. "_____ From El Paso" ain't selling like it used to, ya know.
Posted by Greg Wythe at August 5, 2005 06:24 AMAt what point do Democrats wake up and realize that Kinky Friedman takes votes away from the Democratic nominee for Governor and not Rick Perry?
For those who dream of this being a Minnesota upset, here's a reality check: It's not going to happen.
The straight ticket factor in Texas really muddles any chance for a third party effort.
Kinky could actually cause a problem for down ballot Democrats who benefit from straight ticket votes.
If people deliberately don't vote straight ticket becuase they want to vote for Kinky, they risk not marking every race.
Such a scenario could easily cost a Herbert Vo type Democrat their election.
I don't think there's much doubt that Friedman will make the ballot. But just ask Republicans how the Perot candidacy cost them down ballot races in 1992 and 1996.
Texas Democrats have enough problems. Glorifying a third party candidate is just adding to the misery.
Posted by terri at August 5, 2005 10:40 AMJust to address a couple of these posts:
"If it were me, I'd focus on getting my name on the ballot first." What do you think the Kinky campaign is doing?? Obviously, that is their entire goal - or else they wouldn't be in this thing. With the field team they have, they are all but guaranteed to get on the ballot. Just go down to their headquarters - the place is crawling with volunteers - seasoned vets and kids new to politics alike. Signature collecting doesn't start until March and right now they're having people sign pledges to Save themselves for Kinky. 45,000 isn't that many names - hell the anti-smoking folks in Austin did it in this town alone. I heard they already have 40,000 in those pledges, so you do the math.
"At what point do Democrats wake up and realize that Kinky Friedman takes votes away from the Democratic nominee for Governor and not Rick Perry?"
Oh really? Then why is the chair of the Texas Democratic Party suggesting that Kinky should run on their ticket? The Democrats desperately need to be saved and your John Sharps and Tony Sanchez' ain't gonna make it happen. Chris Bell's a good guy and I admire the hell out of him but he's not gonna make you laugh like Kinky will. Laughter might be the best medicine for a party that's been cryin since '94.
I drove from Maine to work for Kinky. I would not have driven 2200 miles to increase his "royalties", or for a joke, or to merely get Rick Perry re-elected. Kinky is serious about this campaign, and so am I, and so are all the interns and staff here.
We have volunteers from all political backgrounds here, and I hear from new supporters every day who are liberal, conservative, and independent. And yet, we're all for Kinky.
The event in San Antonio proves we have a shot at the Governor's mansion. And we're just going to keep getting stronger.
Posted by David Butler at August 5, 2005 12:11 PMReading this blog makes my toes tickle with joy and makes a sinister urge slosh around in my wee little stomach. I love the naysaying that floats around like a black haze about this campaign. Constant Chris Bell this, Chris Bell that, democrats crying that the Independent Party is going to take votes away from the democrats. . . Of course we will, and we're ripping them straight off of every other partisan group. Our office is full of democrats, libertarians, socialists, and *suprise* harcore, bush loving, concervative as the day is long and the sun is hot republicans. 30% of registered votes took to the polls and we aim to pull the other 70% out. . . Those who would have neither voted for Bell or Perry.
This campaign has what no other campaign has: a spirit. We recieve monatary donations, but even more, we recieve human life. I am an 18 year old, fresh out of high school student who decided to hold college off so that I can dedicate my entire waking life to this campaign. How many 18 year olds do you know that work an 80 hours week for a candidate? None, I bet.
Posted by Moa Ursula at August 5, 2005 12:12 PMI love how the Kinky people have found our blog. All I know is that I won't be saving myself for Kinky to get another book deal. I'll be voting in the Democratic primary.
Posted by Byron L at August 5, 2005 12:44 PMByron,
Don't say that they have found your blog. I am a kinky supporter and I have been reading BOR for along time now. I think it is safe to say that a blog has made it to a bigger time when people who dont always support the writers political beliefs at all times read it. Granted Drudge Report is not as much of a blog, but defintally kept up by a republican, yes many democrats read it. You should be happy at the fact that others have "found your blog." It adds to the debate and that just helps the essence of good politics. Two of the people that poster eariler work for Kinky Friedman just as I do. I got them turned on to BOR and I know they both read it daily lately. But enough of that.
I just want to address one more thing to everyone. There are alot of attacks on Kinky over this campaign being a huge "royality" gig. I know Kinky Friedman - I have spent time with him, I know what type of person he is, I know how he acts, and how he thinks, This man is not looking for money to stuff in his pockets - trust me. The man runs an animal resuce shelter on his ranch that he pays for out of his own pocket and by selling his personal brand of salsa (which I might add is damn good salsa). He also spent several years in the Peace Corps. His ranch is very modest, so is the house he keeps in Austin. He drives an isuzu - several years old - not an expensive custom car. This is not the type of life of an individual who looks to monetary gain. If anyone wants to bad mouth him, come up with something better than he wants royalities.
Posted by Grube at August 5, 2005 01:18 PMAfter working on Kinky’s campaign for only three months, I can honestly say I'm not the least bit surprised by the stellar turnout in San Antonio last week. Kinky's fan base is huge and continues to grow everyday. While working the event in San Antonio, I spoke to hundreds of people who are fed up with politics as usual and are looking for a refreshing change in Texas. Kinky provides the breath of fresh air Texans are looking for and his devotion to restoring Texas to the great state it once was resonates with his fans. Watching people stand in line for up to two hours at the Flying Saucer reaffirmed my own belief in Kinky and the Independent Movement and will hopefully continue to inspire fellow Texans who refuse to give up hope that real political change is possible.
Posted by Meagan at August 5, 2005 01:23 PMGrube, I know that your a longtime reader, and I'm always pleased to see lively debate here. I'm a Democrat. I'm going to support the Democratic nominee. That's the way that we take back this state. Kinky's a good guy, but if he were truly interested in being part of the solution in this state he'd join the Democratic party and run for our nomination. But he's not interested in that... so I'm not interested in helping him sell more books...
Posted by Byron L at August 5, 2005 02:44 PMI'm a Democrat too Byron. But I'm a Texan first. And though I've held my nose to vote for Marty Akins, I'm not one to blindly accept whatever our party throws at us. I like Chris Bell but he hasn't won a primary yet. I like Kinky, but he isn't on the ballot yet. I like Strayhorn and Casteel and I may still vote in the Republican Primary. I don't know where I'll be next March but I'm not going to let blind Party loyalty determine that for me. I live in a Republican state, not a Communist one.
And though Kinky may cost more votes from us in the Governor's race, I'm not convinced that the increased turnout of generally more liberal, pissed off with the Lege, independent type of voters won't help our State House prospects. It may make it more unpredictable but I'd be willing to bet they'll vote D more than R.
Posted by Karl-T at August 5, 2005 03:02 PMAmen Karl-T, Amen.
Posted by Grube at August 5, 2005 03:07 PMthis is a great blog, and i'm glad that BOR fosters honest intellectual debates. our democracy benefits from healthy debate. thank you for the opportunity to add my perspective to this evolving discussion.
if progressives don’t find a way to get their shit together in 2006, then the longest serving governor in texas history will be an aggie. yikes! the title of this blog is “burnt orange”, is it not? therefore, if you love the 40 acres, then rick perry must be stopped!
i think it's really cool that mr. musselman compared the kinky friedman san antonio rally to the famous howard dean plaza saltillo rally. dean and kinky are my political heroes. so i was glad that mr musselman took time out of his day to blog about this big news. here’s my two cents on the spiritual connection between these two reform-minded mavericks. take it for what it's worth. :)
at his best, dean was a raging reformer who wasn’t afraid of the status qou power structure. at his worst, he trusted his greedy big shot consultants more than his hard-working grassroots volunteers.
after his campaign imploded, dean could have given up and walked away. but he didn’t give up. he refused to back down from the beltway status quo power structure.
instead, he challenged his grassroots army to stage a mutiny and rescue our grassroots populist movement by taking over the same democratic party that spent millions to destroy dean in the iowa caucuses. refusing to retreat into a petulant snit after the election, dean picked himself up off the ground and seized control over the democratic party. that takes some guts. the best part about dean's bold move was that there wasn't a single thing that the greedy status quo consultants could do about it. dean proved that grassroots power can really f*ck things up. because of dean’s grassroots model, a new generation of inspired grassroots reformers like us now have the opportunity to voice our humble opinions regarding the direction of our populist movement.
today’s statesman article confirmed the rumors that have been floating around texas lately. this story certainly provides interesting food for thought for texas democrats. http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/auto/epaper/editions/friday/metro_state_243f019395f1706410f0.html
will kinky rescue the texas democratic party and thus follow a dean-esque journey? only kinky knows the answer to that question.
one thing’s for sure: kinky doesn’t let other people tell him what to do.
kinky is his own man. he goes out to his hill country ranch, talks to his dogs and his god, and makes his own decision by deciding which public policy proposals are best for texas. kinky doesn’t care if you’re a college kid who is new to politics, a yellow dog, a blue dog, an elephant, a donkey, etc. kinky doesn’t care if you’re black, white, brown, yellow, tall, short, fat, skinny, young, old, etc.
kinky only cares if you love texas.
kinky only cares about the merit of your ideas, not the merit of your background or socio-economic status. his campaign has evolved into an organic freemarketplace of ideas where everybody is allowed to have access to the candidate. kinky's revolutionary theory is that ideas can beat money in politics. it sounds simple, but as we all know, it ain't easy to implement.
kinky will give you a fair shake, and kinky honestly wants to give every regular texan a seat at the table. kinky wants to kick the big business special interests out of the capitol. after suffering through governor good hair, you just can’t ask for much more than that in 2006.
when the democratic status quo doesn’t listen to its grassroots leaders, it’s not surprising when these same reform-minded democrats defect to kinky simply because kinky’s willing to listen to any good idea that works. kinky is practical, not ideological.
drastic times call for drastic measures. the fact that everybody in texas is talking about kinky demonstrates how screwed up the current status qou really is. admittingly, kinky couldn’t get elected if our career politicians had actually solved our problems, but since they can’t even take care of our schools, kinky actually has a chance because the entire system is screwed up beyond all belief. fubar, big-time.
kinky’s loyal friends know that kinky has a good heart, and that if he's smart enough to graduate with a plan 2 degree from our beloved burnt orange university, then he's smarter than governor good hair. it's impossible for kinky to screw things up worse than the three stooges of texas -- RP, DD and TC -- already have.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/tx/legislature/stories/08/5finance.html
who knows...maybe kinky is our heroic texas lone ranger who will come sweep all the crooks out of the capitol? maybe then the kinkster will ride off into the texas sunset as the greatest texas legend that ever lived? maybe 2006 is that funky weird election cycle that only happens once in a generation in which desperate democrats should bet it all on black by taking a gamble on the jewish cowboy sporting a black cowboy hat?
at his best, kinky is a raging reformer, just like dean. at his worst, kinky is a harmless yet humorous texas outlaw who loves cuban cigars. it’s a no-lose proposition for desperate democrats. the cool thing about kinky is that he's already admitted everything dirty about his past personal skeletons. in fact, he even made money off writing about his wild life journey, and thus any career politician who attacks kinky looks silly. career politicians are stuck in a pickle: they don't want to acknowledge or legitimize kinky by talking about him as a serious candidate, but ironically this stubborn political tone deafness will be the downfall of the status quo system in texas.
the fact is that people love kinky friedman.
kinky is willing to shoot straight with people and admit that he's made mistakes, just like everybody else. kinky knows he's a sinner, and that's why he won't throw the first stone at the rest of us. kinky’s a problem solver and doesn’t want to attack or regulate people’s personal lives. kinky wants to make love, not war. kinky doesn’t want to judge people for what they do in their own home… kinky would prefer to let god do the moral judging, not mankind. kinky thinks political correctness sucks. kinky is the only gubernatorial candidate who has the guts to stand up for gay marriage. everybody knows that gays are a political loser in texas, but kinky doesn’t give a shit. he’s willing to stand up for what’s right no matter the political consequences. where you at chris bell?
kinky doesn't judge people for their worst qualities...instead, he judges people by their best qualities. kinky treats his beloved dogs like family. in fact, kinky likes dogs more than people. kinky traveled across the planet to make a difference with the peace corps when he was a young and idealistic ut graduate. kinky comes from a solid, loving family and thus kinky actually believes in family values. kinky's sister is true humanitarian who is helping the tsunmi victims. kinky's brother runs the family summer youth camp in kerville. kinky is the only person on planet earth who is diplomatic enough to be best friends with both bill clinton and george bush. kinky doesn't care about your politics...he only cares if you're a good person. he's spent his whole life mocking the status quo, and now he's applying his absurdist strategy to politics. it’s brilliant. again, drastic times call for drastic measures.
a while ago, i heard from friends that the plaza saltillo rally was the coolest thing since ann richards in 1990. therefore, i was glad to see mr. musselman compare kinky to dean by focusing on the size and "spirit" of dean's rally and kinky's rally. i attended dean's famous sleepless summer event in san antonio, and it inspired me. it had spirit. in politics, if you don’t have spirit, you don’t have a prayer.
http://pictures.annatopia.com/album10?page=4
as a maverick, dean inspired a grassroots army that was not afraid to take on the status quo, and kinky is equally fearless. whether the democrats like it or not, kinky has already built a loyal grassroots army across this gi-normous lone star state. thus, the reform-minded dean democrats can either get on board or get out of the way.
now that the chair of our democratic party is publicly begging kinky to run as a democrat, maybe other democrats should start admitting it’s time to follow the advice of legendary ut government professor Bruce Buchanan, who asked, "why not run kinky up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes?"
on august 1st 2005, 2,000 inspired texans saluted kinky friedman in the alamo city – a full year and half before the 2006 election. that’s simply mind-blowing.
the question everyone in texas is asking is: what will kinky do with all this grassroots firepower? if kinky can bring a million new voters to the texas polls, then which major party do you think will benefit down ballot?
i’m going to buy me an autographed talking action figure because someday by grandkids might think it’s the coolest (and most valuable) collector’s item in texas. who knows?
http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/actionfigure/
finally, if you're still convinced that the current status quo is serving texas well, then ask yourself why more people risked their lives to vote in iraq than they did to vote in the last texas gubernatorial election. that's pathetic.
we're texas. we can do better.
And we can write shorter. Jeesh.
Posted by Whiskeydent at August 5, 2005 03:29 PMI agree with the "we're Texas. We can do better" statement. As a Bush loving conservative I thought at first that the Kinky campaign to run as an Independent was a joke. But since I am so disappointed in Texas politics as usual, I began to read more and more about Kinky and the Independent Movement. He is for real and I have signed the pledge to "Save my Vote for Kinky". I don't think either the Dem's or Rep's will present a candidate that will improve this great State. I have been voting for over 40 years (so I'm not a kid) and we need "a breath of fresh air", so I will work for Kinky to receive the 45,000 signatures and be on the ballot as an Independent. I have a lot of friends both Republican and Democrat that have pledged their vote for Kinky. The 70% that didn't vote in the last Governor's election will be a voice this time.
PS to Byron L......I haven't bought a Kinky authored book and don't think he's in this for the royalties.
Posted by Sharon B at August 5, 2005 03:38 PMDoes anyone out there actually believe that the Democratic and Republican parties give a damn about anything other than the power to award tax dollars to special interests? Honestly? Is anyone THAT stoopid? Who do you think your representatives really listen to? I prefer to "throw away" my vote every year (as some tell me) voting for third party candidates. If there is no third party candidate, I vote none of the above. How else are we supposed to change the system? Leaving power in the hands of the powerful only perpetuates the abuse!
Regardless... I have met Kinky. It was a long time ago at a gig he was playing at the Hole in the Wall. I have kept up with him thru his writing and appparently, he hasn't changed much. Here is a fella that calls em like he sees em. The way I see it, that is exactly the kind of person we need in government.
Posted by Henry K at August 5, 2005 04:45 PMI agree completely with Henry K. Politicians dance with the ones that brung them. The special interest groups. I have usually voted for Republicans, because I hate their special interest groups less than the Democrats special interest groups. So, if Kinky can break the logjam in Texas politics, remind politicians they're there for us, not special interests, I'll vote for him.
Posted by Steven at August 5, 2005 05:07 PMI was very interested when Kinky first announced. I have followed this site as well as the news eager to learn more. Twice I have contacted the campaign, once through the blog and once via email, to learn where Kinky stood on the issues: what would he do about school funding, the pernicious Perry Corridor, out of control property taxes, etc.
To date, nada. Cute quips and a stogie do not a serious candidate make. I hope the Libertarians run a candidate for governor this year, cause as far as I can tell, the Kinkster is all hat and no cattle.
Posted by John Shuey at August 5, 2005 05:28 PMWhoa, it's a Kinkfest on this post!
Posted by Karl-T at August 5, 2005 07:18 PMYeah, Kinky Friedman's statements about Mexican Generals is SO going to endear him to Hispanic voters - what a kook.
Best way to drive Hispanics into the arms of Republicans - have Kinky be the Democratic Party nominee for Governor.
Once Kinky's motor mouth and slack jaw statements get dissected and regurgitated by the media and the Republicans, it will be like watching Lions have a few christians for breakfast.
He's a kook on an ego trip. He'll run out of gas once he gets bord with the whole endeavor.
Then we can have an honest debate and discussion about the future of Texas. In the meantime, let the freak show reign!
Posted by terri at August 5, 2005 07:21 PMYou know something powerful is in the wind when you have prominent Gillespie County conservative Republicans make the statement "We need to throw all the incumbants out of office next election, from the governor, on down."
People in the Hills are upset with ineffective leadership, and politics as usual. I fear the VOTING public is tiring of the antics of Perry, Craddick, Dewhurst, Fraiser and Casteel (to a certain extent) and is ready, no, YEARNING for someone who will put policy above politics, the good of the state, and our children, above what is politically expedient for the majority party.
If you just stand, and listen, the answers are out there. The astute politicians are the ones who take the time to listen.
Posted by tomm in Texas at August 5, 2005 08:51 PMwow. you are all so brainwashed. kinky doesn't have answers, you say. but you think rick perry does?? no. chris bell? of course not. kinky is the first to admit he doesn't have all the answers. but his supporters (many than people realize, but that's just a matter of time) trust that he'll hire people who do have some answers. and he'll hire people who have the right interests at heart. (the RIGHT interests, not the SPECIAL interests.) you can't say that about perry.
go ahead, keep looking for rhetoric. you're so used to it that you don't even know how to recognize something genuine when it's staring you in the face. you are going to overlook an honest, brilliant texan who is as fed up as the rest of us and happens to have the name recognition to do something about it. and you're going to overlook him because he's not feeding you the bull that you've been ingesting for so long, it would make you sick to try swallowing anything else. even if it's better for you. so keep looking for the poli-talk. honesty, openness, decency ... the rest of us are willing to place our bets (and our votes) on someone offering us the god's honest trust.
it's unbelievable that you all point fingers at a true independent and say he has no answers (have you not been listening??) but you somehow believe perry, strayhorn, bell et al are going to solve things. what color is the sky in your world?
you say kinky's not offering up ideas. but bell is? strayhorn is? they're finger-pointing at perry, too. that's what everyone needs to be doing right now.
i have a feeling kinky's going to give us plenty of answers and ideas. but why would he do so now? so that the Ds and Rs have months to attack his ideas? or better, steal them? kinky's too smart for that.
Ya know.. I was kinda concerned about where the Kinkster stood on the "issues"... for about 5 seconds. Then I snapped back to reality. The REAL reality, not the ferilizer that the media spreads over American politics. Reality is not a bunch of "issues" cooked up in the media for us to argue about. Those "issues" are nothing but the smoke and mirrors used to distract us from the truth. "Issues" are used to make us think that there are substantial differences between the Demcrats and Republicans! WHAT A CROCK!
Sure, Kinky is a character, but he also has character. He is willing to stand up and speak his mind. Today's politicans refer to a hand wielded impliment for the relocation of soil. I trust Kinky to call it a spade.
I have been reading a history book from the early 1950's. I couldn't believe how much emphasis was placed on personal character! Every chapter made some mention of the importance of an idividual's integrity and character. It saddened me to realize that character and integrity have become liabilities in our "enlightened society".
The message today is, be notorious and become rich and famous. Cheat and lie like you run Enron and retire to the Bahamas when you are 35. Stand by your husband who banged an intern in the Oval Office, then flat out LIED to the entire country about it so you don't blow your chance for power!!!! PLEASE!!! My wife was ready to kick me outta the house after I got an e-mail from an old girlfriend who wanted to know if I was going to be at the High School reunion!! At least my wife values dignity more than power!!
I apologize for digressing. This is supposed to be about the next Governor of the GREAT STATE of Texas!
Agree or disagree with him, you can count on Kinky to tell it like he sees it. Read what he writes. Listen to his music. He says what he thinks, not what he thinks you want to hear and to hell with you if you get offended. Texans are born with thicker skin than those squirrels in California, New York, and Boston. We can handle someone else's opinions, even when we disagree.
Posted by Henry K at August 7, 2005 12:16 AMComing from some dumb yankee, I can only say I wish we had someone like Kinky running the show up here. Not all of us in the northeast are card carrying members of the aclu. (more like the nra)I personally get offended by the comments comparing Kinky to Dean. Dean was a socialist in his state of Vermont, a state in need of "dewussification" if there ever was one. Dean will be the deathknell for the dems in 08. Kinky would be committing political suicide to run as a democrat. The democratic party is a dying party. Their idea of a "party" would be drinking starbucks in a no smoking bar where it is illegal to eat meat. Give me a break! I hope KInky does it., then he can run for pres. An independent from Texas? Hillary wouldnt have a chance. KInky is an honest, outspoken individual who doesnt pull any punches.Dean is just the proverbial loose cannon. no comparison. Good luck Kinky us stupid Yankee northerners are watching closely. Have you thought of running as governor of Maine?
Posted by mike n at August 7, 2005 08:03 AMKarl-Thomas Musselman, how dare you take credit for my made-up word? You and I both know "gubernatorium" was my post-Cranium-losing stroke of genius. For shame, my friend. For shame.
Posted by Amanda at August 8, 2005 02:57 AMI could have sworn that I was the one who came up with it. Then again, my memory of that night is a bit cloudy. So if so, I'll give you half the royalties that come from it. Of course, it doesn't look like anyone has taken up my free offer yet, so it may be awhile before that first check hits.
Posted by Karl-T at August 8, 2005 04:17 AMI would transfer my New Mexican citizenship to Texas to vote for Kinky. It is only 70 miles away. I almost qualify - both parents were natives, and SE NM really is TX, with all the disadvantages, and none of the advantages (like real highways). And if you think Texas candidates are lacking look west. The only thing I can't figure out is why your legislature came here to hide last year. Albuquerque is a Pit.
Posted by kate at August 9, 2005 09:35 AM