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May 14, 2006

Borderline Kinky

Texas may be ripe for a popular electoral revolt

 

 

Texas Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman may have just found his ticket to the big time. Up until last week, he was little more than a self-described parody, an iconoclastic comic relief act among a field of plastic Barbie-girl candidates taking themselves much too seriously.

 

But after Kinky’s interview on Fox News this week with Neil Cavuto, he has suddenly been thrust into new territory as the only candidate actually siding with the vast majority of Texans on the need to guard our borders and go after employers who hire underpaid and unlawfully present foreign nationals.

 

During the chat, Kinky was trenchant about the need to rein-in the border crisis, and to bring an end to the cabal of corrupt businesses, corrupt governments (foreign and domestic), and the invading hordes crippling our infrastructure who’ve found common cause against the Texas voter.

 

But is populism a lost art? Sadly as we know, no one else running for governor this year has embraced a remotely pro-border enforcement plan. The Democrat candidate beetles about in pro forma fashion across the state uttering common nonsense like Democrats usually do, the Ex-Republicanis Carol Keeton Strayhorn wants to let us eat her pro-amnesty, pro-open borders cake; incumbent greasy-head RINO Rick Perry still has his finger in the wind to see how much he needs to hewn his rhetoric so he can return to busine$$ as usual after the election. (A former party chairperson in another state – and now the campaign manager for one of that state’s gubernatorial candidates – once asked me if I thought Perry would make a run for the White House in ’08, to which I managed a measured, but truthful assessment despite my sudden queasiness.)

 

But can a maverick such as Kinky be taken seriously? Does he deserve to be?  A populist he may be, but a good strategist – that remains to be seen. First, he needs to be able to flesh out some of those agendas he wants to put forward once in office with a realistic plan for meeting them. Anyone can have epiphanies in the shower, but after about the age of 5 it takes a lot more than that to facilitate change.

 

I spoke with Friedman’s office in Ft. Worth Friday. The older gentleman with whom I spoke wasn’t sure how Kinky planned to bring about this saner, enforcement of law in Texas Kinky bellowed on about with Cavuto; nor did he even know as much as I just learned during that brief FNC appearance. The volunteer also didn’t think anyone would know for at least two more weeks since their office would be closed for much of that time ostensibly to convert from signature drive mode to candidacy headquarters mode.

 

Even with the slow beginnings of Kinky Friedman’s independent bid for the governor’s mansion in Austin, he seems to realize he has a better chance this year than for quite some time hitherto in spite of his sputtering start. Certainly, as many analysts have already pointed out, this year looks to be one that favors the unaffiliated (i.e. anyone not present at the scene of the crime). And this won’t change unless conservative Republicans can beat back the Rockefeller Republicans, or at least get the message out that they are on the voter’s side but need reinforcements. Since the aforementioned are lacking in this year's Texas governor's race, whether Kinky can turn the most important issue to Texans (the border) into votes much depends on what he does with it.

 

So while Friedman’s rhetoric was with all candor, a breath of fresh air (alas! Someone out there in the governor’s race hears the people), he doesn’t get off that easily. While his colorful demeanor reminds us of the best of what makes Texas unique – and would fit neatly alongside portraits of governors named Hogg who christened his daughters Ima and Ura; or even miniseries material like Sam Houston – substance, as always, needs to carry the day. Not that Kinky Friedman’s opponents have any either, but Texans do hope to find one candidate this year who does have some.

 

 

Posted by Martin at May 14, 2006 11:38 PM

Comments

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