[It's the publicity, stupid.]
Posted on 09/06/2006 10:23:25 PM PDT by Alter Kaker
HOUSTON - Kinky Friedman, the proudly politically incorrect entertainer running for governor, said Wednesday he wouldn't put just 1,500 National Guard troops on the Texas-Mexico border, he'd send 10,000. ADVERTISEMENT
"We've waited 153 years for the feds to help us," Friedman said. "They haven't yet. We have our own army. I want 10,000 Texas National Guard troops on the border and I want them now."
It was one of four broad policy issues Friedman outlined Wednesday along with crime in Houston, state spending and taxes.
On Houston's crime problem, Friedman said Hurricane Katrina evacuees who relocated to the city and break the law or refuse to find jobs should be sent back to Louisiana.
"I'm just kind of stunned other politicians are not talking about this stuff and are not doing anything," Friedman said.
With campaign slogans like "He's Not Kinky, He's My Governor" and "Kinky for Governor — Why the Hell Not?" Friedman is running a rebel campaign as an independent against Republican Gov. Rick Perry. Also in the race are Democrat Chris Bell, Libertarian James Werner and another independent, Carole Strayhorn, the state comptroller who won that office as a Republican.
On the issue of crime, Friedman said he would give $100 million in state money to Houston to address a spike in violence since Hurricane Katrina.
Friedman also said he would cap state spending at current levels, with any increases adjusted for inflation, population increases and unforeseen disasters.
He said he would abolish the state business tax, which taxes gross business income and was a key element of the school finance reform passed by the legislature in a special session earlier this year. The existing state budget surplus of at least $11 billion could make up any shortfall, he said.
As for the border, Texas has about 1,500 National Guard troops there already. President Bush earlier this year said he wanted 6,000 along the entire U.S.-Mexico border to assist with administrative and construction tasks that could free up Border Patrol officers.
Perry campaign spokesman Robert Black dismissed Friedman's proposals. He said it wasn't clear whether the 10,000 troops Friedman wanted even were available for deployment and that using surplus money "would be fine for about a year, then what do you do?"
A Bell spokeswoman, Heather Guntert, said, "I'd be very interested in someone figuring out the implications of freezing all the spending. It's not a serious response to a serious problem."
Strayhorn spokesman Mark Sanders described Friedman as "a lot of fun" but said the comptroller's campaign is focused on Perry. He said, "It's a two-person race."
Kinky gets it and talks it but he knows he cant walk it..and anyone with an iq or 3 knows he cant
Kinky is fun and but i dont think he will lose as big as some think..he might give second place a run
We have Parental Notification in 1999 and Parental Consent in 2005, with notarized consent forms (finally) authorized by the Medical Board this month, to limit the girls who go for abortions without their parents ever knowing.
We have tort reform in Texas, allowing more doctors to practice without the 25% (even, if like me, there've been no lawsuits) (knock on wood) and more increases each year in our malpractice.
We got redistricting even though the Democrats tried to block it by taking their marbles and running away.
We've blocked State funding for unethical embryonic stem cell research, at least up to now.
I'm not 100% happy 100% of the time with anyone, are you?
There's the Governor, the Foghorn, the dingaling, and the Joker, and that other guy. The only vote for me is the Governor.
True.. like the republican party leaving the denial that "a portion" of 30 million legal and illegal aliens WILL vote democrat.. in 2006 ad 2008.. How large a portion?.. Dunno.. it depends on how much republicans(RNC) even CARE.. Which seems to be running at about 2 percent currently.. Any alien(with any sense) will vote republican when hell freezes over..
Kinky's just become another pandering politician.
It's a show to him and he gives the audience what he thinks they'll applaud.
True. He's an amateur politician. He's a career comedian.
[It's the publicity, stupid.]
Everytime Perry & Keaton/Rylander/Strayhorn/etc look into their rearview mirrors, they see Kinky...and he is gaining on them.
They act like he is a joke, but behind closed doors I imagine they are concerned....
And tell me how career politicians are not panderers?
Let me see, they are loyal, trustworthy, honest.............uh, right?
...."Friedman said he would give $100 million in state money to Houston"
...Yes another pandering politician.
Also, his support for gay marriage will not win a lot of conservative votes.
Kinky for President !!!
"Career politicians have ruined this country."
Best sentence I have read all morning.
According to the latest poll as quoted on KSEV, Perry 36%, Bell 23%, Friedman 23%, Strayhorn 9.7%, the rest undecided.
What a strange, strange race.
There are lots of smart politicians. Bill Clinton is, arguably, brilliant. I'm not sure brilliance makes a good politician.
Not a whole lot of accomplishments for 6 years in office. If the Guv is your choice then exercise your right to vote and vote for him.
I've voted for Rick Perry every time he's ever run for Statewide office (Ag Commissioner, Lt. Governor, Governor) but not this time.
Pat Paulsen is NOT Kinky's role model. Jesse Ventura is Kinky's role model as is the last Independent candidate to be elected Governor of Texas, Sam Houston. Ever heard of him?
But comparing Kinky to Sam Houston? This Sam Houston?:
He sought and won public office and was elected to the US Congress in 1823 and again in 1825. In 1827, Houston was elected Governor of Tennessee by a large majority.Comparing Sam Houston to a novelty act is Texas blasphemy IMHO.In Texas, Houston was elected delegate from Nacogdoches to the Convention of 1833 which met at San Felipe. From that time, Houston emerged as a prominent player in the affairs of Texas. In 1835 he was appointed general of the military district east of the Trinity. He became a member of the Consultation of 1835, and of the Convention which met at Washington on the Brazos in 1836 to declare independence from Mexico. It was there that Houston was elected commander-in-chief of the armies of Texas.
Houston immediately took control of the Texas forces after the fall of the Alamo and Goliad, and conducted the retreat of the army to the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, where on April 21, 1836, his force defeated Santa Anna and secured Texas long sought independence.
In the fall of that year, Houston was elected the first President of the Republic of Texas. After serving his term as President, he served in the Congress of the Republic in 1839-40. Then in 1841, Houston was again voted by a large margin to the head of the Texas government.
After statehood in 1845, Houston was elected Senator from Texas to the Congress of the United States. Still later, in 1859, Houston was elected to serve as Governor of the State of Texas.
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