Why Not Kinky

What is this assertion based on, apart from rhetorics? (Thats my polite way of calling out BS).

John Kerry's election platform wanted to undo the Bush tax cuts only for the richest. The middle class would not suffer (unlike Howard Dean, Kerry did not propose to undo all the Bush tax cuts).

In Bush's tax cuts, the more you earned, the more your taxes were reduced. The top 10% benefited the most.

In Kerry's proposals, the more you earned, the more of those tax cuts you'd have to give back. The middle classes would get to mostly keep them.

So if that was the platform of the Democratic presidential candidate, the one who was branded a hopeless liberal, what are your assertions about what lefties want based on?

The middle class are increasingly becoming the poor. The fat cats have already manipulated the system so that it takes the income of two spouses to keep head above water.

PDiddie, I dunno. I will admit that my enthusiasm for Kinky's run started when I thought he had absolutely zero chance. Just searched, first mention is here, 2 years ago:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15754

Now that people like Finn are saying they'd vote for him (wow!) I may need to reassess based on how I think he'd actually govern rather than just the idea of him.

But I think it is a mistake to dismiss him as a celebrity candidate. I can't tell you how many times I've been met with blank looks when I mention his name (usually after attributing to him a quote which also got blank looks...) in the past 10 years or so that I've been a major fan. He's no Ahnold.

More important than pure name recognition, though, is what he's done to achieve what notoriety he has -- writing books. Ahnold and Jesse are musclemen who were put through their paces; Kinky's a scrawny guy with big hair and a big hat who writes all his own material. Nobody's putting him through his paces.

He is, in otherwords, a populist storyteller, which has a long and noble (as well as ignoble) history in politics.

Meanwhile, one of the very valid concerns that you cite is "priority one" for him, first thing listed on his platform. To quote:



I understand what you are saying about coalitions et al, but does anyone else have that to a significantly greater extent? The candidacy so far seems to be marked by remarkably diverse and broad support -- why wouldn't that translate to effective governing?

If I'm convinced that it's just about entertainment, I'd agree, and may yet be convinced but he seems pretty serious about this at the core.

Kinky Friedman: "I decided to run for governor because I've achieved a lot of my dreams or realized a lot of my dreams in my life: Eating monkey brains in Borena with the Peace Corp, and I've played the Grand Ole Opry. So I've done all this stuff and I want to see that other people, particularly younger Texans get to realize some of their dreams."

"If musicians do run the state when I'm governor we won't get a lot of legislation done in the morning probably. All these politicians are owned by special interest or by political parties. I am a free bird, I am an independent, and that is just what Texas needs now."

"When I'm governor we will bring the Ten Commandments back to school, I may have to change their name, the ten suggestions maybe, but we have to get them back in. And I would like to bring non-denominational prayer in the public schools. What's wrong with a kid believing in something? And what's wrong with independent governor that can have an issue like prayer in school that he likes, and like gay marriage that he likes? He doesn't have to tow the party line all the time. So I mean I think gays have every right to be just a miserable as the rest of us. So I support gay marriage."

"Renewable fuel. We gotta stop the Saudis from playing the jukebox and the rest of us dancing to the tune. I mean gas is going to be costing a dollar a drop in a few years. So bio-diesel is something that my friend Willy Nelson has really been promoting and I am with Willy on this. In fact Willy will be my energy czar."

"Well all I really offer is I know how to ride shoot straight and tell the truth. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan when he first ran for governor of California, 'the other guys got the experience, that's why I'm running.' That's exactly why I am running."

You can currently find the segment and download it for free, though we don't know for how long:
http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/

As you can see, Kinky advocates some things I hope he fails at. Anyone's injecting religion into our schools would be counterproductive, to be gentle about it.

One will always be nervous about specific planks in any candidate's program. But the over-all message is good. And I really like a candidate with a sense of humor.

I like the way he mixes and matches, breaking through expectations and shattering preconceptions of what someone on this side, or that side, is supposed to think. Maybe itll help erode this manic, inance camp thinking that governs the US right now.

And there's nothing wrong with a dose of populism. I've been pleading for the Dems to rediscover their Progressive, Populist alter forever now. We (I mean, uh, you) need to get out of the blue-statism vs red-statism rut, or the Left will forever be shackled into the liberal ghetto.

Of all your clueless comments about American politics, that is one of the most egregious.

"When I'm governor we will bring the Ten Commandments back to school, I may have to change their name, the ten suggestions maybe, but we have to get them back in. And I would like to bring non-denominational prayer in the public schools. What's wrong with a kid believing in something?"

<< Waiting for the day (imminent, I'm sure) that the liberals on this board change the name from "Kinky" to "Stinky".

OMG...prayer in schools.....the horror!

Prayer in school is definitely not on my agenda.

I could never understand why the religious nuts think cramming that **** down everyone's throat is going to turn them into good Christians (like them? Haw!)

to quote the Blues Brothers. "they're on a mission from god"

Y'know, every time I see this thread title, I think, "Why not Kicky?"

Because Kicky ain't from Texas. Except for that, he would certainly be a better governor than Perry.

But he's thinking of moving..

Saw him on Bill Maher Friday. He's hilarious. If I were from Texas, I'd vote for him.

He said something about needing 50,000 signatures next March so edgar, I'm sure you'll be seeing a petition outside the grocery store soon enough.

Gaming Season

It must be the season, because candidates' promises are starting to pop up like fall squash. Within the last three days we have seen at least two gubernatorial campaign 'manifestos,' one from a Republican, one from a Democrat. The latter is an extremely rare commodity, as the Demosaurus is on the verge of extinction in this state. Ask the salamanders - they just got bumped down the endangered species list.

The Dem has come up with a 'pact with parents,' which, despite its lofty goal, sounds too much like 'Contract With America' for my tastes. Of course, it's nothing like it, but it is the same lame sloganeering. Slogans make great bumper stickers (we oughtta know), but the promises they make are so expansive and vague, they have no hope of ever reaching fruition. How is this Dem going to keep a giant promise, if he can't get a little elected? And, even if he is, can we really expect Democrats to do any better than they've done over the last dozen years? If this is my only choice, I'm hanging with the salamanders. Better odds.

The Repub's policy statement appears to voice the views of a candidate who wants to be a Democrat...or an Independent...or anything but a Republican. I just read the damned thing - or tried to - and I cannot for the life of me figure out what this person is. There was a large spew about special interest groups, and how this candidate will not allow them to run the government, once elected. Whoops, pardon moi, but doesn't this person have a huge list of special interest contributors as well? This species is also endangered, primarily from foot in mouth disease.

The oddity of the two statements being issued within twenty-four hours of each other is that virtually everything in both platforms is a direct cop from Kinky's own words. The difference is their commitment. Both speak forcefully of major change, big plans and forward thinking. They each say they will solve the education problem, create a new tax system, restore health benefits and fight big business. Let me translate this for you: blah blah blah blah. Without the conviction, it ain't gonna happen. Not in this Jurassic Park.

Ideas stolen are never as good as ideas conceived. One can never be quite sure a person who has pinched an idea believes or understands it as well as the person who thunk it up. I made it through school stealing others' ideas, being too lazy to actually work on anything, so I know what I'm talking about. I regret having done that. I never got to college, nor would I have been prepared for it, if I had. A whole lot of kids aren't making it to college in Texas today. I'm thinking we need more than just the ideas. I'm thinking we need the folks who thunk them up. Somebody has to put the ideas in play.

One species that does seem to be thriving is the Governorsaurus, though this one should have disappeared with the other dinosaurs a million years ago. The reason it thrives is there are no large Demosauruses left to eat it. It is the top-of-the-chain predator. It answers to no one. It does nothing. Doesn't have to. The last policy this ferret-like creature successfully promoted was tort reform, which was proposed by his kin, the Weaselsauruses, all of whom supported him over the little critters of Texas, us.

With the gaming season ahead of us, one in which all the sauruses will grunt and roar at each other, some breathing fire, some merely breathing, it looks from here like the creature that has to go is the Governorsaurus. Compared to this beast, the rest of the pack is so much food. None have more sharp teeth in their smiles than he, each tooth sponsored by (insert favorite special interest here), and there is no bigger game (except Presidentosaurus). Of course, there is beauty in this - he's a big lumbering, over-confident target. Get out the pop guns Martha, we're goin' huntin.'

We'll let all the sauruses do their own herd thinning during gaming season. We'll wait until rutting season, when all the doomed beasts scurry around looking for new mates. We'll be waiting there with a breed of maxi-species they haven't counted on, one that will dwarf the Governorsaurus or any party animal that tries to supplant it. It's called the Peoplesaurus, and it is one hungry beast.

I can hear the roar of the jungle already. The big ideas are thundering through the air. Gaming season - what a blast. Ain't life grand?

Cleve
Fearless Greezy Leader

I just realized when I saw this that what I would kill to see is Kinky Friedman interviewed by Jon Stewart. Oooohhhh...!

Oh definitely. With any luck he'll go there next.

someone pissed in your cheerios this morning, Set?

you'll find a bunch of American commentators agreeing with me on that one ... not to mention someone like Soz, I'm betting. If we be clueless its got nothing to do with me not being from America (as is implied in your post)