Several polls find favor for Friedman

[Blake]

By Gerard MacCrossan
The Daily Times

Published August 12, 2006
He’d never say it, but running for governor as a Texas independent is a long-shot for a politician. So for an independent musician/writer/entertainer like Kinky Friedman, it’s an even higher hurdle to jump.

But with less than three months until Election Day, newspapers and radio stations are having a field day running polls on the Texas governor’s race. Friedman and Republican State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn petitioned their way onto the ballot as independents. Incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Perry has been the long-time front-runner, while Democratic nominee Chris Bell is the only other challenger expected to bring in many votes on Nov. 7

The race

Medina resident Friedman is the Hill Country’s local candidate, but in staunchly Republican Kerr County, does he even have a chance of winning on his own home turf?

“This has got to be Perry country,” Friedman said Friday. “If he can’t win the Republican Hill Country, he can’t win.”

The financial war chests amassed by Perry and Strayhorn are huge compared to Kinky’s,

But “I think money doesn’t vote, people do,” he said. “Everybody is saying the same things. The voters really want fundamental change, not cosmetic change.”

The winds of change could blow through Texas politics this fall, like they did in Connecticut this past week. Friedman referred to voter turnout that led to incumbent Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the former vice presidential nominee, being defeated by party challenger Ned Lamont in the state primary.

“If we translate those numbers to Texas, the incumbent here is going to fall, too, like Lieberman did,” Friedman said.

Polls conducted by the Austin and San Antonio business journals in March and April give the Governor’s mansion to Friedman, a self-proclaimed “compassionate redneck.”

In Austin, 47 percent of the 1,227 readers polled selected Friedman to Perry’s 20 percent. Strayhorn garnered 25 percent support and Bell 6 percent.

The San Antonio Business Journal gave Kinky 59 percent to Perry’s 20 percent. Strayhorn and Bell scored 12 and 6 percent, respectively.

“We’ve been kicking Perry’s ass all over the moon,” said Friedman. The conservative KRLD radio station in Dallas polled its listeners three weeks. The results were “68 percent for Kinky,” he said.

The runners

A high voter turnout that defeats voter apathy is the only way a challenger can win over the incumbent, said Friedman, who doesn’t shy away from complimenting his opponents as “decent people.”

“The problem is they’ve got 89 years in politics between the three of them,” he said. “That’s not what the founding fathers want America to be. We don’t need a politician as the government.”

In light of the tightening of airport security this week, Friedman voiced a special concern for Perry.

“My mind is alert to terrorism, of course. In Texas, particularly, we need to be alert to the situation,” he said. “Imagine what would happen if Rick Perry has to get on an airplane without his hair gel.”

Strayhorn’s mistake is running as an independent, he said. And Bell faces the same problems as the Texas Democratic party, Friedman said.

“The Democrats will probably do well nationally, but in Texas, Democrats are tired of slaving on the plantation too long without any results,” he said.

The issues

Education funding, taxes and health care are issues on every candidate’s stump.

For Kinky, the answers are simple and come down to not thinking like a politician.

“What has six balls and screws Texans? The lottery,” he said, criticizing the current advertising campaign for the Texas Lottery that talks about the financial benefits Texas public education gets from the lottery.

Friedman calls it lies, saying the lottery profits go into the state’s general fund and politicians’ pockets. He said it should be reformed to directly fund college education for successful studen, similar to how the Georgia Lottery operates.

The business tax reforms enacted this spring are turning traditional Republican business owners away from Perry to supporting Friedman’s campaign, he said.

“These politicians are not using common sense,” Friedman said. “Common sense is not fueling the economies of five other states.”

He said that referring to keeping casino gambling money in Texas by legalizing the practice would create new revenue for Texas.

The voters

The Times’ Brazoria County sister paper The Facts polled readers in April. The respondents gave Friedman 52 percent of their support to Perry’s 22 percent. The Victoria Advocate ran a simple poll pitting Friedman against Perry; The governor received only 15 percent support.

Political pundits say these polls are unscientific, Friedman said.

“But something is going on here,” he said. “To deny that is to be in denial.

“The politicians all feel the three of us (Friedman, Bell and Strayhorn) are going to divide the vote,” he said. “But I don’t know if they believe that any more.”

The national Rasmussen Reports July 24 poll gave Perry a lead among voters with 40 percent of the vote. Strayhorn received 20 percent and Friedman 19 percent. While Perry’s percentage has been static since February, Friedman has gained 10 percent and Strayhorn dropped 11 percent. Bell scored 13 percent in both polls.

If Friedman wins, he will be repeat the feat of former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. The former pro wrestler won his term in office thanks to the newly registered voters, 85 percent of whom voted for Ventura, Friedman said.

Those Minnesota voters weren’t experts on the issues, he said.

Their only issue was they didn’t like what they had,” he said.

With three months to go, Friedman said the big challenge is to “fight the great Goliath of (voter) apathy.”

“I feel happy and privileged to be a part of this,” he said. “If we can fight apathy, we can win.”


http://www.dailytimes.com/story.lass...75b5ddc902c1ee

[flaw]

Kinky Friedman was a former writer for the Washington Post, as a BOOK REVIEWER. He's a very educated man, and a "foul-mouthed Texan Jew" with some common sense.

Look, just about all of us here at DDM know Texans are getting fucked. If you are friends with any government employee, you know how low they're getting paid. You graduate from high school, pay to go to college, and then can barely live and pay off your education at the same time. Kinky's got the right idea here folks, employees of the government and the youth are his best bet to win this race. Voter turnout is his worst enemy. We've gotta make sure we all make it to the voting polls this year, so just take a few minutes outta your day and vote. Kinky needs the support, and so do we! We need our rights protected! No more cops beating up innocent people in Deep Ellum, no more teachers getting paid the same as people with only a high school diploma.

When I was in court one day, I was told by my local judge the system works and it works for a reason, otherwise we wouldn't have the system. I disagreed that day, because at that time the system just wasn't working. Today we have a chance to reform the system, and with Kinky taking the leading role, we can get the system to work, FOR ALL OF US! Not just the financially elite, not just the politicians, but for the well being of the common man! DON'T FUCK WITH TEXAS, GET KINKY WITH IT

[flaw]

Just thought I'd add, I'm a lurker, I only post when theres something I feel sincerely about. The rest of the time I just read... You guys take care