Tuesday is the Democratic Primary. I'm voting for Bob Gammage. There are several reasons for this. You can go to his website and see that he is a great progressive Democratic candidate who can actually beat Perry and Strayhorn... But this post is about Kinky and all of the dupes that are skipping the Democratic primary so they can sign Kinky's petition to get him on the ballot. As you may know, to sign a petition for an independant candidate you have to have not voted in the Republican or Democratic primaries and many Democrats are skipping the primary to "save themselves for Kinky" not knowing how conservative he is and not realizing that we have a very close race going on in the gubernatorial primary while Kinky only needs 50,000 signatures statewide. The following is from the burntorangereport. "The Conservative Kinkster by: Ryan Goodland March 05, 2006 at 22:36:53 CST (Please don't waste your primary vote & state convention chances on signing Kinky's petition if you care about helping either Democrat get elected Governor. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman) I was talking to some friends tonight about Bob Gammage and the primary on Tuesday; this group of friends are young, urban artsy types and are pretty excited about Kinky Friedman. Drive around Montrose in Houston and you're bound to see more than a few cars with those "Kinky Friedman: Why the Hell Not?" bumper stickers around. It's disconcerting to see so many smart people out there fall for Friedman as if he's the cool, progressive alternative to whoever the Democratic nominee will be. Following his campaign in the news, the more I learn about Kinky Friedman, the more conservative I realize he is. So rather than chastise him for being a potential spoiler, here are some on-the-merits reasons why you shouldn't skip the primary to sign Friedman's petition. Or vote for him at all. 1. Kinky Friedman wants to tear down the wall of separation between church and state. He supports school prayer posting the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms. 2. Kinky Friedman wants to put up a wall between Texas and Mexico. In a March 2005 appearance on "The No-Spin Zone," Friedman said, "Good fences make good neighbors, and, Mr. Fox, help us build that fence." 3. Kinky Friedman won't say if he supports a woman's right to choose. When asked, Friedman dodged a question about his position on abortion. Incidentally, Texas is one nineteen states with a legislature that would be likely to ban abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade were overturned. 4. Kinky Friedman has promised to root out cronyism...and appoint his biggest campaign contributor Secretary of State. No one should be appointed to a position just because he "gave the most money," according to Kinky. Except if you donate $600,000 to Kinky's campaign. Then you get to be Secretary of State. 5. Kinky Friedman didn't take the time to vote for the equal rights of the GLBT community. As Karl-Thomas has pointed out, Kinky didn't bother to vote on Proposition 2 last year, which amended the Texas Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriages. 6. Kinky Friedman did take the time to vote for George W. Bush. That kind of voting record sort of speaks for itself. 7. Kinky Friedman talks out of both sides of his mouth on public education. Friedman says he wants a teacher pay raise, but at the same time he wants to spend the state's 4.3 billion dollar surplus this year on a tax rebate. 8. Kinky Friedman is a Republican. In 1986, Friedman ran for Kerrville JP as a Republican. If Carole Strayhorn is Rick Perry in a skirt, as Bob Gammage has said, then Kinky Friedman is Rick Perry with a cigar. Why anyone would skip the primary for this guy is beyond me." http://www.burntorangereport.com/frontPage.do
That reads like a political ad paid for by Texans against Kinky...or something to that effect. Pretty easy to spin the truth for your own agenda.
The fact is that Kinky's talk of pay raises for teachers, and only making education appointments of people who were actually in a class room rather than by political connections is far and away a better idea towards education reform than any of the other candidates have put forward. Doing away with standardized tests is another great idea of his that will help education. Kinky's idea gets rid of the status quo, and makes meaningful changes, with people who actually have far more knowledge of the needs of educators and students in modern classrooms. I think that is the most important area where states have control, and Kinky's ideas are the best. I don't care what he thinks of Bush, or anyone else as long as his ideas are solid. When it comes to education his are.
Hilary Clinton should be a candidate, and hopefully she will be voted into office 2008. edit: nevermind, i didnt read any of the posts i just read the title, i was wondering why the primaries were starting so quickly
Spending billions of tax $ to build a giant wall is not my idea of small government. I never hear these guys talk about really going after those who hire illegal immigrants. I wonder why...
In general, I like the conservative view (not neo-con, true conservatism) so just being conservative doesn't turn me off. I'm not thrilled to hear that he may be pro-life, but his views on other issues (drug war, gambling, education) outweigh that for me since I could never stomach being a single issue voter. I'll be voting Kinky, particularly since I have never participated in a primary or convention.
I voted early, and I voted for Gammage. The fact that the Kinkster, who I like a lot... I saw him and the Texas Jew Boys back in the day several times, admire his work with saving animals, enjoy his writing, and agree with several other positions of his, and just like the guy... despite that, I can't vote for someone who was able to "pull the lever" for George W. Bush in 2004. I might have been able to forgive 2000, when he was running on his record as Governor, and before he morphed into his Mad President persona, but not in 2004. That's what I can't abide. Gammage has name recognition statewide, something Bell doesn't have, and he's the kind of Democrat who acts like a Democrat, instead of being "Republican Lite." Can he beat Perry? Only if Strayhorn gets on the ballot and splits the vote. There are a lot of people in this state that want Perry defeated, and a lot of them are Republicans and independants. Gammage is a longshot, but he has a chance, in my opinion. Keep D&D Civil.
If I were still living in Texas, that would probably have decided it for me as well. Kinky seems like a fun guy, but voting for Bush in 2004 is just beyond the pale.
A bit off topic, but this is another reason why I won't be voting for Hillary. Anyway! How's that republican primary going in Fort Bend? Don't Delay! Vote him out of the bay!
Reason #1 to save your vote for Kinky: Eradicating the status quo in state politics. I respect Bob Gammage, but I'm sick to death of the two party system and the gridlock it creates on the state and federal levels. That is the one and only reason why I am throwing my money, talent and support behind Kinky. I've donated money, and I'm donating time, and he will get my vote. We've got to do something to shake things up, and Kinky is this year's opportunity to do so here in Texas.
I agree. Yes Kinky voted for GWB in 2004. But if James Carville can be wed to a Bush/Cheney Employee I can vote for someone who's ideas I like even if they voted for someone who's ideas I think are bad for the country.
FB, what does Carville's wife have to do with how he votes? Do you think he voted for Bush to please her?? No way!! I don't get the analogy. Keep D&D Civil.
If you want to vote for Kinky in the general election go ahead and do it. What I think is a shame are people who are skipping the Democratic Primary. If you respect Bob Gammage, or want to shake up the Democratic Party then vote in the primary. This primary is about the future of the party. Do we want to be a less severe version of the Republican Party or do we want to stand for something and be proud of it? Kinky does not need your sigature. Believe me, he is going to get on the ballot. All he needs is 50,000 votes from all of Texas. He does not need for you to skip an election, even though he has skipped many of them. He skipped voting for Clinton twice, he skipped voting for Ann Richards and he skipped voting against the Gay Marriage Amendment. Primaries are where we get the chance to shake things up. Vote for Gammage in the primary and then shake things up again if you wish by voting for Kinky in the general election.
Thanks for your advice, but I'll pass. I'm volunteering for the petition campaign and will be signing it myself, so I will not be voting in today's primary. Looks like I might be playing a Kinky benefit soon as well...will post details when I get them. I hope Gammage beats out Chris Bell today.
