Today is primary day and 3.5 million Flori

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Texas: Kinky, Strayhorn speak to AFL-CIO; support guest worker program

On the dotted line

Star-TelegramMay 8, 2006 -- Singer/songwriter and novelist Kinky Friedman isn't talking about how many signatures his campaign has garnered to support his independent candidacy for Texas governor.
Lawyers for state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn are being much less tight-lipped. They plunked down 21 boxes of paper before U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel on May 1 as a demonstration of what it looks like to have 115,000 signatures on petitions supporting Strayhorn's run as an independent candidate for the governor's seat.....
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Gromer Jeffers Jr.: Kinky puts his wit to work for union

Tuesday, May 9, 2006 Kinky Friedman wants to be governor.
On Monday, he showed he would be just as comfortable as host of The Tonight Show.
Delegates at an AFL-CIO labor convention in Irving frequently burst into laughter during Mr. Friedman's remarks and answers to questions posed by panelists.
His jokes were often wrapped around policy positions, though he rarely got specific with his proposals. He told the audience that he would study the state's problems and hire the appropriate staff to find solutions.
"He's comical," said San Antonio's Conrad Myers, a supporter of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell and a leader in the American Postal Workers Union. "I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. But he does have some good ideas."
At Monday's forum, Mr. Friedman's colorfully dressed campaign aide and driver introduced him.
"That, folks, was Little Jewford," Mr. Friedman said. "He's a Jew, and he drives a Ford, and he wears Elvis' shower curtain."
Mr. Friedman, who is also Jewish, then outlined his candidacy.
A humorist and author making a run for governor as an independent candidate, Mr. Friedman concedes that some people struggle to take him seriously.
"I'm not a politician," he said. "I'm a compassionate redneck, I guess. I'm 61 years old, which is too young for Medicare and too old for women to care."
He said he's pushing renewable fuel initiatives with the help of friend and country music star Willie Nelson, the "Hillbilly Dalai Lama."
"I would trade my Yom Kippur Flipper, which is a Jewish Cadillac that stops on a dime and picks it up," he said.
Mr. Friedman was outraged by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's strategy of sending undercover agents to bust bar patrons who had too much to drink.
"If you're a drunk, the bar is the perfect place for you to be," he said.
In March, Mr. Friedman was grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Greenville Avenue. Paradegoers noticed that he sipped a can of Guinness as he rode in a Dodge Viper.
"I admit, I did drink the Guinness," he said. "But I did not swallow."
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, another independent candidate for governor, didn't respond to questions by The Dallas Morning News for Sunday's front-page story about how the immigration debate is affecting the GOP and the governor's race.
She finally commented on immigration before making remarks to labor leaders in Irving.
"Securing the border is one issue," she said. "Having a fair legal-immigration plan is what we need to sit down and work on together."
Mrs. Strayhorn supports developing a guest-worker program as part of a comprehensive policy on immigration.
She is against building a wall along the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants and would not charge employers who hired illegal workers with felonies.
Mrs. Strayhorn said she would use the National Guard to help secure the border and would have discussions with local officials about their role in policing illegal immigrants.
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3 gubernatorial candidates make pitch for labor endorsement

Bell targets Strayhorn; Strayhorn targets Perry; Friedman seeks reform

Tuesday, May 9, 2006By GROMER JEFFERS Jr. / The Dallas Morning News -- Mrs. Strayhorn argued that "this is a two-person race between one tough grandma and Rick Perry."
"This is the moment to seize this century and make it ours," she said. "We have the resources to take Rick Perry out. The others aren't even on the radar screen when it comes to money raising."
Mr. Perry did not attend, citing the special legislative session in Austin. His campaign noted that he has been endorsed by the Teamsters.
Mrs. Strayhorn's campaign aides expressed doubt that she would get the labor endorsement. But part of her strategy for winning in November is to run as a populist candidate with support among Democrats, Republicans and independents.
"I want every Texan's support," she said. "A governor of Texas should talk to all Texans."
Mr. Friedman acknowledged that the crowd was heavily Democratic but said that as a former Democrat, he thinks the group should consider broader options.
"A lot of us have been slaving away on the Democratic plantation with nothing to show for it," he said.....
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