From a New York Times article over the weekend by Ralph Blumenthal Clear-Cut Race Shifting Into Texas-Size Free-for-All : "....Just a few months ago, the race appeared to be a fairly conventional if well-financed match between Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, and the state comptroller, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a former Republican running as an independent.
In the last few weeks, though, two other candidates have gained enough traction to make it a much wider race: the humorist Kinky Friedman and Chris Bell, a former Democratic congressman. A fifth candidate, James Werner, a Libertarian, could make the difference if the Nov. 7 election becomes a squeaker. ... "
Maybe it's my own Arkansas/Texas/Tennessee/Virginia upbringing, but I find this article extraordinary. Here you have a major political figure in Texas running for gov as an independent and the Times seems to think THAT's "fairly conventional". It's only when you get a comic (who seems to, in a fairly traditional Southern liberal way, like to flaunt his racism) , a Dem and a Libertarian in the picture that it becomes "interesting."
I actually went onto the Times Archives to see how much had been written about Strayhorn compared with how much they've written about Kinky Friedman and here's what I found: 28 for Strayhorn, 94 for Kinky.
Let's call it Jello Journalism....
2 comments:
I'd like to offer a counter point. In the CNBC interview which sparked a lot of this talk, Friedman was using one of the lines from a book he had just published. (He is an author with 23 books, plus also a contributing columnist for "Texas Monthly"*). He is not just a commedian.
The other incident people are referring to is where he says, basically he is not going to do the political pandering associated with various minority groups. (He is jewish an includes jews in the list of those he won't do symbolic pandering to).
This blog is associated with Fulani's wing of the Indendence Party, which also is frequently tarred with the charge of racism. I would think it would be more judicious about making that charge again others. (Unless it is supporting his opponent)
*Although I'm not familiar with his column at Texas Monthly. Texas Monthly is on the premier sources of information on Texas Politics and Culture.
I'm not arguing with Kinky - he is definitely a welcome voice in this election. I'm taking issue with the New York Times' coverge and characterization, which by the way doesn't take Kinky seriously.
Kinky's outrageousness is well-documented, and again, not a problem. To my Southern ears, it simply smacks of good ol' boy liberal racism, which I'm quite familiar with having grown up with it.
Fulani wasn't joking in 1989, nor is she joking now. Nor is she anti-Semitic. Her accusers happen to be the Democratic establishment, which IS a joke, and they're very worried about the political weight she pulls in New York City, and her consistent demand that poor people, people of color, and all ordinary people have a place at the table when the deals are cut.
Kinky might do well to learn from her how to provide more leadership to more people.
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