“I want to organize the Texas Peace Corps,” Kinky Friedman says, “which will be good for all us.” He should know, having served in the original Peace Corps.
Tossing his cowboy hat in the ring
By Louise Leahy
The Daily Times
Published December 21, 2004
It’s Kinky Friedman, sure enough. There’s the trademark torpedo cigar and the black cowboy hat. But what you’re hearing is a squeaky voice reminiscent of the Wicked Witch of the West deploring her imminent liquefaction.
“I don’t want to be governor. I’m afraid to be governor. You can’t make me be governor.”
A wicked grin appears around the cigar. “I was talking to my psychiatrist. What was the question?” Friedman asks in his normal gravelly voice.
The question is whether he has decided to officially throw that cowboy hat into the ring for the Texas governor’s race in 2006.
The answer is yes.
“I’ll be officially announcing my candidacy on Feb. 3,” he said. “It will be at 7 a.m. on the Don Imus TV show (MSNBC) and simultaneously on Steve and Harley’s radio show (Texas Country 94.3 KRVL).”
Friedman, who will be running as an independent, denied that his decision to make an official announcement had anything to do with the recent election.
“That was just one more example of the politics of a two-party system,” he said. “The best example of that was Perry running against Sanchez. They spent $100 million to destroy each other and delivered nothing. We understand that Perry has $25 million in a war chest for the next primary. Who would spend $25 million for a job that pays $115,000 a year?”
Friedman paused as he got his cigar going again.
“Meanwhile, Guam is passing us in funding public schools and our governor is building golf courses instead of schools.”
Friedman said his gubernatorial platform hasn’t changed significantly since he first started talking about running for governor more than a year ago.
“I’m fighting the wussification of Texas,” he said. “Perry is the personification of the wussification.
“I want to organize the Texas Peace Corps,” Friedman said, “which will be good for all us.” He should know, having served in the original Peace Corps.
He also has views on the state of the criminal justice system.
“I’d like to shine a little light on it,” he said. “I’m not against the death penalty. I’m just against the wrong guy being dead.
“And, of course, I’ll outlaw the declawing of cats.
“Tell people this,” Friedman said. “I like children, I like people, I like animals, I like business. The only things I don’t like are politicians.”
When he was asked about his campaign staff, Friedman gestured to his friend Jon Wolfmueller, who with his wife, Sandy, owns Wolfmueller’s Books and Records on Earl Garrett Street in Kerrville.
“Jon’s my trusty Indian sidekick,” he said. “I say ‘Indian’ because political correctness is part of wussification. I don’t have any political experience, but trust me. I’m a Jew; I’ll hire good people.”
Friedman thought for a moment. Despite the compulsive humor, most people who meet Friedman find him to be a thoughtful, intelligent man.
“Tom Friedman, my father who died two and a half years ago, is my campaign consultant, he said. “He has the ear of the candidate — and the heart.”
