Why is Kinky Friedman still in my newspaper?

Oh good Lord, are we going to be subjected to this same story every time he opens his mouth near a reporter?

Kinky Friedman is considering entering the campaign for Texas governor in 2010 as a Democrat.

Friedman said the Democratic party, which hasn't won a statewide election in more than a dozen years, could use a nontraditional approach to connect with voters.

"I consider myself a Democrat in the mold of JFK, (former Texas Gov.) Ann Richards and (journalist) Molly Ivins," Friedman said.

Seems like only last month we were dealing with this banality. Why it's considered news again when nothing appears to have changed is beyond me. Oh, and it's pretty damn rich for a guy who voted for Lamar Smith to claim that he's somehow akin to Ann Richards and Molly Ivins.

Friedman, an entertainer and novelist, finished behind Gov. Rick Perry, Democrat Chris Bell and Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the Republican state comptroller who ran as an independent.

"If God was running as an independent (in 2006), he couldn't have beat Rick Perry," he said.

Democratic Party spokeswoman Amber Moon said they welcome all Texans who share the party's values.

"But he might have a difficult time getting Democratic primary voters to support him considering that he came in fourth."

Let me say this again, in the hopes that I won't have to say it yet one more time: Kinky Friedman is welcome to run in the Democratic primary for Governor in 2010 if he wants to. It's still a free country, and as long as his check for the filing fee clears, he can be a candidate. Why any Democrat would want to vote for him is a question I can't answer. Beyond that, there's nothing new to see here. Until such time as he takes formal steps towards organizing a campaign, let's please move on.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on September 05, 2007 to Election 2010