I’ll believe it when I see it on my 2018 ballot.
Kinky Friedman
It’s been more than a month since he lost his bid to be the Democratic nominee for Texas agriculture commissioner, and the cigar-smoking author-musician can’t shake the loss — or how he was treated by fellow Democrats.
Friedman, in D.C. for a recent performance at the Washington Jewish Music Festival, wanted to talk about being sabotaged by party officials in the May 27 runoff.
“Democrats came after me personally with robocalls,” he told the Star-Telegram. “I thought a primary was sacred for people to choose.”
Friedman, who ran on a pro-hemp, pro-marijuana platform, lost the runoff by nearly 10 points to Jim Hogan, a rancher who did not campaign.
Asked whether it was the end of his political career, Friedman likened himself to Winston Churchill, who was booted out of office after leading Britain through World War II.
“I’m to be cremated and the ashes are to be thrown into Rick Perry’s hair,” he said. “Yeah, I’m done. I’m not whining. I’m liberated.”
I admit that I feel a small amount of sympathy for Kinky, who sincerely tried to be a decent candidate this time around, even if he was a one-trick pony. But look, he’s never tried to make amends for the 2006 campaign or the things that he said during (and after) that campaign. Instead, he’s basically parachuted into two races acting as if he’d been a good Democrat all along and not quite understanding why a substantial number of Ds weren’t buying it. If I have to explain why that was a less than optimal strategy for winning a Democratic primary, even if he was saying the right things this time around and could plausibly claim to be a downballot candidate with upside, then you’re unlikely to comprehend the explanation. We’ve been through this swan-song routine with Kinky before, so until the 2018 filing deadline passes I’ll remain at least a little skeptical. But if he does mean it, then let me suggest that he find other ways to pursue issues like hemp legalization that Friedman obviously does care about, ways that don’t involve him running for office. I’m sure he can find another worthwhile path to take if he really does intend to get off the candidacy bus.