TX-Gov: MSM Starting to Pick Up on Kinky Comments

This is cross-posted from Burnt Orange Report.

From today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in an article titled, "Comments by Friedman are no laughing matter, some say":

Friedman, in a video clip that some of his opponents began circulating Tuesday, calls Negro a "charming word" and uses it in an explanation of what he would do to sexual predators if he is elected in November.

"Throw them in prison and throw away the key and make them listen to a Negro talking to himself," Friedman said in the TV interview, which CNBC broadcast late last year. The comments hardly made a splash at the time, but the video, posted on www.youtube.com, is sparking fresh criticism.

Last week, Friedman came under fire for calling Katrina evacuees in Houston "thugs and crackheads." Critics said he had unfairly stereotyped the evacuees, who are disproportionately black, as criminals.

For starters, it's good to see that Kinky's opponents are moving this video around, and the papers are paying attention. [Remember -- back in March, Ryan and I wrote this post and put the video on YouTube.]

The article is good -- read it, and check it out. I've posted a link to the video below the thread, if you want to see what Kinky actually said. I've still got a DVD of the full interview (which actually gets worse than just what is on this clip), and I'll look into getting it all up on YouTube in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, here are some more BOR links about the Kinky campaign (and why Bell is the better option for Governor):

Editorial: Why I'll Vote for Chris Bell

Kinky's YouTube video

Editorial: No Joke -- Please Don't Vote for Kinky

The Two Big Myths of the Kinky Campaign

The Conservative Kinkster, Part III: Channeling Tom Tancredo

•  Time for a name change?

  From Kinky to Wacky?  But then I remember...it's Texas.

  by oldpro on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 08:56:48 AM PDT

  •  Yeah -- "Stinky" Friedman

    by richter on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:04:10 AM PDT

•  The good news is that Kinky will pull some GOP

  votes, which won't help the Republican candidate...he won't get enough to win, obviously, but it may help the Democratic candidate.

  by darthstar on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 08:57:24 AM PDT

  •  I think Perry's at his floor

    He's polling at 35% in the last poll I've seen.  Hard to imagine him going lower than that in November.

    Kinky and Bell are neck and neck in second place, and Gran is down in the cellar-though she's got plenty of money for commercials as I recall, and I've seen her turncoat mug a couple of times in the last week.

    What the multiple challenges are doing is splitting the Perry opposition.

    Every single vote for Kinky is effectively a vote for Perry.

    by boadicea on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:02:47 AM PDT

    •  You do have to give Kinky credit for this cartoon

      though... http://www.youtube.com/...

      That's very Ross Perot-ish...I think.

      by darthstar on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:04:24 AM PDT

      •  I think Kinky's very smart

        I just do not have any confidence in his stated ideas nor his attention span to actually do anything but troll for publicity from a public platform.

        by boadicea on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:10:27 AM PDT

        •  true...that is a risk...but is Texas dumb enough

          to elect him?  I don't think so...they made the mistake of electing bush, yes, but I do think they've learned from that.

          by darthstar on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:33:57 AM PDT

          •  I don't think Kinky can win

            but a 5 way race (there's a Libertarian candidate as well) strikes me as a very difficult polling problem.

            So I'm not sure I'm going with anybody's prediction.

            The only poll that counts in this race is the one on November 7.

            by boadicea on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:49:25 AM PDT

    •  you know a lot more than me

      but I've seen comments from Kossacks in Austin telling about significant support there for KF.  Don't you think he could take some Democratic support from Bell?  Specifically the moderate type of lieberman/Ford Democrat that Imus (who's pushing KF hard) gives voice to?

      by dougymi on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:36:13 AM PDT

      •  I'm in Austin

        And yes, there are what seems a significant number to me (unscientifically) number of lefties who are sporting Kinky bumper stickers or actively supporting him in other ways.

        In part, because he's tapping into a general disgust with the behavior of the Texas governmental bodies-and it has been a disgusting display- and also, in part I believe because liberal Dems in Austin are tired of being bashed by the TDP in the service of courting more conservative voters.

        by boadicea on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:53:52 AM PDT

•  Amen

  Any Progressive who votes for Friedman over Chris Bell needs his head examined.

  by ortcutt on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:15:30 AM PDT

•  Thanks, guys!

  I'm glad you were able to get the interview on tape, and I hope you are able to get it all on YouTube soon.  Let Kinky Sink.

  And thanks for also posting the positive reviews of Chris Bell.  He's a great candidate, and needs our support!

  by sccs on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:15:43 AM PDT

•  That is an excellent article

  from the Startlegram.

  Good catch, Phillip.

  by boadicea on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:16:41 AM PDT

•  Tip Jar

  Let's make sure Bell -- a true progressive -- can defeat a joke, a nickname, and a failure this November!

  by Phillip Martin on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 09:28:50 AM PDT

•  What if all us Democrats

  pool our money together and get Kinky some open mike time on T.V.? This guy is his own worse enemy.

  by citizenx on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 10:57:06 AM PDT

•  My thoughts....

  The poll we saw yesterday is probably how the race is going to turn out.  Perry is at his bottom and will probably end up w/ 37-40% in the end.

  You can trash Kinky all you want but you need 20% of his voters.  In the end, you will probably get 10% of his support to move to Bell but Friedman is still going to probably end up with around 12%.  Bell cant win unless the Kinkster is in single digits.

  Then there is low Texas voter turn-out.  I see a bunch of people wanting to go to the polls for Kinky.  There really arent any other exciting races or propositions to motivate folks to the polls.  

  Bell, IMO, needs to grow balls the size of Texas by the close of business today.  He needs to find one issue, like the TTC and make the entire election about that.  People need to think if they dont vote for Bell that the governemnet  is going to steal their land and terrorists and wetbacks are going to flood into Texas at 75mph.

  I think at the end of October that its going to be evident that neither Kinky or Bell can win.  Depending on who is ahead, it might be time to ask if you would prefer Perry or Kinky.

  My personal feeling is the governor's race is not as important as getting better judges elected statewide.  Many of the problems we have here start in the courts.

  by naufragus on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 11:14:13 AM PDT

•  i really can't stand that guy

  take the cowboy hate off.  step away from the boots.

  puhhlease!

  by hypersphere01 on Wed Sep 20, 2006 at 12:03:14 PM PDT

•  Yahoo article today

  On the frontpage, regarding the NAACP's seeking an apology from Kinky.

  NAACP seeks apology from Kinky Friedman

  by lirtydies on Fri Sep 22, 2006 at 02:25:38 PM PDT