WHEN THEY MADE THEIR TEXAS AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER ENDORSEMENT
By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - Feb. 8, 2010
I've read some stupid candidate endorsements in my day. The reasons cited in this one tops the list. Kinky Friedman over agriculture teacher and rancher/businessman Hank Gilbert for Texas Agriculture Commissioner and their reasoning is WHAT???
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News Monday, February 8, 2010, Editorial Endorsements
Picture cigar-chomping entertainer Kinky Friedman as state agriculture commissioner. It's hard to see him in any statewide office, really, but his talent for folksy one-liners could at least be useful in the important role of promoting Texas farm and ranch products.
That's a new one, even for Dallas Morning News reporters. Choose an Ag Commissioner for "folksy on-liners." Wonder if they'd be as eager to turn the management of Belo over to Kinky as they are the economic development of Texas's No. 2 Economic Sector!
The acknowledge that "Gilbert knows agriculture issues in vastly greater depth than Friedman."
They acknoweldge:
Friedman, 65, of Austin, doesn't get into such details. He says he'd hire experts to hash out policy so he could concentrate on being a spokesman for family farms and kindness to animals
.
Their reasoning: "That's not a great model for the job, but a better one than Gilbert proposes."
So what are their objections to Gilbert, who got more votes than Democrat in the 2006 during his first run for Texas Agriculture Commissioner?
They object to what they term
Gilbert's move away from globalization and toward protectionism for farm products.
I've had lots of conversations with Hank Gilbert about globalization. He's all for fair trade. Currently, what Texas farmers face is not fair.
He also takes seriously the responsibility of the Texas Agriculture Commissioner to monitor safety of agricultural products through Texas's international portals. How short a memory these DMN guys have.