"Common Sense" Kinky in San Angelo ......

Politics with a punch line
Offbeat candidate full of picnic spirit

By PAUL A. ANTHONY, panthony@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8237
April 9, 2006
To raucous cheers and sprays of beer, gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman made his pitch at the San Angelo Picnic with a campaign speech that was both a sermon of populism and a stand-up comedy routine.
As volunteers with petitions circled through the several thousand who attended the eighth annual outdoor concert along the Concho River, Friedman stood on stage - can of beer in one hand, cigar in the other - and delivered his well-worn diatribe against the powers in Austin.
''MLK isn't a street; JFK isn't an airport,'' he said. ''They were people just like us. We can make a difference, just like them.''
Friedman made his appearance, his second of the day in San Angelo, as a friend of Blaine's Pub owner Blaine Martin, who founded the music festival in 1999.
The humorist, author and musician is one of two high-profile candidates trying to gather the 45,540 petition signatures necessary to be on the November ballot. State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn also is looking to be on the ballot, while Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic challenger Chris Bell, a former U.S. representative, won their respective primaries last month.
''It's not so much that we're Republican, Democrat or independent,'' Martin said. ''I'll support anyone that tries hard to get on the ballots.''
Earlier in the day, Friedman stopped at the Chicken Farm Art Center for a private fundraiser before heading to the picnic at the Bill Aylor Sr. Memorial RiverStage.
Friedman has been criticized for relying too much on wit and not enough on wisdom in his campaign, a charge he deflected in an interview before his speech by comparing himself with similar men who laced political commentary with humor.
''I will stand with Will Rogers and Mark Twain any day over Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff,'' Friedman said, referencing the former House Majority Leader and the former Washington lobbyist - both of whom have been the focus of numerous ethical complaints and legal charges.
While on stage, Friedman touched on his main campaign points - legalizing gambling in the state and using the tax money to fund education.
Backstage, he also advocated the removal of the standardized Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and the legalization of corporate sponsorship for high school sports.
''Do those three things,'' he said, ''and I expect you're going to be fine.''
Friedman often has been described as a maverick as he has launched fiery barbs at the Legislature's inability to pass a constitutional school finance plan and the ethical lapses of those in office.
It's an image he has embraced, frequently mentioning the last independent candidate to become governor of Texas - Sam Houston.
Throughout the day, volunteers for Friedman's campaign - mostly Austin college students - milled through the crowd, seeking signatures for their petitions.
By the time Friedman took the stage, hundreds of picnic attendees who had not voted in the March 7 primary had signed up. After his speech, small crowds surged toward the volunteers.
''Oh my God, yeah, he should have the right'' to be on the ballot, said Rebecca Stephenson, who came from Abilene and signed the petition when approached by Friedman volunteer Carolyn Crowder. But, she added, when asked if she would vote for him: ''I'll have to hear a little more.''
Friedman's volunteers said they didn't know how well the signature drive was going because many across the state will not turn in their petitions until later, but they expressed unwavering confidence that he will make the ballot.
One volunteer, Central High School student Kristen Vanderzant, will still be 17 the day of the election, yet she stood in the middle of the outdoor arena, holding her clipboard with petition sheets attached, flagging down potential signatures.
''All my friends love Kinky, and they talked me into him,'' she said. ''I'm too young to vote, but I'm old enough to know he would be good in office.''
source: http://www.sanangelostandardtimes.com/sast/news_local/article/0,1897,SAST_4956_4608435,00.html