2010: Kinky to Endorse Glass

Iconic Texas entertainer and perennial politician Kinky Friedman plans to endorse Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Kathie Glass, which presents him with a problem: "I already said I would endorse Woodrow the dog," he explains. "He'll have to be my animal endorsement, and Kathie will be my human endorsement."

Friedman, who ran as an independent candidate for governor in 2006 and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for agriculture commissioner in 2010, says neither major party candidate is offering anything new. "As far as issues go, they're not really different," he says. "They are both for the death penalty, both against gambling — they probably agree on a lot of things." 

Friedman says he has yet to meet anybody who's gung-ho about either Republican candidate Gov. Rick Perry or Democrat Bill White, though he knows plenty are enthusiastically opposed to one or both of the "career politicians." "I’m tempted to vote for Rick Perry against Washington," he says, "and I’m tempted to vote for Bill White against Rick Perry."

Though he admits that a third-party candidate is unlikely to win, Friedman first became taken with Glass after hearing her on the radio in San Antonio. "I liked her spirit," he says. "I don't think I'm voting against insiders. I'm voting for the outsider." He says he has spoken with Glass on the telephone but does not know when or how the campaign plans to announce his endorsement.

Friedman finds himself pulling for outsiders across the board, occasionally putting himself in the awkward position of supporting some candidates — like Sharron Angle, the Republican challenging U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada — whom he doesn't agree with on the issues. "I mourn the passing of the Democratic Party," he says. "They deserve to get beat and get beat bad. This is the harvest that Obama has reaped. It’s a government by ego. I sense that he doesn’t love America. I sense that he loves Obama."

Surprisingly, during a conversation with the Tribune, the only Democratic candidate Friedman spoke of positively was Hank Gilbert, who beat Friedman in the primary to become the Democratic nominee for Texas agriculture commissioner. "I like his rough edges," Friedman says of Gilbert. "He’s not a slick politician. If I was actively involved in this, I’d be working for him."