The news that Kinky Friedman is considering another run for statewide office is not really news. It is just sick comedy. As Harvey Kronberg put it, “A comedian needs an audience.”
When Friedman ran for governor in 2006, he helped make it impossible for Rick Perry to lose in a four-way race. By helping to divide the vote among four candidates, he enabled Perry to win with a pitiful plurality of 39%. I have no doubt that Friedman’s intention was to help Perry. When he ran for agriculture commissioner as a Democrat in 2010, he lost handily in the primary to Hank Gilbert. That is all I am going to say about Friedman’s political plans. He has a right to pay his filing fee and run for office, just like anybody else.
Photograph: AP Images
