BOR: Kinky Friedman campaign on life support

[crispini]

The Friedman campaign, who boasted 300k in contributions, today laid off most of the campaign staff as reported by the Houston Chron. My sources in the Friedman campaign have told me of an organization bloated with campaign staff. They also tell me of a campaign that is totally disorganized and ready to implode upon itself. The campaign has, as of today, laid off most of its administrative staff and has kept on its consultants and interns. According to my sources and the Houston Chronicle, the Friedman campaign has gone into survivial mode and is just trying to get on the ballot next November.

more....

http://www.burntorangereport.com/mt/archives/2005/10/friedman_campai.html

HouChron report here: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3387318

Well, well, well. I wasn't really expecting this.

[GOPisEvil]

1. Good! The sooner this distraction is behind us, the sooner we get a

real campaign with real candidates.

Stick to making salsa and writing books, Kinky.

[Lisa0825]

2. I wasn't too surprised.

More people think of him as a novelty than a serious candidate.

Does anyone know about another candidate running for governor as a Democrat besides Bell? I was surprised to read at the bottom of a letter from the Galveston County Democrats that someone else is running. I don't have it with me, but I think his name is Toby something and he's from Dallas... has had multiple terms in Texas House, if I recall correctly.

I thought everyone was pretty unified behind Bell, and I haven't been able to google anything about other candidates. Anyone else heard about this?

[crispini]

3. Eh? From Dallas?

First I've heard of it.... and I thought I was kinda plugged in....

Now there is that brother-sister team from the Ft. Worth area that are running together for Gov and Lt. Gov, I think. Can't remember their names though. IIRC, people think SHE's serious, and he's just running to help her generate a bit of publicity.

[WestHoustonDem]

11. It's this guy

Ted G. Lyon - http://www.tedlyon.com/

This is according to the local Galveston paper. Lisa just called and read the article to me. She doesn't have internet access at home.

[MagickMuffin]

5. check this out

just ran across this, don't know how accurate it is, but hey it's something to go on perhaps!

Felix Alvarado (D) and his wife, Maria Luisa Alvarado (D) are the Ft Worth team that Crispini was talking about. Felix ran against Kay Granger in 04.

Hope this helps.


http://www.politics1.com/tx.htm

[Melissa G]

6. There was talk of some folks trying to draft Houston's Mayor White

into running but I have not heard much on that front lately...

[merci_me]

7. I can't imagine White running against Bell

besides, we need him here for another term. Then he can run for the Senate in 2008.

[Melissa G]

12. Well,our Dem state Chair seems to want Kinky to Run as a Dem

against Bell so it is a pretty weird world anyway...I hear one of Kinky's claims to fame is being a proud,good bud of Dubya

[fudge stripe cookays]

17. That's why I would NEVER have supported the idiot.

Anybody who says "I know George Bush. He's a good guy" is seriously deluded. I don't care how many books he's written.

FSC

[NoPasaran]

4. How hard could it be?

Turns out it was harder than it looked!

[shaz]

16. I think it was the hurricanes.

It made that campaign slogan look ridiculous.

Seriously, how would you feel if another hurricane was coming, and you suddenly realized your Governor was Kinky.

[friedcatfish]

8. Hope the novelty

is wearing off. I have friends who are going to vote for the ole kink as a protest, because they see no other viable option, or they have some misplaced notion of responsible representation. They hadn't heard of or knew very little about Chris Bell. Bell needs some intense name recognition.

[MagickMuffin]

9. How about "He brought down the Hammer"

Chris Bell is responsible for bringing charges against DeLay with the House ethics committee when he was still a representative.

[friedcatfish]

10. That would make for an excellent message

on billboards on major highways all over Texas. Great if these indictments gets his name out as someone who stood up to delay's shenanigans. Unfortunately, except for us political junkies, Bell is still some vague recollection in the back of many people's mind.

[derby378]

13. Did Bell play any direct part in DeLay's indictment?

If so, that might help a lot.

I like Kinky, too, but look what happened to Howard Dean. He had all that momentum behind him until the DLC threw a couple of 527's and Gephardt's doomed bid at Dean's campaign, and he blew all his money in Iowa and New Hampshire trying to recover.

I would love to see a delegation from the Texas Democratic Party reach out to Kinky and try to sway him one more time, friend of Nero or not. (He's also friends with John Kerry, y'know.)

[WestHoustonDem]

14. I don't think Bell was directly involved in the indictments Derby

That's not the emphasis of his campaign

[MagickMuffin]

15. I think he just filed the complaint, that led to the indictment

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Congressman_who_filed_DeLay_complaint_last_0928.html

<snip>

Bell's complaint included the charge for which DeLay has been indicted. DeLay's Texas political action committee (TRMPAC) accepted $155,000 from companies and placed the money in an account, from which a $190,000 check was drawn to the Republican National Committee. Such a move is illegal under campaign finance law.

"That was the one count that the Ethics Committee left pending," Bell said. "They handed down two admonishments, but then they left the allegations regarding TRMPAC pending action by the Travis County Grand Jury. Hopefully this will provide the impetus for the ethics committee to now move forward on that count."

[Gingergal]

18. Here is a campaign slogan for Kinky:

"Vote for Kinky; he loves George W. Bush."
I will never forget recently seeing Friedman interviewed by Tim Russert and Friedman said "I love George W. Bush. I have visited him in the White House, and we sit out on the Truman Balcony and smoke Cuban cigars." It was nauseating.
It made me appreciate Chris Bell who had the guts to file an ethics complaint against Tom DeLay.

[MagickMuffin]

20. smokin' Cuban cigars

aren't they illegal? I seem to remember somethin' about an embargo.

We aren't suppose to be supporting Castro by buying his merchandise, that's what I've been told by every politician.

Funny thing that they (the politicians) would place an embargo on a country and yet they circumvent the very law they pass.

:smoke: :grr:

[newyawker99]

19. Hi friedcatfish!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: