Kinky Friedman Endorses Rick Perry

Texas has always had its share of colorful characters.  There is a strong positive correlation between a sense of humor and the ability to handle stress, and just dealing with the early Comanches alone would be enough to make anyone a Robin Williams.

Today, one such personality among the many is Kinky Friedman, erstwhile lead singer in the country musical group of Kinky Friedman and his Texas Jewboys and a candidate for governor in the 2006 election (ending fourth among six).  Despite his campaign being a more serious (but only slightly) Texas version of the Pat Paulson runs for president from the 1960s to the 90s, he managed to gather over 12% of the vote, with a campaign slogan of “Why The Hell Not?” and the stated goal of “de-wussifying” Texas.  He also managed to gather more campaign funds than the Democrat candidate.

But now, Friedman has thrown his considerable political weight behind the Rick Perry campaign:

Rick Perry has never lost an election; I’ve never won one.  Maybe that’s what’s wrong with the world.  On the other hand, I’ve long been friends with Bill Clinton and George W., and Rick Perry and I, though at times bitter adversaries, have remained friends as well. . . .

I have been quoted as saying that when I die, I am to be cremated, and the ashes are to be thrown in Rick Perry’s hair.  Yet, simply put, Rick Perry and I are incapable of resisting each other’s charm.  He is not only a good sport, he is a good, kindhearted man, and he once sat in on drums with ZZ Top.  A guy like that can’t be all bad. . . .

These days, of course, I would support Charlie Sheen over Obama.  Obama has done for the economy what pantyhose did for foreplay.  Obama has been perpetually behind the curve.  If the issue of the day is jobs and the economy, Rick Perry is certainly the nuts-and-bolts kind of guy you want in there. . . . Compared with the rest of the country, Texas is kicking major ass in terms of jobs and the economy, and Rick should get credit for that, just as Obama should get credit for saying “No comment” to the young people of the Iranian revolution. . . .

So would I support Rick Perry for president?  Hell, yes!  As the last nail that hasn’t been hammered down in this country, I agree with Rick that there are already too damn many laws, taxes, regulations, panels, committees, and bureaucrats.  While Obama is busy putting the hyphen between “anal” and “retentive” Rick will be rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.

I've written before about Obama steadily losing Jewish support.  I now feel secure about closing in on the Jewish cowboy vote.

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Update: For those who look outside of Texas to find guidance from musicians, there is also the tweeted endorsement for Perry from Gene Simmons of KISS.  His sentiment came as no real surprise, despite Simmons' previous vote for Obama.  As he volunteered in an interview on CNN last May:

“I think [Barack Obama] is actually a good guy.  He has no [expletive deleted] idea what the world is like because he doesn’t have to live there,” the vociferous musician told a rather startled Jane Wells.

Simmons also has specific opinions about Obama's treatment of Israel:

. . . Simmons has on multiple occasions expressed regret for voting for President Obama.  In an interview with CNBC last May, Simmons, who is Jewish, slammed the President for calling on Israel to return to its 1967 borders.