Petition drives for independents have tough time

[Czolgosz]

"El Paso volunteers gathering signatures for independent gubernatorial candidates trying to secure a place on the November ballot say they are struggling to meet their goals and getting little help from the candidates.

"It's proven to be more difficult than I thought it was going to be," said Staci Engman, a substitute teacher leading signature gathering in El Paso for independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman.

About halfway to the petition deadline, campaign novices heading ballot petition efforts in El Paso for Friedman and fellow independent gubernatorial candidate and Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn say the going has been slow with little support from campaign leaders in Austin. Both campaigns said they plan to make it out to El Paso, but probably not until the end of the signature-gathering period.

'We're as frustrated as (Engman) is because we can't get to every pocket of Texas that we'd like to reach,' said Friedman spokeswoman Laura Stromberg."

<http://www.borderlandnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060416/NEWS/604160323/1001>

[Rocket Surgeon]

1. I take it all have given up hope on any third party of significance.

It's kind of sad that anyone who runs for office that is not lockstep with the Republican or Democratic parties are labeled as "spoilers". Thus we are once again stuck with our two party oligarchy.

[Czolgosz]

2. No. I don't think anyone's given up on hope of a third party, but I do

think that we don't need a new party to the right of the already-conservative Texas Democratic Party.

Perry is a Republican.

C4n3p is a Republican.

Kinky is a Republican.

If you remain unconvinced about Kinky, please read this interview where he says straight out that he voted for Gore in 2000:
SM: Who did you vote for in 2000?
KF: I voted for Gore then. I was conflicted ... but I was not for Bush that time. Since then, though, we’ve become friends. And that’s what’s changed things.
SM: So it’s your friendship with him that’s changed your mind about having him as president more than his specific political positions?
KF: Well, actually, I agree with most of his political positions overseas, his foreign policy.... What he’s been doing in the Near East and in the Middle East, he’s handling that well, I think.
<http://www.ruminator.com/content/040501.html>. Now read this news report about Kinky's voting record: "According to Kerr County voting records, Friedman voted in the 2004 presidential general election but not in any other contest since 1994." <http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4517585>.

What does that tell us? It tells us Kinky voted for Bush/Cheney in 2004 (which he readily admits) and that Kinky is a liar when he tries to come off as a nonpartisan because he lied when he said he voted for Gore. Please forgive those who want a third party candidate who will not lie about how they voted to curry favor with Democrats.

Kinky sucks! He's not a third-party alternative. He's just another fucking Republican who favors (1) an insanely right-wing immigration policy (to the right of Perry), (2) tax cuts for rich property owners from the general revenues generated by the work of nonproperty owning regular folks, (3) privatizing public education physical education programs to the highest corporate bidder, (4) putting prayer and the Bible into Texas public schoolrooms, (5) and who's pretty comfortable making jokes about locking people in prison with "Negroes talking to themselves." Guess what? We don't need a third party for this shit because we already have a Republican party.

[merci_me]

3. Some information to harvest...............

If you check your county list of places where they are collecting signatures, there is some potentially good info available for future reference. Lots of bars, restaurants, etc. where they are allowing "political" activity.

I'm saving this for the next time we ask for permission to "do politics" and places get real iffy, especially when it's partisan activity. I will use this as proof that they don't have a policy disallowing it.

http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/klocal/Harris_County/

[muse]

4. I find THIS hard to believe

If the Children's Museum is allowing this, I am IN SHOCK. I'm willing to bet actual money this is not happening. I work at a museum in Houston and no way, no how, hell would have to freeze over before this would happen at my museum.

Saturday, April 22
10am -2pm
Earth Day Festival @ The Houston Childrens Museum
1500 Binz