I’ve just become aware of the Kinky Friedman phenomenon down in Texas (OK, you have the right to ask where I’ve been, since he’s already been featured on CNN, Sixty Minutes, USA Today, NPR, etc.). On the off chance that you’re more in the dark about celebrity politics than I am, Mr. Friedman is a 60 year old Jew from Texas who wants to run for governor this November, and is trying to get enough signed petitions to get on the ballot (as an independent). Mr. Friedman is a former country singer, comedian, and mystery writer — probably some other things that I’m missing. You can check the Wikipedia on that. Oh, just in case that’s not unusual enough for you, he’s also a vegetarian (a man after my own heart). Some describe his as a mix of Lenny Bruce and Hank Williams; whatever, this dude is truly an American original.

Given the lock that the Republican and Democratic parties have on politics here in the USA, an independent generally has an icicle’s chance in hell for any elected post of greater stature than county park commissioner. And how could a Jewish vegetarian ever get the support of the voters in the Lone Star State? If you like underdogs, this guy is your man (or dog).

But “the Kinkster” (as he calls himself) does seem to be picking up some momentum, at least outside of Texas. The national press loves him, and relishes his colorful aphorisms (his two campaign slogans are “why the hell not?” and “how hard can it be?”; he told Wolf Blitzer that he wouldn’t play in one of his golfing fundraisers because “the only two good balls I ever hit was when I stepped on a garden rake”). He’s got Willie Nelson out on the trail with him, and his campaign manager worked previously for Jesse Ventura, the former wrestler who got elected governor of Minnesota as an independent.

And believe it or not, there’s some substance behind the vaudeville show that the Kinkster is putting on “deep in the heart of Texas”. He has a policy agenda that is fairly detailed and seems to make sense. It’s an eclectic blend of liberal and conservative ideas, with a little something for everyone: prayer in schools, gay marriage, biofuels, tough border enforcement along the Rio Grande and a liberal policy for illegal aliens.

The big question is whether Texas is taking Friedman seriously. Zogby’s latest poll (taken in March) showed him at about 17%, behind Republican incumbent Rick Perry, Democratic challenger Chris Bell, and another independent, former state comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a former Republican. However, that was up from around 10% late in 2005. Perry still leads the pack, but with only 36%; not exactly a landslide. The political analysts are calling Friedman a long-shot, but there’s still a lot of time yet. If he does get on the ballot (which is still up in the air), it could get interesting.

If I could give the Friedman camp one bit of advice: aprenda hablar español! Take the Latino vote seriously. The Friedman campaign web site does not have a Spanish version; that has to be corrected immediately. Mr. Friedman is running as an anti-establishment candidate and needs to attract people who normally don’t bother going to the polls. There are plenty of Latinos in Texas who qualify for that. Here are the stats: in 2002, Latino citizens (i.e., excluding illegals) were 27.6% of the voting age population. However, they were only 23.4% of registered voters, and comprised only 18.6% of the turnout. Given high rates of growth in Hispanic populations, the numbers for 2006 (and the disparities) are probably even higher. Friedman needs to lead voter registration drives in the Latino neighborhoods and needs to appeal to their concerns.

If the child of a German – Jewish immigrant family can be taken seriously in Texas politics, there’s no reason why he can’t relate to the Latino community. ¿Por qué, para el motivo del infierno, no debemos hacer eso, el Kinkstero?