I had the opportunity today to volunteer for the Health Care Policy in the States forum at UTA. It’s a travelling series on health care discussions sponsored by the AARP and some health care advocacy organisations. Three of the four gubernatorial candidates were scheduled to speak (the absent one being Perry of course). I went to the forum to hear about their health care plans and to take a closer look at both Strayhorn and Friedman, neither of whom I’ve heard speak.
Before I get to the juicy stuff, let me just say Chris Bell was great. He had good, solid answers for the questions asked by the audience, and his introductory speech focused on policy rather than lame jokes or stump speechery.
Now to the goods. Kinky’s introduction was thick on jokes and thin on policy (this was the consensus among the event staff, too). Most of his responses to audience questions included making lame jokes or saying that “Chris Bell’s idea is a good one.” The audience was packed with Kinky supporters (I actually obtained a copy of the sign in sheet early on, and many people requesting tickets listed their affiliation as Kinky for Governor), many of whom left en masse after Kinky’s segment.
So I was wandering back to my car to go home after the forum when I saw Kinky standing behind Texas Hall. He was surrounded by a few supporters and a film crew. I stood a few yards back and waited for him to finish up because I wanted to ask him about the allegations of racism that have been levelled recently. Plus, he’d pulled out the old “crackheads and thugs” line at the forum and it got me thinking.
So after he finished I approached him and shook his hand. I asked the film crew to back off because I was trying to approach him and ask him an earnest question. I didn’t want the question to seem like an ambush; basically, I just wanted to get him one on one and ask him about the allegations. I figured if I requested no taping that maybe Kinky would see I was trying to ask him an honest question.
We walked a few paces and I said this (from memory as accurately as possible). “Mr. Friedman, first thanks for coming. I wanted to ask you a question. I know you’re aware of the charges of racism floating around about you right now. I wanted to ask you about something. I didn’t think Laura (his spokesperson) gave a satsfactory answer when she said that it was no big deal because you made fun of everyone. What I’m wondering, sir, is whether you understand how people could have been offended by what you said.”
He looked at me and said, “If they were offended, good! People are so afraid to offend people that they won’t take any action.” Then he mentioned Houston again and railed against Perry for not allocating law enforcement resources. He said something about how politicians today are scared to do anything about “the illegals” and the crime rate in Houston. I told him I did agree that the crime issue was a big deal down there, but tried to get him back to my question. I said, “You know, I appreciate that, but I was just wondering if you had any… empathy for people who might be offended by what you said. I mean, I just want to know if you can understand that.”
At this point he got real defensive. He looked me in the eye and said, “You’re naive and politically correct. You shouldn’t fall for this…” I interrupted and said I didn’t appreciate him calling me naive, and that I’m not being politically correct. I told him that yes, the attacks on him were coming from people who wanted Democrats to come home to Bell, but that didn’t negate the issues of empathy and sensitivity. I said that rather than being politically correct, I’m being sensitive, and all I wanted to know was whether he could understand how some people might feel he was being insensitive. He threw out the “You’re being politically correct” line again, and I pushed back. By now I was pissed. “No, it’s a question of empathy.” At this point he decided it was appropriate to curse me. “All this fucking – you’ll excuse me here – ” I interrupted him – “Don’t worry about that my dad was a sailor.”
All I wanted was for him to say, “Yes, I can understand how some people may have been offended by it”. But instead he went on a tirade about how Bell said he read Kinky’s books, and that he (Kinky) was the closest thing to Ann Richards in the race. He said he didn’t appreciate being called a racist and that I should just go vote for Chris Bell.
As I choked back the vomit forming in the back of my throat, I told him that I didn’t think he was a racist. I explained that it wasn’t about that – it was about empathy – and did he have the capacity to empathise with people who may have been offended. It was a simple question.
updated to add something i just remembered as i was processing this snapshot in time 
Then he threw out his excuse about Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce and how they used racial slurs in their acts. At this point I interrupted him – “Well then you also know Richard Pryor disavowed that word in 1979.” (end of update)
At this point he just turned and walked away. I guess he’d had enough. I said, “Fine, you’re blowing me off. I get it.” (As I said, I was now pissed). He turned back and said, “Well I’m not changing your mind so…” I said, “That’s fine, I see how it is,” and walked off.
In short, I tried to be respecful to Kinky Friedman today. Ever since hearing about his racially-charged act and his defensive response to people raising those questions, I’ve wondered whether Kinky was lacking a core component shared by most Democrats: the empathy gene. I went out of my way to take him away from the crowd and talk to him one on one – human to human, Texan to Texan. I didn’t want to embarrass him – I wanted an answer. I wasn’t wearing any campaign gear nor did I present myself as anything but a voter, which I am (too bad for Kinky I also happen to blog). I asked the cameras to stop filming because I didn’t want Kinky to think I was a planned hit on him (and I’m pretty sure the cameras were part of his crew anyway). I just wanted a simple answer to a simple question: could he understand how he might have offended some people? A simple yes or no would have done nicely.
Instead of looking me in the eye and discussing my concerns, Kinky was hostile, defensive, and dismissive. He was disrespectful in calling me “naive” and “politically correct”. He made a snap judgement about me because I dared to ask him a question that’s been dogging his campaign. To me, that says that these charges did indeed get under his skin. My impression of him today was that he is indeed one of those Dixiecrats – people who may hold progressive beliefs, but who have deep-seated issues with race. And when called on it, Dixiecrats get defensive and cut and run. And that’s exactly what Kinky did today when I asked him the million dollar question.
First of all, to Kinky Friedman and his staff of “Minnesota Mafia” (as he called then today) I say this: Kinky dared equate himself with the late, great Ann Richards. Let me tell you a thing or two about Ann. Ann would have taken time to speak to me on a human level. She would not have been so RUDE and dismissed my concerns with a wave of her hand and a condescending slur. Ann Richards had the sensitivity and empathy that Kinky so clearly lacks. She would not have walked away and told me to vote for someone else because unlike Kinky, Ann was a governor for ALL TEXANS – not just the members of her cult of personality. In short, I’ve met Ann Richards. And Kinky – you are no Ann Richards.
And on top of that, let me just state one more thing for the record. I don’t think the camera crew stopped filming because as I turned back when Kinky was walking away, they were squarely focused on us. And I hope they caught every minutes of that ugly confrontation. But just in case I didn’t make this clear to Kinky at the time – I don’t think Kinky’s a racist. I just think he is a fucking prick.
fox4 local news just broke the sad news: ann richards has lost her battle with cancer.