Kinky Friedman applauds Rick Perry
It’s not an official endorsement, but what Kinky Friedman has to say about Perry is just as good as an official endorsement. And unlike most celebrity political writing (“my candidate will save the world and give everyone a unicorn, plus a really cool swag bag”), Friedman’s got some specifics:
More to the point, could Rick Perry fix the economy? Hell, yes! Texas is exhibit A; Rick’s fingerprints are all over it. He’s been governor since Christ was a cowboy. The Lone Star State is booming. The last time I checked, Texas is kicking in a hell of a lot of the U.S. GDP. Unemployment is lower than the vast majority of the other states. Hell, we could probably even find a job for Paul Begala.
Friedman is also very specific about Perry’s abiding love for Israel, something that every Jew who cares about Israel should note:
As a Jewish cowboy (or “Juusshh,” as we say in Texas), I know Rick Perry to be a true friend of Israel, like Bill Clinton and George W. before him. There exists a visceral John Wayne kinship between Israelis and Texans, and Rick Perry gets it. That’s why he’s visited Israel on many more occasions than Obama, who’s been there exactly zero times as president. If I were Obama I wouldn’t go either. His favorability rating in Israel once clocked in at 4 percent. Say what you will about the Israelis, but they are not slow out of the chute. They know who their friends are. On the topic of the Holy Land, there remains the little matter of God. God talks to televangelists, football coaches, and people in mental hospitals. Why shouldn’t he talk to Rick Perry? In the spirit of Joseph Heller, I have a covenant with God. I leave him alone and he leaves me alone. If, however, I have a big problem, I ask God for the answer. He tells Rick Perry. And Rick tells me.
Mr. Bookworm was less specific in his dislike for Perry. As best as I could figure, he saw some segment on some TV show that had something to do with an execution in Texas that in some way involved a political cover-up and he thought Perry was “smarmy.” So he’s not going to vote for the man. Yeah.
