Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Friedman on O'Reilly
The transcript of Friedman on O'Reilly. A few excerpts and then the end of the interview:
Kinky Friedman joins us now. He's the author of the brand-new book "10 Little New Yorkers." his 17th book novel.I don't take Friedman very seriously, but O'Reilly is the highest-rated cable news talker. If Friedman wants to be taken seriously, he's going to have to stop flacking his latest book and he'll need to take down the store from his campaign website.
O'REILLY: So you want to run on -- are you conservative? Are you liberal? What are you?
FRIEDMAN: No, I wouldn't say I was either one of those. I think that's the problem. The Democrats got a good idea, the Republicans shoot it down. The Republicans have an idea, the Democrats kill it. I mean, I'm not for the parties. I'm for Texas.
FRIEDMAN: This is called "spiritual lifting." It's not heavy lifting. The governor of Texas should not be confused with Arnold Schwarzenegger. That's a powerful position. The governor of Texas can't do any heavy lifting really. It's not that powerful a position.
O'REILLY: So you're going to devote your governorship, should you win, to raising the morale and trying to...
FRIEDMAN: and the spiritual. Bring back the glory of Texas.
O'REILLY: OK. Then that means you're going to travel everywhere, go to all the high schools, speak and all of that.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely. We're going to make that Lone Star shine again.
O'REILLY: All right. Well, this sounds good. I mean, I like this. I don't know how realistic it is because, number one, the powers that be are going to try to tear you to pieces.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.
O'REILLY: Have you got any skeletons in the closet there or...
FRIEDMAN: No, but I think Texans will see that as the bull kicking the rodeo clown. I mean, they'll know what that is.
(LAUGHTER)
FRIEDMAN: It's going to happen.
O'REILLY: The bull kicking the rodeo clown.
FRIEDMAN: Bill, they spent $100 million in negative campaign advertising in the last gubernatorial race.
O'REILLY: And you're going to do spiritual advertising?
FRIEDMAN: The coin of the spirit. That's right. I mean...
O'REILLY: OK. Are you a religious man, by the way?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, I'm a Judeo-Christian. Jesus and Moses are in my heart, and...
O'REILLY: Both of them there?
FRIEDMAN: And both of them were independents, by the way.
O'REILLY: They were, indeed.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
O'REILLY: All right, Mr. Friedman. We're going to follow your campaign, and we -- don't get a big head, though. If you get -- we can't get Schwarzenegger on this program anymore. You know, when he was running, he was kicking our door, and now we can't talk to him. So you promise if you get elected, you'll come back on "The Factor".
FRIEDMAN: Definitely, and people can help through the Web site right now if they want.
O'REILLY: OK.
FRIEDMAN: They can volunteer, contribute and...
O'REILLY: The Web site is up. Kinky Friedman for governor. And, also, the new book.
FRIEDMAN: kinkyfriedman.com. Yes, "10 Little New Yorkers."
O'REILLY: "10 Little New Yorkers."
And he'll need to answer the burning question: why did he once move from Texas to New York?
- posted @ 3:00 PM permalink
