When O'Daniel actually got into office it became apparent that he had no business there, indeed that he had no business doing much other than crooning into the radio. O'Daniel ran on what was basically an anti-government platform, so when he got into the Governorship all he had to do to maintain his popularity was make demands and issue ultimatums at the legislature. Never mind that he was abusive and profoundly unconstructive. O'Daniel didn't just pass the biscuits, he passed the buck, and managed to maintain his popularity at a high level. So high that he was later elected to the US Senate, where he was finally identified as the clown that he was.

The Governor that came after O'Daniel was another Texas legend, Coke Stevenson. Stevenson was a real Abe Lincoln story. He hauled heavy wagons up and down muddy dirt roads during his teen years to make some money so that he could study law, and when he passed the bar exam he only stayed in practice long enough to build his own ranch which he kept until his death. Stevenson was a throw-back to the tradition of waiting for the 'call of the people.' When he was asked to serve as a judge, he was reluctant, but agreed to serve one term. In 1928 he began his political career in the Texas House, and became one of the most powerful and respected political figures that Texas has ever known. Stevenson was the embodiment of the cowboy mythos, of that frontier ideal of self-sufficiency and honesty. His reputation has not been in any way impugned to this day.

Now: Kinky Friedman. Kinky Friedman would seem to be an unlikely candidate for public office. He headed a band called, of all things, 'The Texas Jewboys' and penned such gems as "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" and "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed" (meant satirically, of course). He self-admittedly spent a decade in a drug-induced haze. According to the New Yorker article, which I found here, Friedman makes it a point to insult whichever group he happens to be speaking to. When he is in the company of white-collar, college-educated types, he uses red-neck vocabulary and coarse language. When he is among red-necks, he uses larger words. Friedman thrives as an outsider: as a Jewish country singer in Texas, and then a Texan country singer in New York. From looking at Kinky's campaign website, it can be difficult to tell whether or not he is really serious. Here are a few selections from the site.

NEW ENERGY: Kinky To Make Texas #1 Again For decades, Texas was #1 in US oil and gas exploration. It once even led the world! Texas can reclaim its role as world leader in new energy production with alternative solutions. Kinky is our 'energizer' candidate.

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