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Kinky Boots
Richard Friedman is probably the most funny man in America. Under his pen-name, "Kinky", he is currently number two in the race to become governor of Texas.
George W Bush cut his political teeth as governor of Texas but he wasn't as amusing.
Kinky Friedman is a man who has seen the world from Borneo to London (via the Queen Elizabeth 2) and back again.
According to a recent poll by SurveyUSA, he is just behind Rick Perry, the Republican incumbent, with 21 per cent of potential voters on his side.
Mr Friedman has many slogans devised to attract Texans disillusioned with politics. Two are: "Why the hell not ?" and "How hard could it be?" Or, as a wag in London put it: "Friedman's just another word for nothing left to lose."
"The Kinkster", as he is best known, goes on the campaign trail with his trademark black Stetson, smoking a Cuban cigar and answering questions with one-liners.
An example is when a reporter asked him whether his lack of relevant experience might disqualify him for the job he replied: "Politics is the only field in which the more experience you have, the worse you get."
When asked by a correspondent in the capital of Texas, Austin, what he would do in his first hundred days in office he said: "I will ask for a recount."
The reason Kinky Friedman is important is that, without saying it, he is against the system of 'politics-as-usual'.
Even if he does not win in November he will likely have motivated some of the apathetic 71 per cent of eligible voters of Texas - who did not vote at the last election - to make the effort to vote.
And that will be his victory.
