AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Gubernatorial candidate and professional wiseacre Kinky Friedman was accused Wednesday of making another racially offensive remark—this time in a year-old interview in which he said sexual predators should be thrown in prison and forced to "listen to a Negro talking to himself." The independent candidate already was under fire for referring to Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Texas "crackheads and thugs." That remark was taken as a slap at black victims of the storm.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Houston Chronicle have reported on an interview with Friedman that aired on CNBC last year in which the country singer and comedian was asked what to do with sexual predators.
"Throw them in prison and throw away the key and make them listen to a Negro talking to himself," Friedman said. He also called "Negro" a "charming word."
State Rep. Garnet Coleman, former chairman of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, said the remarks are unacceptable from a candidate for governor, and sound more like something uttered by someone running for "class clown or the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan."
Friedman's spokeswoman, Laura Stromberg, said Wednesday: "Texans who know anything about Kinky know that he's not a racist, and they're going to see through all of this political correctness very soon. This is what they've got? Bring it on. Texans can see right through."
Democratic candidate Chris Bell said he was offended by Friedman's remark, and added, "I just don't think those types of comments have a place in this campaign."
The campaigns of Republican Gov. Rick Perry and independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn did not immediately return calls for comment.
Friedman told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday that anyone who is offended by his comment should vote for one of the other candidates.
"If I've got to lie to people, sweep the truth under the rug and worry about offending people, I'm not going to be very effective," Friedman said.
His spokeswoman said part of the "Negro" line was derived from a book Friedman wrote in the late 1980s that was being discussed in the CNBC interview before Friedman used the phrase.
Friedman also took some heat recently for a remark about ethnic politicking.
"I don't eat tamales in the barrio, I don't eat fried chicken in the ghetto, I don't eat bagels with the Jews for breakfast," said Friedman, who is Jewish. "That to me is true racism."
