One short week ago, we learned that a surprising number of Texans admitted that they’d vote for Matthew McConaughey — he of Dazed and Confused, True Detective, and Surfer, Dude — as governor. Never mind that McConaughey hasn’t actually articulated clear-cut political stances because Texans have been through so much lately that many of them would rather vote for an unknown quantity (and all-around nice dude) than deal with more of Gov. Greg Abbott.
For his part, McConaughey dragged his feet on announcing whether or not he’d run, and he’s made the call, two weeks before deadline time. In a video uploaded to his Twitter account, McConaughey suggests that he’s as surprised as anyone that people would consider him for the position, but alas, it ain’t happening.
“As a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas,” the Fool’s Gold star proclaimed. “It never occurred to me that I would one day be considered for political leadership. It is a humbling and inspiring path to ponder. It is also a path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment.”
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) November 29, 2021
So, it looks like this race will be Abbott vs. Beto O’Rourke, but McConaughey’s not leaving Texas totally in the lurch, however. Here’s what he’ll still do:
“I am going to continue to work and invest the bounty I have by supporting entrepreneurs, businesses and foundations that I believe are leaders, establishments that I believe are creating pathways for people to succeed in life, organizations that have a mission to serve and build trust while also generating prosperity. That’s the American dream.”
And he added some more vague rhetoric to make sure that we’re alright, alright, alright with his decision. “Politicians?” McConaughey asked. “The good ones can help us to get to where we need to go, yeah. But let’s be clear, they can’t do anything for us unless we choose to do for ourselves.”
Can anyone blame the guy for declining to climb into the “bag of rats”? No way. There’s a whole lotta mess to clean up in Texas, and kudos to him for leaving the door ajar to mess with everyone. Also, now McConaughey’s got more time to (as the name of his foundation suggests) Just Keep Livin,’ and even better, more time to go do this again:
(Via McConaughey on Twitter)