Ventura’s squandered years

Looking back at recent years, I now think that Jesse Ventura’s term as governor of Minnesota was a real setback for third party politics in Minnesota. Many voters gave it a chance, didn’t see results, and are now afraid to go back.

He was good on some things, like his support of a rail line to St. Cloud (saves oil) and his opposition to a new taxpayer-funded sports stadium. Other things he did I disagreed with, like discontinuing emissions testing, and trade with China that provides cheaper goods but lowers working conditions for everybody.

He was fond of blaming the Republicans, Democrats, and particularly the media, who usually deserve it. But he didn’t help matters with stints as an XFL announcer and wrestling referee, closing down the governor’s mansion, and shady dealings documented in the book "Always Cheat" by Leslie Davis. Whenever his poll numbers were about recovered, he would say something stupid like "Religion is for weak-minded people" or "you haven’t hunted until you’ve hunted man."

He was elected as a member of Perot’s Reform party, and changed it to the Independence Party. This year, the Independence Party is struggling to stay on the ballot after Republican Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer and Democrat Attorney General Mike Hatch said they didn’t get enough votes in the primary.

One thing that really hurt was when Ventura bragged that the establishment parties never should have let him into the debates. The establishment parties aren’t stupid, and they will make it difficult for third parties, which is the subject of my next post.

http://www.lesliedavis.com/jesseventurabook.php