The weirdest race of this year's election
Jesse (The Body) Ventura WON the Minnesota governor's race. Not just
doing well, he's won, as an independant. The democrat was Skip Humphrey,
Hubert's son.
Record numbers of voters at the polls in Minnesota today. Lines for
registration were consistently longer than the registered voter lines.
Ventura, who has the worst grammar I've heard this side of the
Mississippi, is leading 37% to 32%/30% of the Republican and Democrat
candidates. He spent $300,000 on this campaign (compared to the millions
of his opponents), traveled all over the state driving himself (mostly),
and has (for two months now) only one full-time staff member. Some would
like to blame the full moon, but I think it's all those newly registered
voters he inspired, frankly. The folks at the polls in my town tonight
told me that they had never had such a high voter turnout, even during
presidential election years.
Ventura ran on the Reform Party platform. Everyone expected Skip to win.
The
last week or so, Ventura began moving up in the polls from 18% up to the
high 20-something%. The DFLers and IRs appear to be in shock.
Ventura corrected Tom Brokaw when Brokaw asked if he wanted to be
called Governor Ventura or Governor "The Body". Ventura said he changed
the
moniker to Jesse "The Mind" Ventura.... Ventura just gave his acceptance
speech. Neither Humphrey nor Coleman have formally conceded. The jokes
are
flowing while House Majority leader remarked that fear is starting to
sink
in. "Nobody knows what to expect."
One piece of info about Minnesota's Governor-elect Jesse Ventura:
Yes, he was with the Reform Party -- but national Reform Party officials
reportedly declined to provide much in the way of actual support. Let's
put it this way: Ventura's campaign cost him $300,000.
He put out some of the finest tv commercials that he's seen in a long
time -- especially the summary of what he believes in, which apparently
included lower taxes, a strong
public school system, and his belief that Led Zeppelin and the Rolling
Stones are two of the greatest bands of all history. Sounded remarkably
like a snippet from "Bull Durham," apparently.) Doesn't sound like much
of
that money came from Reform Party purses outside Minnesota, at least at
this report.
Scuttlebut has it that the national Reform Party people were kinda leery
of Ventura -- they may have underestimated his chances, they may have
objected to his grammar (hi, -- don't worry, his lietenant guv
will get after him right away! she's a schoolteacher, 40 years
experience
reportedly), or they might have thought that if he won, it might make Mr.
Perot look kinda, um, unsuccessful or something.
Tom Brokaw asked Ventura if this Minnesota governorship was a stepping
stone to larger national races. Ventura said no, that he had watched
Presidents, and noticed that when elected, they looked young and virile,
but after four years, they'd aged about twenty. He said he'd stick with
Minnesota.
Ventura, in City Pages Sept 30, 1998:
"I am a rock'n'roll guy. Warren Zevon, "Roland the Headless Thompson
Gunner"; I very much love Warren Zevon's music, not a great message but a
definite message.
CP: He seemed to be better when he was drinking.
Ventura: Well, I'll tell you another statement; I think that rock'n'roll
was better when they were doing drugs. They are all cleaned up now and
you
are not getting near the artistic merit you were getting in the '60s and
early '70s.
Governor Ventura represents the nightmare professional politicians
of both parties have feared for years -- the return of the non-voter.
Almost everything the parties have done for the last 30 years has
been aimed at three things: (1) turn out your own base; (2) romance
the "swing" vote (ingrates that they are); and (3) suppress all the
rest, especially those who tend not to vote or even register anyway.
I hope Jesse Ventura is less of a goofball than he appears to be.
This is right out of Howard Stern territory, which may be fun but is
also more than a bit dangerous.
Ventura seems to be sort of a libertarian-populist. He'll
probably be a disappointment--inexperience plus a passive
attempt to sabotage him by the Demopublicans, but it's one
of the very few bright spots this time around for third parties.
Karen worked as a surveyor in Brooklyn Park during the time Ventura was
mayor
there and spent a lot time at city hall. I thought that despite Ventura's
somewhat feral approach that he appealed to the working public. The
police
departments were very skeptical about his rhetoric until he began
spending
his Saturday nights riding in police cars to see firsthand what street
crime was all about. Even his fiercest critics conceded that he's smart
enough to institute policies that work as well or better than the status
quo. Interesting does not even begin to describe this administration. If
he can keep his ego in check, he might actually prove his critics wrong.
His wife, btw, is a tireless advocate for special education and farming
issues.
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Article in yesterday's NYT :
"Former Wrestler's Campaign Got a Boost From the Internet"
http://search.nytimes.com/books/search/bin/fastweb?getdoc+cyber-lib+cyber-lib+24762+0+wAAA+Ventura
His own website :
http://www.jesseventura.org/
There's a really interesting
dissonance between some of the out-of-state coverage of Ventura, and the
coverage he's getting from the state's largest paper, the Minneapolis
Star-
Tribune
http://www.startribune.com . A lot of the out-of-state stuff
focuses on offhand comments and his failure to have a fully-staffed
transition team humming away at computers within 48 hours of being
elected.
The coverage in the Star-Tribune (which certainly didn't endorse him) is
much warmer.
Perhaps this is just because Minnesotans are still enjoying a honeymoon;
perhaps it's for other reasons. Certainly it's arguable that it's in
Minnesotans' interest to extend him credit and it's in the interest of
the
political/journalistic class elsewhere to knock him over as quickly as
possible. I actually don't have a firm opinion. But it's interesting to
watch.
Garrison Keillor had a funny comment on PHC-- He said that Minnesotans
elected Jesse because he didn't sound like a politician, but a regular
guy telling them what he thought.
And that he was in the spotlight until Friday when Newt took over by
resigning.
And that Newt was going to go to Japan for 6 months, to study Sumo
wrestling, and in one year come back and challenge Jesse "The Body"
Ventura in a wrestling match for the governorship.
To Jesse's credit, he is a former SEAL, and a straight-talking fellow.
The
latter, at least, is very rare in politics these days, and a damn
refreshing
change from the obfuscation of most pols. I think he'll do just fine, as
long as he doesn't declare war on Wisconsin.
He is not an idiot; he is not a crook.
Jesse Ventura is not his real name.
Ventura was born as John Janos.
I believe Mister Ventura has a spouse. In one interview he said his wife
said, after the election, "What have you gotten us into?"
He wants the state of Minnesota to grow industrial hemp and to stay out
of people's homes. He believes if folks want to be stupid to do whatever
in their own homes, let 'em. Stop busting down peoples doors and trying
to enforce morals. Let people live their lives. He favors medical
marijuana usage.
Discuss.