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By Jesse "The Writer" Monteagudo
The most intriguing personality to emerge from the 1998 elections is Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former professional wrestler who was elected Governor of Minnesota in the Reform Party ticket. The Ventura election blew away all expectations and startled the pundits, who sought to rationalize this turn of events by treating it as a big joke. Those parameters of public opinion, television's Jay Leno and David Letterman, were quick with the gags about the wrestler turned governor.
Along with his running mate, retired schoolteacher Mae Schunk, Ventura captured 37% of the Minnesota vote, defeating the Republican Mayor of St. Paul Norm Coleman (34%) and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Attorney General Hubert "Skip" Humphrey (29%).
"Why can't a wrestler be governor?," asks Jesse Ventura. "That's
what this country was founded upon." Certainly if a bad actor (Ronald
Reagan) can be elected President, then a good wrestler can surely become
Governor. But Ventura's victory is more than that.
As the first important victory by a Reform Party candidate, the Minnesota elections gave legitimacy to this third party, founded in 1992 by businessman H. Ross Perot. Admittedly it happened in Minnesota, a state whose political history, according to the Encyclopedia Americana, "has been marked by a tradition of mild intransigency." Still, in a country long dominated by a two party duopoly, Jesse's victory is one of historic proportions. Perot, from Dallas, sent his congratulations to the Governor-Elect. "[Ventura's] election has given hope back to the American people that they can take their country back, starting with Minnesota. This is a major victory for the Reform Party and all of the people who have worked so hard to build it." "Jesse has proven for all of us what we have believed from the beginning: that given an even playing field and the opportunity for media exposure like that provided to the Republicans and Democrats, Reform Party candidates can, do and will win," "said Reform Party Vice Chairman Pat Benjamin.
Jesse's victory inspired an old wrestling "foe", Terry "Hulk" Hogan, to announce his intention to run for President in the year 2000. Ventura was not amused by this "Jesse wannabe" or his contrived candidacy: "Mr. Hogan ... wants to be me anyway. He pretends to be a Navy SEAL, I was one. He's now a bad guy in wrestling, I was one. So you know, maybe he'll run for public office now because Jesse Ventura leads the way again." As for Jesse himself, "I have no intention at all of running for president," he adds. "Jesse's campaign for Governor of Minnesota is the latest aspect of a lifetime spent serving the public in such varied ways as mayor of Brooklyn Park, a Navy Seal, professional wrestler, actor and broadcaster," notes Ventura's web site, . Born James Janos in Minneapolis on July 15, 1951, our hero graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1969 and served in the Navy for six years, including a stint as a member of the Underwater Demolition (SEAL) Team 12." After his discharge from the Navy, Janos attended North Hennepin Community College and then began an 11-year career as professional wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Jesse thrilled audiences as the perfect bad guy: a snarling combination of brawn and bravado, body-fitting tights and bright feather boas.
"He's unique, he's bigger than life, and he's over the top," said
Julie Wainwright, CEO of , an online video sales site. As an film actor,
Jesse appeared in several films, including Predator (1987), The Running Man(1987) and Repossessed (1990) - in which he played a professional wrestler
named Jesse "The Body" Ventura.
"In the short film 20/20 Vision," notes the web site, "Jesse Ventura plays a marriage counselor named Buddy (One-Armed) Sanchez. As his role as a counselor, Ventura shows his tough no-nonsense side by saying, 'Don't lie to me. I am trying to [expletive] help you.' Also, in one scene Ventura gets physical and slaps a woman who comes to him for counseling. This film which was shot earlier this year by film writer/director Christopher Newberry has been submitted for consideration in the Sundance Film Festival." Jesse began his political career as Mayor of Brooklyn Park, a Minneapolis suburb, from 1991 to 1995. "All in all, I think he did a good job," said Councilman Joe Enge. "He made some changes that needed to be made." Jesse was also a professional broadcaster for 11 years, hosting his own radio talk show. He and his wife of 22 years, Terry, have a teen-aged son and daughter, and live happily in Maple Grove: "I don't need to look for an intern, rest assured." Jesse's Platform has been described as "anti-tax, small government" and himself as a "fiscal conservative and social moderate." Basically a Libertarian, Ventura's social agenda "defies categorization" "During his gubernatorial campaign, Jesse Ventura blasted state-subsidized preschool programs as 'terrible for families,' called Minnesota Care 'socialized medicine' and said that people who can't afford to raise kids without government help 'should abstain from sex,'" wrote journalist Jean Hopfensperger. "At the same time, he supported gay and abortion rights and suggested that the state look into legalizing prostitution".
Jesse also supports legal recognition of gay relationships and the medical use of marijuana: "a doctor can give you a prescription for morphine and yet they can't prescribe you marijuana." He also promised to review all state government programs, veto any new tax increases and make schools better. When asked whether the public should finance a new baseball stadium, Jesse roared that "If [the baseball teams] got enough money to pay players $91 million, they can build their own stadium." "People ask if Jesse can handle the pressure of being governor, ... And I say this is nothing compared to Navy SEAL training. Norm Coleman and Skip Humphrey would wet their pants. They'd be crying for their mommies after the first day." When a reporter asked him how he was going to handle the opposition, Jesse exposed one of his bulging biceps and made a fist: "With this." It's stunts like this that made the Minnesota media shake its collective head and label The Body a novelty act unfit to be governor. Jesse was quick to return the brickbats: "I think the press wants to control the elections ... I believe they want to manipulate the agenda and control who gets elected and who doesn't by what they write. Instead of reporting the facts, they tend to put opinion in articles that belong on the regular news. Opinions belong on the opinion page." Jesse's campaign broke all the rules. He refused to accept political action committee money, and a majority of his contributors gave $100 or less." A "Jesse Net" on-line network linked Ventura supporters, including campaign leaders, volunteers, and interested citizens. Television ads featured a "Jesse Ventura" action figure battling special interest groups. Jesse helped his populist image along by traveling across the state in a camper, a tactic reminiscent of U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone's green bus campaign. Through it all, Jesse was confident that the people would turn out for him. "My secret weapon is the people who will turn out to vote for me who don't vote at all. That's exactly how I won my race for Mayor of Brooklyn Park (by a landslide!), and that's how I'll win this race for Governor." He was right. Not only was Minnesota's voter turnout the highest in the USA, but one in eight voters said they might have skipped the election if Ventura wasn't on the ballot. Jesse's core supporters were young voters under 30 and self-described independents. In Minnesota, the world turned upside down.
As Governor-Elect, Jesse moderated his rhetoric. "I will do the
best job I am capable of doing. ... I'm not a rebel. I'm not coming on
board to create some sort of rebellion." He changed his moniker to Jesse
"The Mind" Ventura, indicating a new leaf.
Still, flashes of the old Jesse shone through. One of the first things the Governor-Elect did was fire a shot at his old adversary, radio talk show host Jason Lewis: "I've got news for you, buddy boy, and I hope you're listening out there, ... 'cuz you know who I'm talking to. I'm renaming you now Mr. Minnesota Wrong. ... Well, Mr. Wrong, stick it where the sun don't shine." On a more sober note, Jesse named Steve Bosacker as Chief of Staff of the Ventura transition team. Bosacker will help Jesse assemble an administration of like-minded spirits. "I'm not sure if any of them will wear boas," though. "I can do the job," Jesse assures us. "It's not like it's transplanting kidneys." Still, Governor Jesse "The Mind" Ventura has his work cut out for him. Though Jesse says his first act as Governor will be to "kick up my feet on a chair and smoke a stogie," he will have to assemble an administration and submit a working budget. To make things worse, Jesse will face a hostile Legislature (D-F-L Senate, GOP House) that doesn't have a single member of his own party. Whether Jesse will do a good job as Governor, or whether he will give the comics and the pundits more to laugh about, remains to be seen. In the meantime, we can admire an achievement which, in a small way, made political history. For more on Jesse Ventura, click to his official site at: www.jesseventura.org/ |
Jesse "The Mind": Governor-elect of Minnesota 
Jesse celebrates his victory. © 1997-98 BEI