Jesse Ventura Speaks Out

The former governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, recently appeared on Larry King and weighed in on several things, notably the Presidential race. Link via Huffington Post.

I haven't watched the entire interview yet, but Ventura always makes for good television. It's a pity that the news media essentially assigns him the role of the obscure, mysterious relative at a family reunion: always entertaining to listen to, but never to be taken seriously.

Admittedly, I do not remember much about Ventura's tenure as Minnesota's governor. In retrospect, considering Minnesota's heavy Democratic influence, Ventura's election should be considered nothing short of incredible. Of course, he enjoyed a high amount of name recognition because of his wrestling career, a theme that no doubt resonated well with younger voters. I watched a few of his debates, read a few things about him in the local newspapers, but was far from a Ventura activist.

However, whenever Ventura's name comes up I am reminded of two things: an exchange with a single mother in rural Minnesota during his gubernatorial campaign, and his appearance on "The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch" in 2005.

I remember being shocked at Ventura's callousness during his exchange with the single mother on the campaign trail. The single mother had asked whether or not a Ventura Administration would support increased child support payments for single mothers. Ventura said no, then asked the woman a rhetorical question (I'm paraphrasing) "Why should the government finance your mistake--what about the other, more responsible people who chose to wait until they could afford to have children?"

Granted, Ventura's categorization of the woman's decision to have a child as a "mistake" is a little harsh. That was my initial reaction--how dare Ventura attack that poor woman for having children! After all, this wasn't some staged WWF interview, this was real life--how could he say something like that? Ventura wasn't known for political tact; in fact, Ventura's Wikipedia page has a lengthy section devoted solely to controversy.

Such naive diagnosis confuses the larger issue, however. Instead of examining Ventura's reasons for opposing increased child support, I chose to get upset. Of course, in my wise old age (ha) I understand why altruistic programs like increased child support payments for single mothers only makes the existing problem worse.

The second Ventura memory I have is more recent. Ventura was doing an interview with Donny Deutsch, and Deutsch asked Ventura for his perspective on the War on Terror. Ventura said he believes Bin Laden has accomplished his objective, and we need to look no further than the usurpation of individual liberties as proof of this fact. Ventura recalls President Bush's post-9/11 admonition that Americans should continue their present lifestyles (and go shopping), for to alter our way of life was to concede victory to the terrorists who attacked us. With a National ID card on our doorstep, increased security at all government buildings and public transportation depots, security cameras everywhere you go, etc. it is difficult to disagree with Ventura's analysis.

It'd be refreshing if one news station took a gamble and installed Ventura as a permanent analyst on one of their shows. While Ventura's political leanings are more centrist than libertarian, his criticism of both parties--and government in general--would be a welcomed reprieve from the reality TV-like "debates" over present candidates.