Yes, as in former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. A couple of weeks ago one of the local TV stations broadcast a short interview in which he stated that he hadn’t decided yet, but felt he had a credible chance. It’s an interesting statement, partly because of what he has going for him, and partly in self-analysis of my (and wife’s reaction), which was a slight shock of disbelief, which is no doubt due to his former career as a pro wrestler.
So throw out the emotional reaction, as important as it may be in analyzing his chances, and look at what he brings to the table:
- Military Service – Navy from late 1969 – Sep 1975, member of Underwater Demolition Team.
- Highly credible career as a wrestler, along with being an actor
- Has a wife and children (important to the electorate)
- Mayor of Brooklyn Park, MN (four years)
- Governor of MN – 1 term. The link gives Wikipedia’s summation of his political positions, which seems accurate and quite progressive for the time: for gay marriage, for example. As I recall, his administration was considered to be quite competent and nearly scandal free, with a problem with someone in the DNR, I believe. He was a trifle thin-skinned about his privacy.
- Quite charismatic.
Compare to the GOP contenders. Jeb Bush ran a state, perhaps relatively competently, for two terms; Huckabee comes off less well, with hints of scandal. Fiorina is more or less an incompetent at high posts, while Carson is a brilliant surgeon but doesn’t appear to know much about the principles of American government. Trump is Trump – near bankruptcy, then success, bankruptcy, user of condemnation proceedings, no public service experience – his focus is money. Rubio is a midget next to Ventura in terms of experience, as is Cruz. And etc.
It’s rather eye-opening. Toss out the emotions, and Ventura actually comes off rather well against that side. But it’s not clear to me how much foreign policy experience would be available in a Ventura Administration. Clinton has him badly beat there, and Sanders has at least some as well.
No endorsement here – like his gubernatorial run, I’d have to hear more before I’d consider him worth voting for. But I did vote for him in that race, and I would have reelected him – the State did well, despite all the outrage from the professional political class, but when the politicians got together to put together a particularly disastrous budget, he stepped out and let someone else take that gig. Minnesota struggled under Governor Pawlenty, partially because of that budget.
