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Jesse The Mind (An Out of Body Experience)

Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura is a media sensation. Chris Matthews has invited Jesse to his program several times. The Sunday morning talking heads usher him from the green room to their hallowed tables to discuss the weighty issues of national importance. The weekday morning shows open their arms and embrace serious politicians. Rush Limbaugh has featured Jesse in his monthly newsletter and for a while suggested this was something new.

Wrong.

Forget the pink tights and feather boa—those are irrelevant aspects of his show biz career in the wrestling ring. While there have been some questions as to what Jesse did during the Vietnam War, no one seriously doubts his service under fire.

Between his careers as Jesse the Body and Jesse the Mind, there was Jesse the Mouth. Jesse was the morning drive time host for a local talk radio station. Like so many things, Jesse sounded great until you examined the underpinnings of what he was talking about. Jesse had three recurring themes: the JFK assassination, gun control, and legalization of drugs or prostitution.

Jesse the Mouth had a certain appeal to the black helicopter crowd with his speculation of a government cover up, and his support for the Second Amendment. Interspersed with these ramblings was a theme of victimless crimes. Within the same five minutes Jesse would rail against the evil tobacco companies and proclaim the benevolent properties of marijuana. Contradictory positions have never troubled Jesse the Mouth. Coupled with his support for legalized prostitution is an ardent pro-abortion position.

Jesse the Mind ran on a platform of giving back a four billion dollar state tax surplus (we are still waiting), support for conceal carry reform (the silence is deafening), and more sensible use of the high occupancy vehicle lanes (he is pushing a single light rail train to the tune of one billion dollars).

As Governor he demands people show him the respect due him as the holder of the state’s highest office. Jesse bristles when Joe Soucheray, a local columnist for the Pioneer Press, refers to Jesse as Governor Turnbuckel. He demands respect for the office, but in reality, he is demanding we take him seriously. When elected Jesse pledged to uphold the dignity of his office, but where was that thought in his tell all book I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed, or the Playboy interviews, or his gig refereeing a WWF event at the Target Center?

Jesse represents the politics of celebrity, and he is quite adept at tickling the media’s eager ears. He produces sound bites faster than President Clinton can concoct fibs. Jesse claims he is not beholden to any special interest. Actually, Jesse has a single special interest—Jesse. Unfortunately, the politics of celebrity is a liberal message wrapped in glamour and hype. When all the glitz is stripped away, Jesse is nothing more than liberal who likes guns.

It is a legitimate political position; it is just not mine.

Douglas De Bono / DouglasDeBono.Com Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota E-Mail readermail@DouglasDeBono.Com