Salem State College Series

Jesse Ventura
"Former Governor Jesse Ventura"

8:00 p.m.
Thursday
April 15, 2004

History was made in 1998 when former pro wrestler, actor and Reform party candidate Jesse Ventura was elected the 38th governor of the state of Minnesota, beating the state's well-known attorney general, Hubert H. Humphrey III, and the mayor of St. Paul, Norm Coleman.

Ventura's victory sent shock waves through the establishment. Not only was he not from an established party (He was the only Reform party candidate ever to hold the office of Minnesota governor.), he was unconventional in many others as well. He joined the Navy right after high school and trained as a Navy SEAL. For 11 years, he was a professional wrestler, fighting under the name Jesse 'The Body' Ventura. Following his retirement from the ring, he turned to acting, appearing in a number of films, including "Predator" with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Perhaps most unconventional of all, however, was - and is - his tendency to be his own person and speak his own mind regardless of what decorum, party politics and conventional wisdom deems the 'right' answer.

Outspoken and straightforward, Jesse Ventura, during his gubernatorial campaign and time in office, endeared himself to many throughout the country who felt it was time for a politician who was beholden to no one, and who dared to speak the truth as he saw it. Ventura attracted many who had never voted before, and strived throughout his term in office to keep new voters engaged in the political process. His idea of good politics was enacting "common sense policies" that would reduce reliance on government. Some have compared his life story to "Rocky" meets "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". Ventura himself began using the moniker Jesse 'The Mind' Ventura, no doubt playing on his old professional wrestling persona.

In his books ("I Ain't Got Time to Bleed: Reworking the Body Politic From the Bottom Up"; "Jesse Ventura's Passionate Primer About American Government"; "Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is: America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks Out About Government" and "Do I Stand Alone?") he espouses his beliefs about government, including his belief that most "candidates are selling themselves to the highest bidder" and that the two major parties are manipulated by special interests.

At the completion of his first term, Jesse Ventura elected not to stand for re-election. Since February of this year, in fact, he has been a visiting fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics (IOP), where he continues to regale students with his straightforward style and unique take on the body politic. Indeed, one of his seminars is entitled "Body Slamming the Political Establishment: Third Party Politics."

For the politically disheartened, Ventura continues to offer a breath of fresh air by challenging ideas of traditional government and working to find solutions rather than focusing on criticisms.