Jesse Ventura -- Blue Collar Politician

ieve him when he says, "I stand for the common man because I am him." (2)

Jesse Ventura was not born successful; he wasn't even born "Jesse Ventura", but Jim Janos. He was raised in a middle class, blue-collar family. Before his well-known success as

a pro-wrestler, Ventura was in the Navy SEALs, worked random, blue-collar jobs, and dropped out of Community College. Ventura set out on his campaign by showing voters he was new and original, not just another "cookie-cutter" cutout (3) of all the other politicians. At debates, Ventura wore a Minnesota Timberwolves jacket to clash with his opponents' black-tie suits. His TV commercials were outlandish. The most popular ad was a Ventura's wrestling action-figure beating up on another character named "Special Interest Man" (4). "I don't want your stupid money!" the wrestling figure would growl (5). Ventura appealed to many people by speaking his the truth. For example, when Ventura visited the University of Minnesota, he told the students he feels the government should not be responsible for higher education and would not support any government grants for education. To the surprise of his opponents, his honesty won him more support from college students. According to exit polls, Ventura carried every age group under sixty and every income level under $100,000 (6). Many political analysts believe Ventura would not have won the election had Minnesota not had Election Day voter registration. The state had a phenomenally high voter turnout -- 61%. Nearly seventy percent of voters who registered the same day voted for Ventura. The losers of the election are trying to claim that that statistic proves the election was fraudulent (7). Ventura proved he was the best candidate for the job. He has no party lines to follow and can do what is best for the state, not just himself.

Jesse Ventura's political actions have far exceeded his expectations. Many people doubted him and looked down upon Minnesota as though they were voting for the most popular guy to be prom king. The opposite is true. Thirty-seven percent of the voters voted for the underdog because he made them believe the government can work for them. Ventura has shown that a politician can be honest and successful. He has also instilled the American Dream. He was raised in a working-class home, now he and his children get secret service protection. Garrison Keillor wrote in the days following the election, "Voting for Ventura is like throwing toilet-paper in the trees to piss Dad off." Well, maybe its about time Dad passed along the power. Jesse Ventura is an important symbol of good change in today's government.

Ventura will work on three major issues in his four-year term. The first is reforming the tax system because today too much is taken and used inappropriately (18). At the end of every budget year, any tax dollars left over should be sent back to the people. Politicians today tend to put surplus dollars toward another sports arena, youth center, or convention center. These excess projects force the next generation to pay off our debts on outdated buildings. "I don't feel right taking money from a 31 year-old woman with two kids to help build a football arena for [football star] Randy Moss, who makes millions a year, to play in," (19). Ventura's second goal while in office is public school reform. Most parents would rather see improvement in the public school system than receive vouchers for private education (20). Among Ventura's list of improvements are: keeping primary classes (K-3) to no more than 11 students per instructor and no more than 17 per instructor for 4th trough 8th grades, expect children to read by the end of first grade, require all junior-high students to take a class about parenting and family, create more after-school and summer programs, and most importantly, encourage

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