More than his thin skin and grandiose personality, the worst thing about Ventura was what he did during his tenure as governor. Being a governor worked out well for Ventura, but not for the citizens of Minnesota. Jason Lewis, a former Minnesota talk show host, wrote about Ventura at The Weekly Standard more than a decade ago and described him in a nutshell: “A Playboy interview, appearances on late night television, two book deals, action figures, a million-dollar color commentary contract for the now defunct XFL—politics turned out to be a profitable venture for one James Janos of north Minneapolis. He ran for office on a lark, and lightning struck.”…
Ultimately Ventura was like a giant chocolate Easter bunny: all sweet promises, but hollow inside. As a candidate, Ventura vowed, “As governor, I will veto any new taxes and any increase in existing taxes. And I keep my word.” Yet less than four years later, “the governor proposed body-slamming Minnesota taxpayers to the tune of almost $2 billion in the next biennial budget.” After four years with Ventura at the helm, the annual general fund “ballooned 30 percent, to almost $14 billion.”
It isn’t hard to surmise what Trump would do if elected. No doubt he’d be all bark, no bite. Lewis’s observation of Ventura remains relevant today, when you consider it with Trump in mind: “Perhaps Jesse Ventura’s difficulty in matching his actions with his rhetoric is due to his background as an entertainer. Professional wrestling is built on illusion. Nothing is for real. One might say the same of Ronald Reagan’s pre-political career, but Reagan had one thing Ventura lacks: an ideology.”
Ventura didn’t have time to bleed. Trump doesn’t have time to garner an ideology. And we, the American people, don’t have time for either.
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