BY DOUG JENNESS
ST. PAUL, Minnesota - Minnesota's new governor, Jesse
Ventura, closed his inaugural address here on January 4 with
"hooyah," the greeting of the Navy SEALs. His 10-minute speech
was peppered with references to his toughening in the Navy's
special elite unit, and he read a message from his former
instructor. Eight of his SEAL buddies were on hand for the
swearing in, including three who stood behind him in dress
blues and saluted him at the conclusion of the ceremonies.
The SEALs' presence underscored the "tough guy" image Ventura has been projecting during his election campaign and since his election in November.
A former wrestler who likes to be called "the Body" and a member of the Navy SEALs for four years, Ventura presents himself as physically strong, even violent - a Bonapartist figure who can stand above the partisan conflicts of the Democrats and Republicans.
In the national spotlight since becoming the first Reform Party candidate to be elected for statewide office anywhere in the country, many of the newspaper and TV interviews with him have put a spotlight on his experience in the Navy. A front- page article, "SEALing His Fate," in the January 3 issue of the St. Paul Pioneer Press quoted extensively from a chapter by Ventura in a book of reminiscences, The Teams: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs.
One of the items, not only revealing about Ventura but about the arrogance and brutality of the U.S. military forces in other countries, relates to Ventura's experience in the Philippines. He is quoted as saying that just outside the Subic Bay Naval base "was a mile of road that held something like 350 bars and 10,000 girls.... We went out bar-hopping every night."
The same Pioneer Press article quoted Ventura bragging, days before his inauguration, about his involvement, together with other U.S. soldiers, in the degrading treatment of Filipina women who were prostitutes. As in all other interviews about his experience in the Navy, Ventura pointedly said he would uphold the SEALs' code of silence about their military missions.
Even before Ventura was sworn in as governor and the Minnesota National Guard's commander in chief, the Guard began to use Ventura's military experience in its recruiting efforts. In a large mailing last month, brochures featuring a snapshot of the governor-elect were sent to high school juniors. Initial reports from Guard officials indicate that recruitment was running more than twice the usual rate.
In an hour-long television interview with C-Span, Ventura presented a wide range of sometimes conflicting views, as he did during the campaign, aimed at appealing to a broad range of people. He pointed to the "missing in action" bracelet he wears, and then said his first political demonstration was a protest against reinstating the draft, because student deferrals were a way for the wealthy to stay out of war. He described going with his wife to a rally supporting the Equal Rights Amendment for women.
Opposes social benefits
At the same time Ventura has been cultivating his tough-guy
image, he has also been pressing the theme that people should
cope with economic and social difficulties as individuals or
families and not look to the government to organize financing
for education, medical assistance, child care, and other social
benefits.
In a radio call-in show on Minnesota Public Radio the day after he assumed office, the new governor contended that education, child care, relief for the homeless, and so on are not rights.
The only social right is to go out there and compete, he said. When asked about the state-subsidized MinnesotaCare health insurance program, Ventura said, "Competition pushes prices down - not socializing and monopolizing." When asked what he would do about homelessness, he replied, "We have charities, don't we?" And then added, "There are some people that choose to be homeless."
During a meeting last month at North Hennepin Community College students asked him to explain his views on public financing for college education. According to the Pioneer Press, Ventura argued, "I don't want government raising our children. I want parents raising our children." If they don't have enough money, he said, "the government cannot be the answer." Asked about students who are single mothers, he replied, "Why is she a single mother?"
"Because the guy ain't around," a woman called out.
"Then let's get the guy," Ventura said.
"What if he is in prison?" the woman replied.
There are exceptions to every rule, Ventura said, but he questioned why a woman would get involved with a man who would go to prison.
In the weeks following his election and leading up to his inauguration, the governor-elect has cultivated the populist image of someone who represents all Minnesotans, regardless of political affiliation and views. He spoke to meetings of farmers, veterans, high school and college students, state government employees, and union officials. His inaugural party January 16 will feature rock singer Jonny Lang and has been dubbed "The People's Celebration."
When he met with the Minnesota AFL-CIO Executive Committee, Ventura sharply rebuked the 40 officials present for not supporting the Reform Party ticket. The labor officialdom, he said, needs "to start looking beyond the Democratic Party, looking for a bigger vision than just what the Democratic Party has been." He hit a sore point when he stressed that the labor officials had backed a loser. He also commented that he was "not a big supporter of the minimum wage."
Bill Peterson, the AFL-CIO secretary treasurer said that even before Ventura's verbal spanking, some members of the executive council had begun pursuing other political avenues. `It's evident that the way we're going we haven't been very successful,' he said." According to the December 16 Union Advocate, AFL-CIO President Bernard Brommer said the leadership of the state labor organization is "ready to roll up our sleeves" to help Ventura be a successful governor.
Proposals for tighter ballot restrictions
Important sectors of the ruling class in Minnesota are
concerned about the strains on the two-party setup that the
Ventura victory signify and are urging more roadblocks to the
development of a multiparty situation. For example, a November
22 editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Too Many
Parties? Raise "major party' threshold," calls on the state
legislature to raise the 5 percent vote threshold for major
party status to 10 percent or higher of the vote in the
previous election.
"Major party" status allows candidates to receive public campaign funds and to be booked in many more media debates. The editorial complains that not only has the Reform Party crossed this threshold, but in the 1998 election the Taxpayers Party also cleared this hurdle.
Meanwhile, several Republican politicians have announced that they are leaving the GOP and will seek the Reform Party nomination in the next elections.