I AIN'T GOT TIME TO GOVERN

Earlier today I was pondering the relative receptions of the candidacies of Ahh-nuld here and Jesse "the Body Mind" Ventura back in 1998 over in Minnesota.

LexisNexis is lots of fun, I must say.

There is cause for concern... from an October 98 piece in the Star Trib:

"I'm going to vote for Jesse because he's not a politician," said Jim Klym, a retired Marine who's the post commander and the type of voter who is key to Ventura's gubernatorial candidacy. "You can't pick Coleman - he's a quitter, quit his party, quit as mayor.Dayton, he's an unknown, businessman. Humphrey? Wouldn't vote for him if he was the only one on the ballot. Freeman? He might be pretty good. Doug Johnson's another unknown quantity.

"Jesse alienates a lot of people, but he's got great ideas and he'd get things done. So what if wrestling's just an act - politics is a bigger act than wrestling."

Oh god. Do we have a lot of people like that here? I imagine that while Minnesotans, may, per capita, consume a lot more alcohol than we do (leading to such electoral results), California may have the edge in general disillusionment with the state government (Republicans with their weak delegation, Democrats with Davis) which, coupled with the generally uninspiring set of candidates, could set the stage for a Ventura-style Arnold victory. And does this sound familiar?

"You're going to find out I'm a fiscal conservative, but when it comes to social issues, I'm moderate to liberal."

The California GOP, with its distaste for moderates, may put some pressure on Schwarzy to backpedal from some of his liberal social views (gay rights, abortion, etc). Either way, it could be a wedge issue that someone like Simon or McClintock takes advantage of, allowing the CA GOP to split the vote, and thus, do what it always does: 1) aim gun at foot, and 2) shoot.

For some background on Ventura's pre-campaign experience, here's a snippet from a January 98 Star Trib piece from when he announced:

Ventura was elected to Brooklyn Park's part-time mayor's job in 1990 as a leader of a group of disgruntled citizens who felt City Hall had become unresponsive and rude. He won 63 percent of the vote, knocking out an 18-year incumbent.

From the first council meeting, to which he wore a black bandana on his head, to the end of his four-year term, when he led another council meeting while wearing an orange football jersey with "Hizzoner" stenciled on the back, Ventura was a colorful and controversial figure.

He often battled city staff and other council members. But he also presided over a drop in the city's crime rate and a resurgence in economic development - both of which he took partial credit for. He also survived an attempt by another council member to have him thrown out of office for buying a home in Maple Grove and allegedly living there while he was still Brooklyn Park mayor; an administrative law judge ruled in his favor.

This means one thing: As amused as people were by Ventura's announced candidacy in Minnesota, it is clear that he was far more qualified than Arnold is in 2003!

ONE LAST THOUGHT THAT CAME TO ME... One of the major Dem candidates, either Bustamante or Garamendi, would do very well to slightly doctor Davis' old 98 slogan:

"EXPERIENCE MUSCLES CAN'T BUY"

Not likely, but . . . heh.