Having watched this video, there's one thing that I now resolutely believe. Jesse Ventura is a model politician. Well, Ventura has been out of government for nearly seven years, so he's not really a politician anymore. He declined a second term of governor of his home state of Minnesota for personal reasons. His wrestling career is well and truly over, he hasn't tried any wrestling resuscitation attempts, unlike certain individuals. He's resigned himself to the roles of public speaker, author and political commentator. So I should rather say that Jesse Ventura is a model to those with an aspiring career in politics. He has some very important lessons in politics, that perhaps we either need to remember or teach ourselves.
What makes Ventura different is that instead of taking a side in the now very dull and boring battle between Democrats and Republicans, Ventura stood as an independent in the Minnesota gubernatorial election 1998. Broadly speaking, he could be identified as a libertarian, once stating "I want Democrats out of the boardroom and Republicans out of my bedroom." Yet he's a far cry from political commentators on radio and TV who like to call themselves libertarian, but are really closet Republicans. It is not very easy to pigeonhole him. In this sense, he is a true role model to political independents.
In America, one has to be either a liberal/Democrat or a conservative/Republican. It's pretty much the same in the UK. Only the Conservative Party and the Labour Party realistically have a chance of getting into power. Political independents and moderates are really without a home in both countries, and in order for one's vote to count, they end up having to vote for one of the two. What Ventura demonstrated and emphasised is the importance of third parties in the political arena. A true multiparty democracy is not one in which the leadership of the country rotates between two political parties.
As you will have seen in the video, Ventura publicly questions the government on a number of issues, ranging from the use of torture on terror suspects, the conduct of the War in Iraq and even the official explanations regarding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has shown us that it is not unpatriotic to question one's government. In fact, in the American tradition, NOT fairly criticising the government is unpatriotic. I remember the words of Mark Twain: "the only rational form of patriotism is loyalty to your country, and loyalty to the government when it deserves it."
Justifiable criticism of the government is rarely seen these days. Nobody has thought of properly taking Tony Blair to task over the War in Iraq or his role in ruining the British economy for generations to come. Jesse Ventura has shown us the importance of remembering that patriotism comes from the heart, and should not be rooted in love of the government. It should be rooted in the true values and ethics that your country espouses, and from which it derives its political institutions.
So, if you have an aspiring career in politics, remember your old friend Jesse Ventura. Remember that true democracy is not a battle between two competing political parties, and that fealty to your government is not a prerequisite for being a patriot. The real patriots of their countries are the ones who are speaking their minds and questioning their governments.
What makes Ventura different is that instead of taking a side in the now very dull and boring battle between Democrats and Republicans, Ventura stood as an independent in the Minnesota gubernatorial election 1998. Broadly speaking, he could be identified as a libertarian, once stating "I want Democrats out of the boardroom and Republicans out of my bedroom." Yet he's a far cry from political commentators on radio and TV who like to call themselves libertarian, but are really closet Republicans. It is not very easy to pigeonhole him. In this sense, he is a true role model to political independents.
In America, one has to be either a liberal/Democrat or a conservative/Republican. It's pretty much the same in the UK. Only the Conservative Party and the Labour Party realistically have a chance of getting into power. Political independents and moderates are really without a home in both countries, and in order for one's vote to count, they end up having to vote for one of the two. What Ventura demonstrated and emphasised is the importance of third parties in the political arena. A true multiparty democracy is not one in which the leadership of the country rotates between two political parties.
As you will have seen in the video, Ventura publicly questions the government on a number of issues, ranging from the use of torture on terror suspects, the conduct of the War in Iraq and even the official explanations regarding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has shown us that it is not unpatriotic to question one's government. In fact, in the American tradition, NOT fairly criticising the government is unpatriotic. I remember the words of Mark Twain: "the only rational form of patriotism is loyalty to your country, and loyalty to the government when it deserves it."
Justifiable criticism of the government is rarely seen these days. Nobody has thought of properly taking Tony Blair to task over the War in Iraq or his role in ruining the British economy for generations to come. Jesse Ventura has shown us the importance of remembering that patriotism comes from the heart, and should not be rooted in love of the government. It should be rooted in the true values and ethics that your country espouses, and from which it derives its political institutions.
So, if you have an aspiring career in politics, remember your old friend Jesse Ventura. Remember that true democracy is not a battle between two competing political parties, and that fealty to your government is not a prerequisite for being a patriot. The real patriots of their countries are the ones who are speaking their minds and questioning their governments.
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