What is your opinion on Jesse Ventura?

[Stomatopod]

I always liked Jesse. To me he is like the most quintessentially american guy ever. Just the image of a loud and proud, working class, patriotic veteran riding a Harley with a gun in one hand and an American flag in the other. How is that "muscular class" vibe not resonating with the Trumpists? He will even entertain the conspiracy nuts.

Unlike Trump he is an actual tough guy and his heart is in the right place. But I doubt that he would be competent enough to be the president. He is a bit of a circus act. But still his populist appeal is something that could be harnessed. 

[DocWatts]

I think Jesse Ventura, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger, are good indicators of what a Healthy and Functional Conservative political party might look like in America. In the case of Jesse Ventura, credit where credit is due for being able to run for governor as a Third Party Candidate and actually win, considering the obstacles that third parties face. The Reform Party, for its brief existence, could have been a relatively Healthy Alternative for Conservative Voters to turn to, rather than the open kleptocracy that the Republican Party has devolved to; being actually concerned with fiscal responsibility (rather than using it as a smokescreen for kleptocratic policy), and actually concerned with government overreach (ie Civil Liberties violations).

That said, I do know that Jesse Ventura was a noted Conspiracy Theorist throughout much of his political career. In his case, I haven't heard him say anything obviously stupid about Pandemic Denial or Election Fraud over the last year, so it's possible he might have eased off on some of that stuff. And while Jesse Ventura doesn't consider himself a Conservative per se, there's enough overlap where I could see him being able to appeal to at least some Conservatives and Libertarians.

Hearing him go off on billionaires, it's encouraging to see how his political views have evolved over time; when he was active in Politics in the nineties his political philosophy was probably closer to Centrist (rather than Conservative leaning) Libertarianism. Evolving political views is something we should normalize.

As an aside, I've believed for years that CEO/Executive pay should be capped at some Multiple of what thier lowest paid employee earns (say 40 times as much for the sake of argument, the actual number can debated). What we really need is some sort of shared economic incentives between the poorest and richest people in our society, because otherwise we're setting ourselves up for a fragmented society vulnerable to societal collapse.

Edited February 19, 2021 by DocWatts

[Stomatopod]

 

1 hour ago, DocWatts said:

That said, I do know that Jesse Ventura was a noted Conspiracy Theorist throughout much of his political career. In his case, I haven't heard him say anything obviously stupid about Pandemic Denial or Election Fraud over the last year, so it's possible he might have eased off on some of that stuff.

Yes, but his conspiracism was nothing like the QAnon/David Icke kind. He never pretended to know something he didn't know. It was always about asking questions and wanting more transparency from government. Apparently, on Covid-19 he is spot on (IMO):

[Preety_India]

What's this fad about populism and why is it needed?

 

[Stomatopod]

4 hours ago, Preety_India said:

What's this fad about populism and why is it needed?

Unfortunately in the current political climate, if you don't put forth a left leaning populist, there will be another Trump. Biden only barely squeaked by, and he did so by not campaigning. People on the left can't even pretend to be excited by that old robotic fossil.

There's a huge segment of the US population that simply are not interested in politics, economics, or philosophy. They are mostly concerned with things like finding work, paying the bills, taking care of their families, saving up for retirement, etc. At the end of the day, they just want to relax and watch some Netflix or ESPN. They are caught in the treadmill. But they are not stupid. They know that they are being screwed over and lied to. They hate politicians, and they don't trust the media. 1/3 of the US don't even bother voting, and most of the voters don't have the faintest idea what the actual policies are.

These people are never going to be swayed by some egghead talking about economics in language they can barely understand. They want it real stupid, like "Drain the swamp", "Lock her up". The problem was Trump is such a colossal liar and con artist that didn't mean a word of what he said. He did nothing for his supporters. In fact he screwed them over more than anyone. But they still support him, because he tapped right into that emotional lizard brain with his fake populist rhetoric.

That's why an honest populist would be devastating to the status quo. Someone who will not divert people's anger away from the real problems. Bernie was pretty decent and did a good job. But he is far too polite to bring the thunder to someone like Trump. Imagine Jesse Ventura in a debate with Trump. I swear he would call him a chickenhawk coward to his face and challenge him to a fight. He would bully the hell out of a fake tough guy. Red America would eat that up. And I'm sure he could sell progressive policies to Trump supporters. They just need it wrapped in the right packaging and delivered with the right amount of emotion.

[DocWatts]

6 hours ago, Stomatopod said:

 

Yes, but his conspiracism was nothing like the QAnon/David Icke kind. He never pretended to know something he didn't know. It was always about asking questions and wanting more transparency from government. Apparently, on Covid-19 he is spot on (IMO):

Thanks for clearing that up, as that seems like an important distinction to keep in mind. Never disliked Jesse Ventura, but his affinity for some forms of Conspiracism always made me a bit hesitant about the guy. Seems like he's on the more benign end of that spectrum from the sound of it.

Edited February 19, 2021 by DocWatts

[Preety_India]

I think he has a very affable personality.