Jesse Ventura: Politics Is a Dirty Business

Daniel Trahan from New York writes: Jesse. You're the man!Respect you 100%. I believe that polititicians in high office, especially the president, make or allow such bad laws and acts that they must have been threatened by the powerful elite. Do you believe our presidents are being threatened to 'toe the line' or else?

Jesse Says:

I don’t know. I guess I’ve never been to the level of power and elite.  Nobody has threatened me yet but I’ve only been a governor. I never had political blackmail.

I didn’t accept any special interest money or take any PAC money. So I had nothing that I could be blackmailed over. So what they did to me, they assassinated my character. They never attacked me on policy, they always attacked me personally. That’s when they went after my kids! They stooped to a low level.

They couldn’t blackmail me because there was nothing to blackmail with. What were they going to blackmail me with? I was open and honest to the people. Before I ran I said sure I’ve smoked pot. I drank underage too. I did all sorts of stuff when I was a kid. But see if you get it out in the open before the people elect you then it’s not an issue. That’s what I did.

I don’t think I was ever in a position to be subjected to blackmail or any type of thing like that. I can’t say that it won’t happen to me. They would take any opportunity to get anybody any way they can. Politics is the dirtiest business in the world.

-Jesse Ventura

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Alfredo Haro from Chicago asks: Due to your victory in '98, the Reform Party gained a lot of prominence. However after Pat Buchanan infiltrated the party during the 2000 election, it has fallen off the rails and into obscurity. What's your opinion on the current state of the Reform Party and do you think we will ever see a rise of a third party similar to the Reform Party that could realistically challenge the Democrats and Republicans?

Jesse Says:

You could possible see a rise of the 3^rd party, but it would be very difficult.

The problem with the Reform Party was Ross Perrot wouldn’t let it get beyond him. When we tried to grow the party bigger then Perrot in the 1996 election we had former 3-time governor Richard Lamm of Colorado all set to be out nominee. Then Perrot came in and undercut Lamm.

Then Pat Buchanan came in 2000 and undercut the party, got the nomination, got the money and then didn’t even run. That’s when I quit the party.

There’s always the possibility of another party rising up but it would be very difficult because the two parties control the system. They team up together to make sure a 3^rd party never rises up.

-Jesse Ventura

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Chris Rizzo from MI asks: Jesse, You tell your viewers and devotees to "stay vigilant". If you are in a narcotized stupor from Maui wowee, how can you be vigilant?

Jesse Says:

Advocating for the legalization of drugs does not mean you’re advocating using them. There’s a difference you know.

I advocate legalization because I don’t think people should go to jail for something someone decides to put in their own body. I’m not advocating for people to get hopped up on drugs. But I am advocating the legalization of them because people shouldn't go to prison for addiction. I’ve said it a thousand times that addiction is a medical problem. It’s not a criminal one. It shouldn’t be dealt with criminally; it should be dealt with medically.

There’s addiction to caffeine. Look at all the people in America who would commit murder if they didn’t get their cup of coffee in the morning. There’s also the fact that medicinal marijuana has caused the use of opium deaths to drop 25%. Did you know that? Did you know that right now, opiates are causing more deaths than homicide? There are more opiate deaths in Minnesota with the use of prescribed opiates than there are homicides. And yet opiates are completely fine to give everybody.

I’m not advocating for people to use drugs. I’m just advocating that they shouldn’t go to jail if they do.And besides in this world today, you probably need drugs.

-Jesse Ventura

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