Ventura promotes third-party politics out West

By JIM RAGSDALE

June 14, 2000 Web posted at: 12:16 PM EDT (1616 GMT)

MONTEREY, California (St. Paul Pioneer Planet) -- Gov. Jesse Ventura, lured here by policy as well as Pebble Beach's famed links, gave northern California students a taste of well-worn Jesseisms on Monday in his role as the star attraction of a forum on presidential politics.

Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura in February

Ventura told his host, former Clinton Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, and a small group of students about his govern-from-the-center philosophy and his belief that American voters need options beyond Democratic and Republican candidates.

He said he thinks former Republican presidential contender John McCain would have made a perfect third-party candidate and said he was disappointed that McCain endorsed the presumed Republican nominee, Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

``He lost an opportunity to be the national Jesse Ventura,'' Ventura said in a question-and-answer session with students at California State University-Monterey Bay. He added that he was once offered a presidential ballot slot in all 50 states by a political party but again said he is not interested in running for president.

Ventura could not remember the name of the party that made the offer. (His spokesman, John Wodele, said a combination of two groups, the Libertarian and Natural Law parties, discussed the possibility with Ventura advisers a year ago, but nothing came of it.)

``Our problem today is that when you talk third party, you tend to get a lot of fringe people,'' Ventura said. ``Not truly centrists like I am. I'm fiscally conservative but I'm socially liberal, which doesn't put me in either camp. If we had a solid third-party candidate, I think he could win.''

Ventura conducted a news conference, spoke to about 30 college students and addressed a gathering in downtown Monterey, the fourth event in a lecture series exploring the presidency from various angles. Panetta has described Ventura as an important voice in the political cacophony, and called him ``the most recognized governor in the country.''

Panetta, a northern California congressman before he joined the Clinton White House, invited Ventura to be the guest speaker on third-party politics for the Panetta Institute, which he and his wife, Sylvia, run on the Cal State campus.

Ventura did not portray himself as a presidential contender, saying that was a creation of the media. And he admitted that a number of important federal issues are beyond him.

Asked his views on the Microsoft breakup, he said, ``I would say that's a little bit out of my league.'' On the prospect of a missile defense shield to protect against nuclear missiles, he was firmly undecided. ``That's above and beyond my expertise when I was in the Navy,'' he said. ``I don't know where I stand on it.''

Asked by a military reservist in the audience about certain mandatory innoculations, he recounted how his daughter, Jade, went into seizures as a toddler after having a required innoculation. ``Today, she's a special-education child because of it,'' Ventura said.

Ventura was on surer ground in critiquing traditional two-party politics in arguing that most politicians, himself included, are underpaid, and in recounting his unsuccessful fight with lawmakers for a one-house Legislature. He spoke against education vouchers and in favor of Second Amendment rights, and he blamed politically connected contributors for getting the Legislature to override his veto of construction money for the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

``You can bet they put the heat on the Legislature -- you're not going to get campaign contributions if you don't pay for this theater,'' he said.

As part of the package, Panetta set up a golf date on Sunday with Ventura and actor Clint Eastwood at the famed Pebble Beach course, which is hosting the U.S. Open this week. Panetta and Ted Balesteri, a local restaurant owner, joined the foursome, which was the last amateur group to play before the Open took over the course.

``It's so beautiful that you're kind of overtaken by that, and the golf in some ways becomes secondary,'' Ventura said of the course, where greens fees are now above $300. ``You also play the conditions of the U.S. Open, so if you miss the fairway, you have to have a caddy just to find your golf ball.''

The governor and first lady Terry Ventura are on a six-day western road trip that began here Saturday evening and will conclude in Los Angeles on Friday. Security for the Venturas and two aides -- Wodele and Chief of Staff Steven Bosacker, who is here for part of the trip -- make up the rest of the governor's party.

Ventura next goes to Los Angeles, where he will conduct tourism-promotion events today; will appear in a segment of ``The Young and the Restless'' soap opera Wednesday; and will be a guest on the ``Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on Thursday. He also might appear on the show ``Politically Incorrect'' and plans to do his weekly radio show from Los Angeles on Friday, after which he will return to the Twin Cities.

Wodele said most expenses for the Venturas themselves are being covered by the Panetta Institute and the Leno program. But costs for security and staff for the trip -- described by the governor's office as ``a combination of business and leisure'' -- are being paid by the state.

CO, Colorado Springs, KKTV CO, Denver KCNC CO, Denver, KWGN IL, Chicago, WGN IL, Decatur, WAND IL, East Peoria, WEEK IL, Quincy, KHQA   IA, Des Moines, KCCI KS, Wichita, KAKE KS, Topeka, KTKA KS, Wichita, KWCH MN, Minneapolis/St. Paul, KMSP MO, Kansas City, KCTV MT, Billings KTVQ   MT, Great Falls, KFBB ND, Fargo, KXJB ON, Barrie, NEWVR ON, Toronto, CITYTV WI, Green Bay, WLUK WI, Milwaukee, WISN