Jesse ‘The Senator’ Ventura?

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Minnesota is set to host one of the nation’s highest-profile Senate races this year — between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and former funny man Al Franken. But one-time Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura (immortalized in Predator) recently told the Associated Press that he’s not satisfied with those choices:

“I’ve learned after 56 years you never say never. I have no intention at this point in time, but who knows, that could change.” He said that he’s watching the Senate race with interest, and that “I’m not very pleased with either candidate…” “I would think we certainly could do a whole lot better in the state of Minnesota,” Ventura said.

To the extent that Ventura’s philosophy can be safely characterized, he’d probably be considered a libertarian. He supports legal abortion and prostitution, opposed mandatory recitation of the pledge of allegiance, favored tax cuts and a downsizing of the government, as well as expanded trade with China. He’s also been an equal-opportunity offender — insulting most major electoral constituencies at one time or another. If Ventura got into the race, it’s hard to imagine that there wouldn’t be at least 30 percent or so of the Minnesota electorate willing to consider voting for him. That alone would make him a legitimate candidate. It’d also be nice to see if Franken is willing to pick on someone bigger than he is, for a change.

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