Blog House: In or out? Ventura's gone from Jesse the body to Jesse the tease

If you thought the Minnesota Senate race was already a circus, then take heart -- it might be getting a third ring next week.

In an interview on National Public Radio, former Gov. Jesse Ventura hinted strongly that he was considering running as an independent against Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

At one point in the interview, Ventura said, "I run because it angers me ... All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: If you were in a dark alley, which one of the three of us would you want with you?"

As soon as the story hit the wires, Ventura clarified that he wasn't declaring, but just thinking out loud. Poor Jesse must have been mortified. We all know how he hates being the center of attention.

He will announce his decision next week, but bloggers are already imagining a three-way race. Like Sally K. Smith at Wonkette (1):

Now that he has finally defeated Flash Gordon, the former despised governor of Minnesota looks like he'll try to be that great state's next senator. His opponents: Hobo King Norm Coleman, and Michael Kinsley's boyfriend Al Franken. His chances of winning: pretty much zero. ... Norm Coleman will win this thing in a landslide, and maybe he will be able to afford a real apartment someday.

Even if he were to make the race, could he win? Jeff Fecke at the Blog of the Moderate Left (2) thinks so.

Jesse starts with support in the mid-twenties, which is roughly four times what he started with in 1998. And given that Al Franken trails badly right now ... well, is it impossible to think that some DFLers may decide that if Franken can't get over the top, better Jesse than Norm? The biggest thing this does is flip the chess board over. Up until now, Coleman has tried to make the race about Franken's personal issues ... But that strategy won't work as well in a three-man race. Moreover, the Franken strategy of attacking Coleman won't necessarily pull votes over to him -- grumpy Republicans and grumpy Democrats alike may put their faith in Gov. Turnbuckle.

Cubby Chaser at Indecision 2008 (3) focuses on Ventura's alley comment.

[T]hat's probably most appropriate way to choose our elected officials. But I'm not sure that, based upon that logic, Ventura is gonna get the results he wants. First of all, Ventura just told us that he's angry, and we know he's pretty huge. And if I remember correctly from watching the WWF as a kid, he's kind of shiftless and unpredictable. For all I know, he'd take advantage of the darkness of the alley to whack me with a folding chair.

Conservative firebrand Jesse Helms, former senator from North Carolina, died last week at age 86. He leaves a legacy of racism and homophobia that will outlive any of his accomplishments.

Andrew Sullivan (4) wasn't feeling very charitable.

[S]ince he spent his life doing all he could to make my gay brothers and sisters marginalized, hated and dead, it is hard to feel what a Christian should. And since he was personally responsible for removing my chance to become an American, and his legacy of hatred toward those struggling with HIV is still alive, forgive me for finding forgiveness hard. But may he rest in the peace he so wanted to deny so many others -- because they were different from him.

But the Idaho Conservative at The Next Right (5) told his readers to look at the big picture when examining the life of Helms.

If not for Jesse Helms, Reagan would have had a harder time getting things done, and all that Cold Warrior stuff had a huge impact on the lives of many people. ... And it is this Jesse Helms we ought to remember and to honor, not as a man free from faults. But as a man who defended those behind the Iron Curtain and the unborn. Someone, who helped build a conservative movement. He was a flawed man, but a man who loved his country and left behind far more good than bad.

Chris in Paris at AMERICAblog (6) chimed in on the University of Minnesota student facing felony charges for putting his vote up for bid on eBay.

When you think about how much respect for democracy the country has shown in recent years, you have to scratch your head and wonder. Was it the war-frenzy based on non-existent WMD? The invasion of a another country, killing tens of thousands of people to settle a family grudge and help Big Oil get new contracts? Congress forgiving the telecom industry from spying on citizens? The regular smear campaigns? So-called defenders of marriage who are unable to defend their own non-marital affairs? It's tricky to say why this young student is so distant from our current democracy.

tobrien@startribune.com

SEE FOR YOURSELF WHERE TO FIND THE BLOGS

1 Wonkette • wonkette.com

2 Blog of the Moderate Left • moderateleft.com

3 Indecision 2008 • blog.indecision2008.com

4 Andrew Sullivan • andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com

5 The Next Right • thenextright.com

6 AMERICAblog • americablog.com

Editor's note: Blog excerpts are not edited for style or spelling.

The Hollywood cesspool has once again used its siren song to indoctrinate our children. The latest travesty? The Pixar cartoon "WALL•E." The liberal mafia wants us to believe it's about a lonely robot who finds love. What is it really? Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" with more realistic-looking characters. What's next? A version of Pinocchio in which the puppet's nose only grows when he's lying about WMD? Why can't cartoons be family fare again, like the one where the hunter bags a deer?