Jesse Ventura's Independence Party is alive and well in Minnesota
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Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota
An e-book now being organized and written by “candidate-journalist” Bob “Again” Carney Jr
www.bobagain.com
Copyright ©, 2014, Robert S. Carney Jr., Minneapolis, MN. All Rights Reserved
Chapter 1 – News and News Analysis
Minneapolis Minnesota, May 28th, 2014 – Public Notice: This is the first chapter of what is
Sixteen years ago the Minnesota Reform intended to be an e-book. I plan to freely distribute
party elected former pro wrestler Jesse the e-book until 12/31/2014 – meaning, that anyone
is licensed to download the .pdf file (or files) – post it
Ventura Governor of Minnesota -- anywhere, and transmit unlimited copies – with one
triggering a state and national avalanche of provision – no one is authorized to copy the content
news and entertainment content as outside of the file -- or to alter the file in any way.
Please note that I can’t afford to do this without
Minnesota and America partied through
figuring out some way to be paid. Accordingly, there
the dot.com bubble. will be more information on how people can pay me –
voluntarily – on my website: www.bobagain.com. The
This year… not so much. most current version of this e-book will be available
for download at that site. The web site will also have
On a sunny Saturday in mid-May, the 2014 links to other web sites I run, and a means for people
remnant of Gov. Ventura’s party -- to post comments about my published materials.
Beyond 12/31/2014 I may put restrictions on further
renamed the Independence Party (“IP”) in
distribution – if I do, that will be announced at
2000 – quietly, almost unobtrusively, held a www.bobagain.com. That’s the plan anyway… but
one day State Convention on the campus of plans change, stuff happens. We’ll see.
Mankato State University, about 80 miles – BobAgain -- bobagaincarneyjr@gmail.com
from downtown Minneapolis. The fifty
delegates launched a slate of five endorsed candidates for statewide office, revised the party platform,
finished on schedule, partied, and then drove home. The IP’s Executive Committee had implemented a
candidate screening process that presented the Convention with only one “qualified” candidate for each
office. The result was a series of unanimous or near-unanimous endorsement votes. During the
endorsement portion of the Convention some other candidates, deemed “unqualified”, were not
allowed to be nominated, to address the Convention, or to be voted on.
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 1of 37None of the five IP endorsed statewide candidates has ever lost an election… or won one. They are all first-time candidates, with no record of public actions or votes to cite or criticize. The August 12th primary will determine if they will advance to the November general election ballot as nominees of the IP. The filing fee is $400 for the U.S. Senate, and $300 for each statewide Constitutional Office – however, because the Governor and Lt. Governor must run together, those two-candidate teams pay a total of $600 to file. All statewide offices except Secretary of State are held by Democrats (called “DFLers “ in Minnesota) who are running for re-election. But this must be said: significant historical elements of Ventura’s era are missing. Gone is the party atmosphere of the 1990’s dot.com bubble economy. Gone also (and apparently banished) are: feather boas (now constricted), moonlighting gigs as a wrestling referee or start-up sports league color commentator, name changers, and boasts that “Our Governor can…”… with a wide variety of possible and unpredictable sentence endings, including “… beat up your Governor”. Only one shiny head remains – U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Terrell shaves his -- as did Gov. Ventura. The non-verbal but front-and-center, photogenic message sent from the Convention to sober, hard- working Minnesota is this: “Our 2014 IP team is a normal, regular bunch of accomplished, civic minded people… we’re NOT politicians… we’re NOT ‘wing nuts’… instead, we’ve teamed up so ‘We the People’ can fix what’s wrong with our government and our political system”. Kevin Terrell, a 50 year old Minneapolis consultant, was endorsed for the U.S. Senate. Terrell’s background includes five years as a defense intelligence analyst, an MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School, and twenty years of business experience in the private sector, including work for McKinsey & Company. He recounted founding a group that successfully opposed an attempt by the FAA to route more Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport flights over densely populated South Minneapolis neighborhoods. Terrell only recently announced his candidacy, but is reported to have actively campaigned for weeks before the Convention, speaking at IP Congressional District conventions and phoning State Delegates. Terrell faces a primary challenge from frequent candidate Jack Shepard, a dentist, convicted felon, and fugitive, who has lived in Italy for decades, and who received 6,632 votes in the 2012 DFL U.S. Senate primary. Hannah Nicollet, a stay at home mom with a software development background, made a last minute switch to seek the endorsement for Governor. In February, Nicollet had announced she was seeking the Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 2of 37
U.S. Senate endorsement. The day before the Convention IP State Chair Mark Jenkins had told Eric
Eskola on Twin Cities Public Television’s widely watched Almanac that the IP was likely to not have an
endorsed candidate for Governor. Nicollet recounted her history of activism, starting as a volunteer for
Reform candidate Ross Perot for President, and leading to her recent support for former Congressman
Ron Paul’s bid for the Republican Presidential nomination. Nicollet faces a likely primary challenge from
two opponents – one is frequent candidate Adam Steele, who received 15,298 General Election votes as
the 2012 IP nominee for the 7th District U.S. Congress -- a second is Captain Jack Sparrow (his legal
name), who ran for Mayor of Minneapolis in 2013.
Steele said of the screening and endorsing process:
“It’s clear the IP chiefs intended to give the delegates only one candidate for each office to vote
for… Their motivation is not material, what is material is that the selection process has to be
participatory and has to be transparent.”
None of the three -- Nicollet, Steele or Sparrow – has an announced running mate for Lt. Governor -- a
requirement for filing.
Pat Dean was endorsed for State Auditor. Dean, a CPA with an extensive business background,
described himself to the Convention as a whistleblower, who was terminated by the Saint Paul Port
Authority. He recounted a series of events leading to a Minnesota Supreme Court case awarding $35
million to plaintiffs who had been creditors of the Port Authority -- Dean saw the result of that case as
vindicating his actions.
Bob Helland, a current state employee with a degree in economics, was endorsed for Secretary of State.
Helland recounted work experience at the Department of Revenue, including “business registration,
fraud detection, electronic filing, training and documentation, and sales and use tax compliance.”
Incumbent DFL Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is not seeking re-election. David Singleton, an
appointed member of the Roseville Human Rights Commission, has filed for the August IP primary,
challenging Helland.
Brandan Borgos, a Saint Thomas Law School graduate and Minnesota NORML Board member, was
endorsed for Attorney General. Borgos told the convention he has practiced in criminal law and family
law, and has been active in expanding Minnesota’s chapter of NORML, a non-profit advocating and
lobbying for legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use for all purposes. He cited reports of unrest and
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 3of 37discontent over incumbent Attorney General Lori Swanson’s administration of the office as a reason for needed change. About half of the Convention’s time was devoted to detailed debate, amendments, and votes on eighteen Platform resolutions. Approved resolutions included: amending the Federal Constitution establishing that only human beings have constitutional rights; legalizing Sunday sales of liquor and automobiles; funding for “adequate rural Minnesota infrastructure”; “made in Minnesota” renewable energy including ethanol; a “local option” to implement Ranked Choice Voting; and providing voters with non-partisan information about the performance of judges. Defeated resolutions included: elimination of tax exemptions for major pro sports; support for “comprehensive, balanced and sustainable funding” for transportation; opposition to higher filing fees for state and local offices; and “eliminating elections for county sheriff, auditor, and recorder”. Analysis: Media Coverage – “the medium is the message” – “truth is subjectivity” During the heyday of “made-in-Minnesota” Gov. Jesse Ventura’s four year term, both he and the IP were catnip for state, national, and often world media. Younger people probably have no concept of the sheer volume of news and entertainment content that bubbled forth following his November 1998 victory. The May 17th IP Convention was at the opposite extreme – much of the time, including through the entire endorsing process, this journalist was the only one present – if you don’t count Delegates. The timing of the Convention was probably a factor in explaining the absence of the media. The Minnesota Legislative Session had ended the night before, after a Thursday session that had gone until well into the morning hours of Friday. State Capitol reporters may have been influenced by fatigue -- and a need to prioritize between digesting and writing up the end-of-session story… or driving down to Mankato for an unfolding story that frankly could wait. The number of delegates participating was widely anticipated to be embarrassingly low. The IP leadership may have wisely planned the Convention so that it would be a kind of “non-event”… preferring not to put on display a “State Convention” with the quote marks clearly visible to TV news viewers. By contrast, the 2010 IP State Convention was well covered by major Minnesota media, and Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 4of 37
filled a good sized auditorium at Normandale Community College, a more accessible Twin Cities campus.
The 2014 screening process was not used in 2010 -- a total of five candidates for Governor were
nominated and addressed the 2010 convention.
Kassandra Sepeda of KEYC TV, News 12, Mankato, a CBS affiliate, said she was at the IP Mankato
Convention in the morning, but left about 11:45 AM, checking in by phone at the end of the day. She did
a short TV news story on the Convention. Wendy Wilde, of KTOE Radio Mankato News said she arrived
about 4 PM and stayed to the adjournment about an hour later. Wilde wrote a summary story, which
was sent on behalf of KTOE to the Minnesota News Network (“MNN”); she said as of Monday afternoon
she had not seen it go out from MNN. Wilde did not know of any other journalist besides Sepeda and
me who had been at the Convention. The Mankato Free Press published a short article with no by-line.
As for Minnesota major media sources, as of the Tuesday evening after the Convention the IP web site --
http://www.mnip.org – had a link to a MinnPost article, but no news release issued from the party. In
addition to the MinnPost article, a Google search for “Minnesota Independence Party Convention
Candidates”, time filtered for Saturday to Tuesday, showed a mixture of results: including a few “major
media” sources -- KSTP TV, Minnesota Public Radio (“MPR”), and the Pioneer Press articles -- but also
including local stories – the Mankato Free Press article, and the accounts from Sepeda and Wilde. The
Google search result was topped off with some aggregators and blogs. The Star Tribune, Minnesota’s
biggest newspaper, had yet to report on the IP Convention.
As made-in-Canada media guru Marshall McLuhan famously observed: “the medium is the message” --
here’s a Wikipedia blurb:
“…in Understanding Media, McLuhan describes the "content" of a medium as a juicy piece of
meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind.[8] This means that people tend
to focus on the obvious, which is the content, to provide us valuable information, but in the
process, we largely miss the structural changes in our affairs that are introduced subtly, or over
long periods of time.[7] As society's values, norms, and ways of doing things change because of
the technology, it is then we realize the social implications of the medium.”
A person looking at my Google search result might click back and forth a few times to the “content” –
finding a few short articles. But here’s the real “message” – in McLuhan’s sense of the word -- that I
think any reasonable person Google-searching person would take from the page one and two results
(who goes further!?): “not much is going on here folks… nothing important… move along…”
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 5of 37Google is not being paid directly to deliver that “message”, but it is a “sponsored” message. The
“sponsors” are our two-party duopoly… and a coalition of status quo special interests, including “big
money media”. These sponsors have a mutual self-interest in preventing a third party from becoming
successful anywhere in America – and in preventing any person or party from figuring out how to
succeed in politics without big money. Collectively, the special interests aligned with and benefiting
from the two-party duopoly, and the media that charges for their advertising -- pay and receive billions
of dollars each year to make sure that you – an existing human being who is reading this article --
personally gets Google’s message.
Do you?!
But as the made-in-Denmark start-up guy for existentialism (and an ordained Lutheran minister) Soren
Kierkegaard also famously observed: “Truth is Subjectivity.”
Wikipedia offers up this summarizing quote from their “Philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard” article:
“What [Kierkegaard] means by this is that most essentially, truth is not just a matter of
discovering objective facts. While objective facts are important, there is a second and more
crucial element of truth, which involves how one relates oneself to those matters of fact. Since
how one acts is, from the ethical perspective, more important than any matter of fact, truth is to
be found in subjectivity rather than objectivity.”
Here’s what this boils down to – and why the IP Convention may be… could be… should be?... the re-
launch of a successful third party movement in Minnesota, that could become a national model:
Google constantly reflects back to us a “message”: “Here’s what’s going on” – with a time filter so we
can see how the message is changing.
Kierkegaard asks (and so do I): “What are you going to do about that “message”?
In the remainder of this long chapter -- and in the e-book it is growing up to become -- I’ll be objectively
and subjectively reporting to you, as a “candidate-journalist” – as someone who functions as both (I’ll be
on the ballot “Again” this summer, and may make it to the fall ballot; more info about what I’m doing
personally is at the end of this chapter), about the Minnesota IP’s attempt to shake up Minnesota
politics “Again” – at a time where we may all be ready for the needed follow-through.
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 6of 37Ranked Choice Voting and the IP’s endangered major party status
The IP enters the 2014 election at a time of high voter unrest -- but also faces the danger of losing the
many benefits of major party status, including:
A party primary on the August ballot. This is far and away the single most important benefit.
Major party candidates can file by paying the filing fee, with no petition required. Each primary
winner appears on the November ballot designated as that party’s candidate. Non-major party
candidates can only be on the November ballot by petition for partisan offices; these include:
U.S. Congress (Senate and House), and state Constitutional Offices: Governor, Lt. Governor,
Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor, and State Legislators. As a practical matter only a
major party has any prospect of obtaining significant representation in the Legislature –
something the IP has never accomplished, and has never really tried hard to accomplish. In
recent General Elections more than 90% of State Legislative elections have had no IP candidate
on the ballot. This is remarkable when you consider that if anyone pays the $100 filing fee that
guarantees an IP candidate will be on the November ballot for that seat.
Eligibility to receive public financing associated with the State Tax Return checkoffs – the IP is
on track in 2014 to receive $313,000, including $219,000 for Governor.
A better chance – but no guarantee -- that the party’s candidates will be invited to debates and
forums.
Protection of the party’s name; by State law it can’t be used by another party.
Eligibility to provide election judges (paid positions), and to have challengers at polling places.
Minnesota Statute § 200.2, Subd. 7 provides that major party status continues for two general elections
following an election that qualifies the party in any of three ways. If a statewide Constitutional office
candidate (or a state Presidential elector or U.S. Senate candidate during Presidential years) receives 5%
or more of the general election vote, the party qualifies as a major party. The IP met that requirement
in 2010, when Tom Horner was endorsed for Governor, won the primary, ran an active and well
financed campaign, and received 11.9% of the vote. However, in 2012 Steven Williams, the IP’s U.S.
Senate primary winner, was not endorsed, had little money, was not included in debates, and won 2.6%
of the vote -- below the 5% threshold. Because 2014 is the second General Election after Horner’s
qualifying performance in 2010, if no IP candidate reaches the 5% threshold this year, IP major party
status will expire.
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 7of 37A second way of qualifying is based on the number of candidates fielded in the last General Election.
However, the IP had fewer than the required minimum of 23 State Senate candidates on the ballot in
2012. Because the State Senate is not on the ballot in 2014, this way of qualifying is not available to the
IP in 2014. If the IP loses major party status in 2014, this route to major party status might be an
insurmountable hurdle -- petitions for nominating about seventy Legislative seats would be needed,
with 500 signatures on each petition. With such a poor record of recruiting Legislative candidates when
only the $100 filing fee is required, the idea of finding seventy people who could each successfully
petition for a ballot spot seems almost impossible.
The third way of qualifying is a petition to the Secretary of State before the close of the Primary filing
period, signed by 5% or more of the statewide vote in the previous election. The IP is not attempting
this in 2014. According to a 2005 Minnesota House Research Report, it appears the IP could not petition
in 2016 for major party status effective in 2016. However (and please note I’m not a lawyer, I’m just
going by the language of Minn. Statute §200.2, Subd. 7 (c)), I find that House Research Report
unconvincing -- it appears to me that if the IP loses major party status in 2014, a successful 2016 petition
could restore the IP to major party status effective for the 2016 primary, and thus for the 2016 General
Election. However, this is also a high hurdle: no party has ever been qualified as a major party by
petition in Minnesota.
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The IP has long advocated Ranked Choice Voting (“RCV”) -- sometimes called “Instant Runoff Voting” or
“Single Transferrable Vote”. This method allows voters to choose a third party candidate without
“throwing away their vote”. The voter can rank candidates on the ballot – if higher choices are
eliminated, the vote is “transferred” from defeated candidates, and can ultimately end up being
counted for either the winner or the second place finisher. Minnesota State and Federal elections use
the traditional “winner take all” system, allowing a vote for only one candidate in single seat contests.
This procedure triggers the powerful and convincing “don’t waste your vote” argument; several past IP
campaigns have withered as the November General Election approached.
Last year Minneapolis held its second RCV Election, and the first with no incumbent Mayor on the ballot
(Mayor R.T. Rybak was re-elected in 2009). Last year’s contest attracted national media attention for
both unusual, off-beat candidates – including Captain Jack Sparrow -- and for the high number (35) who
plopped down the $20 filing fee. Unfortunately, the 2013 Minneapolis RCV procedure allowed voters to
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 8of 37rank only three candidates. If a voter’s first choice was eliminated, there vote was transferred to their second choice; if that choice was eliminated the vote was transferred to their third and final choice. Ballots were termed “exhausted” if that third choice was also eliminated. Limitations of hardware and software were cited by the City as reasons for limiting voters to three rankings. The City determined more than three rankings would have required an expensive hand count. Each Mayoral and City Council candidate in the 2013 Minneapolis election could also list either a political party or a political principle of up to three words by their name on the ballot. Sparrow chose “Count All Rankings”; he opposed limiting the choice to three rankings (Disclosures: I had been on Sparrow’s exploratory committee for Governor, but recently resigned; I originally suggested the phrase “Count All Rankings” to Sparrow). Since last year Sparrow has been one of the leading advocates for both keeping candidate filing fees low, and for procedures that will “Count All Rankings” – making “exhausted” ballots impossible unless a voter freely chooses not to rank some candidates. Historically, the absence of an RCV procedure (or something equivalent) at the State level has greatly harmed the efforts of the IP – and more generally third party movements in Minnesota and throughout the U.S. In 2002, the IP candidate for Governor, former DFL Congressman Tim Penny, was polling even in the three-way race less than a month before the election. However, as the election approached, and the “don’t waste your vote” argument kicked in, his support dropped significantly and he finished at 16%. More of Penny’s earlier support switched to the eventual winner, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The 2002 campaign suggests an IP candidate with a previous major party affiliation tends to hurt the party they left – in Penny’s case, the DFL was hurt. That also appears to have been true in 2010, when former Republican Tom Horner was the IP candidate, and DFL candidate Mark Dayton won narrowly. In 2006, Peter Hutchinson’s campaign never really got off the ground. In early polls he ran about 7% -- however, as the election approached he was not included in some polls. He finished with 6.4%. In 2010, Tom Horner’s IP campaign was well funded and very active, and he was the clear choice of state newspaper editorial boards. However, the incredibly close 2008 U.S. Senate contest between Sen. Al Franken and then-incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman was a recent memory. That contest – ending with Franken’s victory by 312 votes after an eight month recount battle – resulted in a 60 vote Senate majority of Democrats, the minimum needed to pass Obamacare, and may have greatly increased the sensitivity of Minnesota voters to the “don’t waste your vote” argument. Both the 2006 General Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 9of 37
Election for Governor, and the DFL primary won by Dayton had also been decided by one percent
margins. Finally, the “don’t waste your vote” argument gained force from the stark policy differences
between Gov. Mark Dayton, and Republican Tom Emmer.
Horner – whose personality is almost the opposite of Ventura’s -- didn’t generate much in the way of
enthusiasm; his well-financed campaign averaged only around 10% in polls through September. As the
volume of negative ads increased, Horner surged to as high as 19% in a mid-October Saint Cloud State
University poll. However, that wasn’t enough momentum -- as with Penny in 2002, Horner’s support
faded as the election approached and the “don’t waste your vote” fear kicked in. Horner finished with
11.9% in the November General Election.
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Based on the above information, the IP obviously needs to win at least 5% of the Statewide vote for one
of the Constitutional offices in 2014. It appears that the IP’s “clean slate” of “regular guys and gals” is
designed to position it as at least somewhat credible and competitive for all of the offices. Although
Hannah Nicollet clearly lacks the depth of experience of the last three IP candidates for Governor, it
looks like one or more “down ballot” candidates could surpass the 5% threshold even if the IP nominee
for Governor (and we don’t know who that will be until after the primary) doesn’t hit 5%. Here’s a brief
survey of the “down ballot” prospects – excluding Governor for now, and assuming the endorsed
candidates all continue beyond the primary.
State Auditor – Rebecca Otto is the DFL incumbent, and is running for re-election -- Randy
Gilbert is the likely Republican nominee, and Pat Dean is the IP endorsed candidate. At the
Convention Dean struck me as the most impressive of the “down ballot” candidate. But beyond
this, do Minnesotans really care very much who the State Auditor is? Most probably don’t.
There isn’t much damage that a State Auditor can do – (except to some entrenched special
interests and practices). So… this probably won’t be a high-profile race. On the other hand, a
significant percentage of Minnesota voters are diligent, independent minded, “good
government” citizens, who “do their homework” for each statewide race. Many of these people
are likely to vote for Dean. We can add to this the IP “base”—probably 2% or 3% at a minimum
– people who will respond across the ticket to the IP’s reform-minded message: “let’s be
practical and fix things” approach. Dean is likely to be quite critical of Otto, but it is difficult to
tell if he is more likely to take away more votes from Gilbert or Otto. Unless the entire IP ticket
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 10of 37is surging in October, Dean unlikely to draw significant negative campaign from either Otto or
Gilbert. Bottom line: Dean has an excellent chance of meeting the 5% threshold – and it only
takes one for the IP to preserve major party status.
Attorney General – Lori Swanson is the DFL incumbent, and is running for re-election. No
Republican candidate is identified on the state GOP web site, but frequent candidate Sharon
Anderson has filed for the GOP primary; in 2010 Anderson received 46% of the GOP primary
vote running against Convention-endorsed Chris Barden. In 2006 Anderson received 42% of the
GOP primary vote running against Convention-endorsed Jeff Johnson; this year Johnson is a
leading Republican candidate for Governor. It seems unlikely that no “establishment” GOP
candidate will emerge as the Convention’s Attorney General nominee – but it’s possible.
Anderson is likely to make a strong primary race, but Swanson is a strong favorite against any
Republican except Jeff Johnson (who could switch if not nominated for Governor). She won by
13% in 2010, with the highest vote total of any partisan State Constitutional candidate, and
defeated Johnson by a similar margin in 2006. A weak Republican candidate would give the IP’s
Brandan Borgos a boost – if Anderson wins the primary, he could find himself quite suddenly
running second. But beyond the GOP variable in the equation, Borgos has a strong base of
supports in the Minnesota NORML activists, who are well organized and campaigning hard this
year to legalize cannabis in Minnesota. The IP State platform supports NORML’s call for
legalization. As a 501(c)4 nonprofit, NORML is not legally required to disclose its donors.
NORML can legally spend money, and use other resources including mailing lists, phone lists,
and other contact information, to directly advocate for electing Borgos, and the entire IP ticket.
However, there are some restrictions on what percentage of NORML’s overall activity can be
devoted to direct advocacy for candidates, and a potential conflict of interest would need to be
addressed because Borgos is a Board member. The NORML web site contained information
about a January 2014 NORML meeting hosting representatives of six parties, who presented
party positions on legalization of cannabis; the IP’s endorsed candidate for Governor, Hannah
Nicollet, was identified as a Libertarian Party representative at that meeting. Borgos may have
the strongest base level of support of any of the IP candidates. IP candidates for Attorney
General polled 4% in 2006, and 5% in 2010. Here’s the bottom line, Borgos looks like a second
strong IP candidate when measured against the IP’s 5% major party threshold.
Secretary of State – this is the only office with no incumbent running for re-election.
Republican Dan Severson is running again, and would be a strong candidate -- four years ago he
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 11of 37lost to incumbent Mark Ritchie by three and a half percent. Former State Sen. John Howe is
also seeking Republican endorsement. Two State Representatives -- Debra Hilstrom and Steve
Simon – are seeking DFL endorsement. Due to the absence of an incumbent, this is likely to be
the most competitive race between the Republican and DFL candidates. The IP candidate, Bob
Helland, doesn’t have the deep background of Dean, or the formidable NORML “base” of
Borgos. On the other hand, voters inclined to vote the IP ticket because they think a third party
is needed aren’t likely to find a good reason not to fill in Helland’s bubble. Here’s the bottom
line: of the three Constitutional offices other than Governor, Helland seems to be the weakest
prospect for ensuring the IP will reach the 5% threshold – if Dean and Borgos don’t reach 5%,
Helland probably won’t either.
Conclusion: even if the IP candidate for Governor turns out to be weak, (or “whacky”… considered
later), or is squeezed out due to a close election between Gov. Dayton and a Republican separated by
stark budget and policy differences – it appears the IP has good prospects for reaching the 5% threshold
in one or more of the other races. However, one potential scenario could disrupt, upset or discredit the
“clean slate, regular, normal guys and gal” strategy of the IP – one or more primary upsets by
unendorsed IP candidates. We’ll look at that possibility after the next heading, which focuses more on
the up-side potential for the IP.
Looking back and looking ahead – the importance of Public Campaign finance money
The IP had major party status for the 1998 election, resulting from the 7% Dean Barkley received in the
1996 U.S. Senate campaign. As a major party, the IP -- then known as the Reform Party -- was eligible
for about $310,000 in Public Subsidy dollars from tax return checkoffs – but the money was payable
after the election, and would not be paid if Jesse Ventura dropped below 5%. The money was advanced
as a loan before the November election, and paid for October TV ads that were crucial to Ventura’s
narrow victory.
As of May, 2014 the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board estimates IP campaigns
will receive $219,407 for Governor, $43,881 for Attorney General, and $25,075 each for Secretary of
State and Auditor. Current law provides this money is paid to campaigns after the primary, (and is
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 12of 37therefore available before the General Election), and is not contingent on reaching 5% in the General Election -- a change that Gov. Ventura pushed for. In addition to the Public Subsidy dollars (associated with tax return checkoffs), both the State party and all state campaigns are eligible to receive Political Contribution Refund (“PRC”) program contributions for up to $50 from an individual, or up to $100 from married couples. The program has “Refund” in the title for this reason: contributors are given a one page form from a campaign or a party. When they send in the form the Minnesota Revenue Department mails back a check for what they contributed. So… the “contribution” is really kind of like a short term loan – but it’s paid back by the Revenue Department instead of by the campaign. In 2009 Gov. Pawlenty used “unallotment” to eliminate funding for the PCR program, and to cut funding for other programs totaling close to $3 billion. (Disclosure: I was the first person to sue the Pawlenty Administration over unallotment -- specifically challenging the PCR unallotment -- but was dismissed in District Court). A second lawsuit wound up on a fast track to the Minnesota Supreme Court, with the result that all of Gov. Pawlenty’s unallotments were held to violate the unallotment Statute, and were thrown out. However, with only about ten days left in the 2010 Legislative session, and a Supreme Court-ordered deficit close to $3 billion, the DFL “caved in” – and the Legislature voted to simply ratify Pawlenty’s unallotments -- erasing the deficit, but also effectively nullifying the Supreme Court’s ruling for that biennium. In the current biannual budget PCR funding has been restored, effective July 1, 2013. As an aside, one consequence of Gov. Pawlenty’s decision to defund the PCR was the Minnesota Republican Party’s subsequent de-facto bankruptcy. The state Republican Party had historically been the biggest single recipient of PCR dollars, with tens of thousands of contributors, and annual receipts typically in the $1.5 million to $2 million range from 2002 to 2009. In the year after the PCR was unalloted, the state Republican Party received 60 contributions, averaging about $40,000 each. Trying to gauge the PCR unallotment’s impact on Tom Horner’s 2010 campaign for Governor is speculative. The Horner campaign received $348,279 in Public Subsidy payments, and spent a total of $1,339,153. Horner was a principal of Himle Horner Inc., a public relations firm. He has deep Republican roots, including as former Sen. David Durenberger’s Chief of Staff. Minnesota Republicans -- including many who became “politically homeless” when moderates were driven out -- have also participated extensively in the PCR program by contributing to eligible campaigns. Had the PCR been operating in 2010, IP state Legislative candidates would also have been eligible for PCR contributions in Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 13of 37
addition to Public Subsidy payments. The PCR unallotment may have significantly diminished both fundraising for the Horner campaign, and the ability of the IP to find, field and fund an extensive slate of Legislative candidates. Looking forward, the IP appears well positioned financially to contest the 2014 election, regardless of whether Hannah Nicollet -- the endorsed candidate for Governor -- prevails in the primary. The “down ballot” endorsed ticket has top-to-bottom “regular guy and gal” aspersion immunity – and an unendorsed nominee could probably cite Ventura’s own record as proof that they too could be a successful Governor. The foundation of Public Subsidy money is known with certainty to be coming in. After the U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United ruling, we are seeing a growing awareness and revolt against the dominating and corrupting effect of big money in politics. Dissatisfaction with one-party rule (the DFL controls both Houses of the Legislature and holds all Statewide offices), and the viral potential of the internet and social media are additional factors at play this year. The culmination could be a burst of PCR money, and high vote totals – possibly even victories -- for some or all of the IP ticket. In short, there is a real prospect this year that the IP could again become a viable third party – and possibly a party with one or more winning statewide candidates. More important – this year both the state and national political environments seem ready – even eager – for the emergence of a viable third party – and for seeing such a party become permanently established. However welcome this may be for many Minnesotans, such a scenario would be seen as a disaster by others who are in the camps of the current two-party duopoly, and by many special interests. After the next section we’ll look at how the two-party duopoly, and special interests, might act to remove this threat. But first…, let’s consider why: Colorful, whacky, name-changing, costumed, “maybe-socialist”, eccentric, off- message, outsider, rock-turning, trouble-making, and convicted felon candidates need not apply Gov. Jesse Ventura was an entertainer-turned-politician… as we’ve seen, the IP Convention has apparently banished the kind of baggage Ventura inevitably brought along from his earlier line of work. But more generally… gone also… banished from consideration by the sanitized State IP Convention -- are Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 14of 37
“off-message” candidates – outsiders, trouble-makers, eccentrics – people who persistently look under
rocks and claim to uncover things that many see as impractical issues to raise when seeking to win a lot
of votes in a campaign for public office.
What about the “filtered out” candidates? Who are they… and why did the Executive Committee stamp
them “unqualified”? Are they saying and doing things that merit consideration, and a hearing? Should
fifty delegates – effectively all self-selected – be permitted to dictate the positioning and direction of
what could emerge as a viable national third party? Should the IP be looked at as an unoccupied
treasure ship at sea, adrift and available for boarding by any pirate who happens upon it? We’ll look in
some detail at the actions and views of two “unqualified” candidates who are planning to be on the IP
primary ballot, challenging Hannah Nicollet, the endorsed candidate. We’ll also briefly consider a
convicted felon and fugitive who has filed for the IP U.S. Senate primary. In the following section we’ll
consider the possible role of independent expenditures in what is expected to be a low-turnout August
IP primary.
-------------
Adopting rules is a standard agenda item for political conventions; it typically happens near the start.
When that agenda item came up at the recent IP Convention, Bill McGaughey, a seated delegate who
the Executive Committee had earlier deemed “unqualified” to be a candidate for Governor -- and who
does not plan to run in the primary -- made a motion to allow candidates deemed “unqualified” to
address the Convention. During the debate, McGaughey pointed out that neither the Executive
Committee nor the Convention is the final authority. Candidates are nominated to the November ballot
by means of the August primary – Minnesota major party Conventions endorse candidates as a
recommendation to primary voters. McGaughey’s motion drew some support, but was defeated. The
Convention then approved a partial accommodation – allowing “unqualified” candidates to address
delegates informally during the lunch hour recess. However, the rules proposed for the Convention
were not modified – only Executive Committee approved candidates were allowed to be nominated for
endorsing votes by the Convention.
Captain Jack Sparrow had this to say of the IP screening and endorsing process:
“All candidates that were not selected by the Executive Committee were described to the
Convention as ‘unqualified’ candidates. When I was at the Executive Committee screening
meeting a week before the Convention, the main concerns expressed were that I had changed
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 15of 37my name to ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ and that I wore a pirate costume while campaigning for
Mayor of Minneapolis in 2013.”
Sparrow had legally changed his name in early 2012, after he had been arrested at an Occupy protest
event while seeking a meeting with Richard Davis, President of US Bank. Sparrow wanted to be named
in possible future legal proceedings as the character he had chosen for the protest. Sparrow continued:
“They asked me if I was a Socialist – I said I did not use that word because the meaning had been
taken over by Bolsheviks. I did not dispute that I was a Socialist, but I am more a pragmatist -- I
want to do what works based on empirical evidence. In my view, the real concern of the
Executive Committee was that I might tax the rich and give some of the money to the poor –
something I vowed to do while brandishing a toy pirate pistol at a 2013 Minnesota Sports
Facilities Authority public hearing -- and that was not consistent with the views of the
Independence Party’s Executive Committee.”
Sparrow said the Executive Committee also told him they liked his presentation, that it was coherent,
and that he had laid out his case well.
I first met Sparrow during our mutual participation in the Minneapolis version of the Occupy movement
in the fall of 2011. We both continued to attend weekly Occupy meetings, on and off, first at Walker
Church, and then -- after that building was hit by lightning and burned down -- at 42nd and Cedar Ave.
So., in a building bought by Dave Bicking, a long time activist and a 2009 Green Party candidate for the
Minneapolis City Council. The movement has been described nominally as leaderless; however, it
appeared there were de facto leaders, and Sparrow had frequent clashes with them. Sparrow was
eventually banned from Bicking’s building after Sparrow filed a restraining order against another
Occupy participant.
Sparrow recounted he is a long time activist, who moved to Minneapolis in 1973, and was a roommate
with Jerry Dodge, one of the founders of the Seward co-op. Sparrow was active in the co-op movement
for about three years, became an editor of a co-op newsletter, called “This is about us”, and for a time
lived above the Seward co-op with other editors. Sparrow concluded part of the movement had been
taken over by “a Stalinist group” called the Co-op Organization – he then started an Intentional
Community organization, and was less involved with food co-ops.
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 16of 37Sparrow continues to participate actively in the “Occupy Homes” organization – which has helped a
number of people stay in their homes, or try to -- including Jaymie Kelly, another of the 2013
Minneapolis Mayoral candidates, who chose the political principle “Stop Foreclosures Now” to raise that
issue in the campaign, and who remains in her home after it was taken by foreclosure.
Sparrow has been working on a platform of issues – visit http://www.occupirate.blogspot.com for more
information. Two of Sparrow’s major issues are:
Co-housing, or intentional communities -- here’s an excerpt on this from Sparrow’s blog:
“… arrangements where people may live near each other to share expanses [sic] and to
get maximum use from the more expensive items necessary for comfortable living. This
housing could be in one large building or several smaller buildings. It should provide for
a level of privacy that was flexible and adequate for peoples [sic] needs and desires.
Some may want a great deal of privacy as might be afforded by a single family house or
apartment while others may want to live communally with everyone sharing the same
living spaces. Those that want more privacy for example may want their own kitchen
but may want access to a communal kitchen where meals would be prepared collectively
when desired. Perhaps meal preparation and cleanup could be rotated or perhaps some
people could be compensated for meal preparation, clean up, etc. Likewise an
entertainment area could be provided where any one in the community could go where
more expensive equipment might be available that many of the residents my [sic] have
difficulty paying for on their own. Some people may want to use these areas just for the
opportunity to socialize with other residents. Libraries and other educational areas
could also be provided as well as workshops, laundry areas or maybe a car pool or car
sharing arrangement, where vehicles could be shared by those who can’t yet afford a car
or don’t want the hassle of owning their own vehicle. Perhaps they could pay so much
per mile and/or by the hour. Some may also want to have a community child care
facility. Elderly residents could be useful in the child care facility and may find it
enjoyable.”
Collective businesses – here’s another excerpt from Sparrow’s blog – they are to be built:
“… around the skills that some of these people already have and that others express an
interest in learning. For example home repair, remodeling and eventually home building
may be one area to start. We know of people who are homeless who have tremendous
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 17of 37skills in this area. We have also seen these people train others in those skills. What
these folks may lack are business skills such as marketing and accounting. They may not
all have the social skills necessary to run a business at first either. They certainly lack the
capital necessary to start a business. This is where the various levels of government
together with other entities and individuals could provide the startup capital.”
People will of course have questions about how to pay for all of this – and how realistic these plans are.
Sparrow hasn’t provided a budget, but said he favors “what works based on empirical evidence.”
Sparrow also says he wants to “tax the rich”. Sparrow makes two further points. First, he sees the
“current system” as both oriented to serving the interests of the people who run it, and as enormously
expensive because it leads to poor health, and people end up in very expensive remediation programs.
Sparrow writes:
“The result of this housing and food crisis is that the state incurs tremendous expense in the
long-run because these people will end up in situations that will cost the state more money than
it would have incurred by simply providing these people with housing and food, (see HUD
Secretary says homeless person costs taxpayers $40,000/ yr.) Estimates range from $35,000 to
$135,000 in current dollars. For example the result will be that these people will end up in
emergency rooms because of exposure, inadequate nutrition, street violence etcetera. Some will
end up in mental health facilities because of the stresses they are under and some will of course
end up in jail or prison. Reliable studies suggest that the homeless population can be housed for
between $13,000 and & [sic] $25,000.”
Second, Sparrow thinks what he is proposing could be self-supporting in the long run. He writes:
“This is not meant to be a giveaway program. Ownership would only transfer to the residents as
they were able to pay back the government and any other investors who had provided the start
up money. That would free up the money to perhaps be invested in a similar enterprise if it was
determined that this is a good investment. This would not only be good for the population
served but it would convert them from being wards of the state to being productive tax payers
contributing fully to society.”
Sparrow said he has a work history in the adult entertainment industry. He described his past work as
“legal, safe and sanitary”, said it did not involve prostitution, and that in his view did not involve the
exploitation of others. Sparrow said he engaged in pornography, and said what he was doing “violates
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 18of 37sexual taboos that are widely held.” Sparrow describes himself as a “cultural Christian” – with particular
reference to sharing material goods and caring for the poor, but says he is not a “Spiritual Christian” –
he is an agnostic.
Sparrow said he was very tired the day of the Convention; he napped in the hallway during the lunch
hour, and declined to address the Convention, believing it would be ineffective.
-------------
Adam Steele participated in the Convention as a Delegate, and accepted the opportunity to briefly
address Delegates during the lunch break.
Steele recounted that on May 9th he had e-mailed candidate screening material to IP State Chair Mark
Jenkins, but was told it hadn’t been received. He sent the material a second time May 15th, and a third
time May 16th—and was told Jenkins received the third transmission. Steele said he had used the same
e-mail address each time, but noted that e-mail sometimes goes into “junk” folders. Steele appeared
briefly before the Executive Committee on the morning of the Convention, and was told he was
“unqualified.” At that time, the Executive Committee had not designated any candidate for Governor as
qualified. It is unclear whether the Committee may have been aware at that time of the possibility or
intention of Hannah Nicollet’s last-minute decision to run for Governor. After the Convention Steele
submitted an appeal, per written IP procedures, to the IP State Central Committee, alleging he was
improperly held to be “unqualified”. Steele claims any person who is legally qualified to be Governor,
and who affirms support for 70% of a list of Core Values, automatically meets the criteria for being a
“qualified” candidate -- that he met those criteria, and that the IP’s Convention endorsement of Hannah
Nicollet should be vacated due to the procedural error of declaring him “unqualified”. Steele was told
in a May 22nd e-mail from State Chair Jenkins: “there is no time to appeal the decision of the Executive
Committee. . . since the delegates have already endorsed a candidate.”
Steele raises two main issues as reasons for his candidacy – both were addressed in his brief noon hour
speech to Convention Delegates, and both are set forth on his web site at:
http://northernherald.finalhost.net/campsite.pdf The first is his view that “Providence” and “Country”
are mutually separate, but are both essential to a free state. Steele’s web site says:
“The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of religion....” This means that we may not have a state church;
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 19of 37government may not condone a particular religion, or persecute a person for having no religion.
Church and State must be separate. But this does not mean that we must practice, in public
places (including schools) enforced atheism. Years ago, the biggest problems that concerned
teachers were students chewing gum, and talking in class. Today, their biggest concerns are
weapons and physical assault by students. In the interim, between then, and now, we threw
Providence out of the schools. At about the same time, we also threw out the moral compass.
Since then, there has been escalating violence in the schools, including the mass shootings that
have made national headlines. Do you think there may be a connection?”
Steele’s second issue is framed as a pledge – stated on his web site: “If elected, I will not enforce any
law which is clearly unconstitutional on its face or by its application.”
Steele’s site goes on to say:
“A purpose of my candidacy for this office is to bring Constitutional justice to Northern
Minnesota.”
“Criminals, of course, are not entitled to the same rights as others. But not everyone accused of a
crime is a criminal. Still, here, in Northern Minnesota, due to corruption and “frontier justice”, a
lot of those people are, nonetheless, denied their Constitutional rights to a speedy trial, to bail,
to due process, to competent and unbiased counsel, and to a fair trial with the ability to present
all facts and evidence in their defense.”
“Some of them are sentenced to a term of many years, for violation of laws which, themselves,
are unconstitutional. They can, of course, challenge those unconstitutional laws in federal court,
but the catch is, that they have to be wrongfully imprisoned, again without being allowed bail,
during the long pendency -sometimes many years - of the proceedings. This is just wrong. It is
why many people end up being coerced to plead “guilty” to things they didn’t do. This endemic
denial of judicial rights in Minnesota is something that endangers everyone in the State.”
Steele cites as one example the case of Steven Samuelson, and provides this account on his web site:
“There is presently, at the Minnesota state prison at Faribault, an inmate - #234139, Steven
Samuelson. Mr. Samuelson is a 47 yr. old disabled Navy vet, who was living peaceably, with his
fiancee, at his home on 40 acres near Nashwauk, when deputies entered, the day before
Thanksgiving, 2009, and arrested him. He was arrested on a framed (by the deputies) charge of
Jesse Ventura’s Independence Party is alive and… well… in Minnesota – an e-book by BobAgain – Chapter 1, page 20of 37You can also read
