Minnesota's New Chief Pushes Net as Political Tool

January 29, 1999

Minnesota's New Chief Pushes Net as Political Tool

By REBECCA FAIRLEY RANEY
esse Ventura, who proved he could generate widespread popular appeal with his rise from professional wrestler to Governor of Minnesota, has declared that he will use the Internet as a populist tool to muster support for legislation and to try to give the people an equal footing with lobbyists.
Ventura says he will use his 5,000-member e-mail list, JesseNet, to rally his supporters in times of political need. The e-mail list, which numbered 3,000 subscribers on Election Day, was cited by the Governor and volunteers as a key component in his victory last fall over well-financed mainstream candidates.
Ventura plans to use JesseNet to put pressure on the Minnesota Legislature, stirring support for his agenda by asking supporters on the list to contact their representatives. Also, the Governor plans to collect people's views on issues by e-mail or message boards on his Web site.

“If I need to put any word out -- boom! We can put the word out to 5,000 people in minutes.”

Gov. Jesse Ventura

The site, which was built by supporters who helped get Ventura elected, has been expanded already, adding a section on reducing class size in public schools. The section offers position papers from the Governor's office and allows people to sign up as local volunteers on the Governor's task force. The Web site is also scheduled to offer Jesse Ventura action figures for sale this spring.
To Ventura, the use of the Internet amplifies his populist message.
"Let's face it -- that's the future," Ventura said in a telephone conversation this week from St. Paul. "It's one of the things I stand for very strongly."
Also, he said, "If I need to put any word out -- boom! We can put the word out to 5,000 people in minutes."
Ventura's online efforts -- and the notion that the Internet may have helped a third-party candidate with one paid staff member win -- have prompted members of the Legislature to start Internet strategies of their own, some local political observers say.

Politically, Ventura is in a fortuitous position as a Reform Party Governor. The Minnesota Legislature is divided, with a Democratic majority in the Senate and a new Republican majority in the House. The greatest issue before the Legislature now is how to disperse the state's budget surplus -- a cash windfall that could amount to hundreds of dollars to each Minnesota taxpayer.
The mainstream politicians have embraced the Internet early in the session. The state Democratic Farmer Labor Party, in the midst of an anguishing self-examination after their loss of the House, is discussing whether to hold online caucuses to reach more people. This week, the Senate and House Democrats set up an online town meeting, using a Web site that allows people to discuss the budget surplus, education issues and the state's tobacco settlement.
Some political players believe the Legislature, which is at a disadvantage in a three-party government, has no choice but to match the Governor's methods.

Town Meeting Internet Forums
Minnesota Democrats have set up Town Meeting Internet Forums, allowing participants to discuss political issues.
"The Legislature has been incredibly accommodating," said Phil Madsen, the Webmaster for Ventura's committee of supporters and a founding chairman of the Minnesota Reform Party. "That's the only way they can keep a Reform Party from breaking out in the Legislature. The Governor could go have coffee in a legislator's district and draw a crowd of 500."
Ventura could draw the same level of support by e-mail, Madsen said. "We're ready to roll if Jesse needs us to do something," he said. "But he hasn't needed us because the Legislature is behaving so well. No legislators have offered themselves up as a target yet."
The Minority Leader of the House, Tom Pugh, a Democrat, said that while the state has been progressive in online politics -- he personally has responded to e-mail from constituents from the House floor -- the Governor's methods have been an inspiration to state politicians.
"It may be responsible for the Senate's use [of the Internet] a little bit," said Pugh, who represents St. Paul suburbs. "Certainly Jesse's success in the campaigning may inspire people that way."
The trend toward using the Internet to build political support and reach constituents is so strong, some observers wonder if it will fundamentally alter the way decisions are made.
"Given Ventura's prominent use of the Internet, does that change the current calculus in which the Internet is an effective means of lobbying? That's the big issue," said Sarah Janacek, the Republican co-editor of the newsletter Politics in Minnesota. "If it takes off, it's a mini-issue and referendum type thing. My guess is, it won't go that far."
Still, the trend has pleased some wired voters.
Gordon Prickett, who is retired and lives in Aitkin County in rural northeastern Minnesota, wrote in an e-mail interview: "The Internet is probably most important to those distant from the action. The ones not buzzing around the Metro Twin Cities.

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"Those who make it work -- despite its glitches and quirks -- have a real head start and an edge.
"I'll watch for a message from the Guv -- I'd love to send him a direct reply. His election has gotten much fresh air into the processes of state government -- particularly how the parties function. We're much more aware than ever of the size of the biennial budget -- of tax rates and license fees. The tough guy has got us talking and, yes, thinking."
Still, Prickett, who is active in the county DFL Party, was somewhat skeptical of the Governor's notion of the people gaining an equal footing with professional lobbyists through any method. "Closer footing with lobbyists?" he wrote. "Come on!"
Steven Clift, a longtime advocate for the use of the Internet in Minnesota politics, said the electronic political discussions running since 1994 have created a core group of wired activists in the state, but that the publicity about Ventura's use of the Internet has awakened state political leaders.
Clift heads the board of Minnesota E-Democracy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that provides online forums about state politics.
In an online newsletter, he addressed the new developments. "I wonder if we are seeing a shift in political power from those who control information in the political process to those who provide the most access and foster the most discussion," he wrote. "The question of how you set the agenda and gain or lose power in the networked democracy is a fundamental question we should be thinking about."
Ventura himself said the increasing practice of using the Internet among mainstream politicians reflects an awareness that "they were stuck in these old methods and old ways."
"It just shows who thought of it first," Ventura said.
Still, the Governor recognizes that others are learning fast.
"They're not going to get caught with their pants down again," he said.

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Jesse Ventura
Town Meeting Internet Forums
Minnesota E-Democracy

Rebecca Fairley Raney at rfr@nytimes.com welcomes your comments and suggestions.

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“If I need to put any word out -- boom! We can put the word out to 5,000 people in minutes.”
Gov. Jesse Ventura

	Town Meeting Internet Forums
	Minnesota Democrats have set up Town Meeting Internet Forums, allowing participants to discuss political issues.