Ventura names Barkley to succeed Wellstone

Star Tribune | 11-4-02 | N/A

[Temple Owl]

Ventura names Barkley to succeed Wellstone

On the eve of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate vote in decades, Gov. Jesse Ventura threatened to throw the election into still more disarray today with the appointment of state planning commissioner Dean Barkley to complete the term of Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash on Oct. 25.

Ventura announced his plans for filling the vacant seat at 10 a.m. -- just as a scheduled debate between Democratic candidate Walter Mondale and Republican hopeful Norm Coleman began.

Barkley would "put the people's interest before the party's interest" in the Senate, Ventura said. He said his announcement had been triggered by the dispute over whether third-party candidates would be allowed in today's broadcast debate.

"Today, three very powerful institutions -- the DFL, the Republican Party and the media -- are conspiring to limit the hard-earned rights of ordinary citizens to rise up and compete for elected office without having to be a Democrat or a Republican," Ventura said.

Ventura earlier had said he would not appoint an interim senator until after the election on Tuesday.

© Copyright 2002 Star Tribune. All right

[The Other Harry]

Doesn't this split the Senate now? Who's in charge?

That's a good question.

If it does split the Senate, then the Republicans are in charge via Cheney. The outcome of the election in Missouri may be what makes it or breaks it.

It will be interesting to see what happens. There could be a window here where some judicial appointments will get through, but I dunno. This is without precident.

[Catspaw]

Let's put it this way: because Jesse said he wouldn't make himself, he named Barkley. He's one of Jesse's closest advisors. Naming him is about the same as naming Ventura.

[IronJack]

He stated his intention to remain an Independent. In fact, he mentioned caucusing "all by myself in the bathroom," an interesting notion that is reputed to cause hair to grow on one's palms.

From what I can tell, he claims to be a "social liberal and a fiscal conservative." That usually means a liberal posing as a conservative. I suspect he's cut from the same cloth Ventura is -- mostly a reactionary nutbag with a mild libertarian bent and a left-winger's appetite for other peoples' money.

He doesn't help the Democrats, but he doesn't help the Republicans either.

[stylin19a]

Just wonderin...
Does a short-term appointed Senator receive all the retirement rights of a duly elected full-term senator..I.E...pension etc. ??

[jws3sticks]

"I'll do what I can do to help the people in the state of Minnesota," Barkley responded. "I'll caucus by myself in a bathroom, if I have to."

If that is true, he'll be meeting with a lot of D@rats who prefer the bathrooms to the cloak rooms to mix and meet(SIC).

Jesse must be really pi$$ed at the whole process. Too funny.

Go - Jesse - go!!!

[bullseye1911]

Heard Barkley say he may caucus with Jeffords. That's enough to give me shivers!!!

[Cicero]

A fellow named Alben W. Barkley was Truman's Vice President, known back then as "the Veep." I wonder if they are related? These days most politicians seem to get their jobs through nepotism.

[Nephi]

Nothing to fear with that choice, either...Charles is more conservative that liberal.

[tictoc]

"Will the senator from West Virginia yield?"

[Snuffington]

Who is Dean Barkley? Anybody know anything about him?

A liberal ex-Democrat. He jumped on Perot's Reform Party bandwagon in an attempt to win a Senate seat. Getting trounced in two Senate elections by the Republican and Democratic candidates made him the senior Reform Party official in the state when Ventura came along. Ventura appointed him to state office, and made him one of his key advisors. Barkley was responsible for recommending a series of liberals for Ventura to appoint.

Ventura feels indebted to him for helping his administration get off the ground.

[Digger]

These guys are not conservatives. He will sell out any true conservative, betcha, betcha. I guarantee you also no matter how the congress goes there will be a caveat as to conservative measures being implimented. A year from now do not expect any change in this country.

[antidisestablishment]

Not to be redundant, but:

Now the Senate is nothing more than redundant.

[ExSES]

Just wonderin... Does a short-term appointed Senator receive all the retirement rights of a duly elected full-term senator..I.E...pension etc. ??

Yes, but the "short-term" will not qualify him for much. Indeed, unless he had other years of federal service (military or civilian) it doesn't give him anything but a footnote in history and an interesting addirion to his resume'.

[Saundra Duffy]

This is a slap in the face to all Republicans in Minnesota. Hopefully, this third party is already dead. But if this move ends up helping the democraps, a lot of people are going to be pissed! GO, COLEMAN! For victory & freedom!!!

[Scuttlebutt]

This is a slap in the face to all Republicans in Minnesota.

I interpreted Ventura's appointment as a slap in the face to the Republicans, Democrats, and the media in Minnesota. It was a typical Ventura move…it shouldn't have surprised anyone.

I must admit that I was slightly disappointed that he didn't select the infamous garbageman. That would have been the ultimate slap in the face.

[Temple Owl]

The good thing is that he cannot be a bad as Wellstone, the Democrats answer to Princess Diane.

[Wolfstar]

Direct election of senators, along with the income tax and prohibition were the worst Constitutional amendments ever. At least the country had the good sense to repeal prohibition. But direct election of senators pretty much killed both what remained of states rights after the Civil War, and their ability to act as a brake on federal power. The income tax funded the huge growth of the federal government in the 20th Century. Today, the states are little more than subsidiaries of the federal "mega-corporation."

[John Lenin]

I disagree. Jesse is an independant, what did you expect him to do ?

[iconoclast]

I've never been a Ventura fan (bet some of you were, at first) but would you have preferred that he appoint a big D Demonrat?

[Seruzawa]

This whole thing is a joke!

Oh, and like the US Senate isn't already a big joke?