I opened this thread intending to look for a post that explained perfectly how Ventura lost it soon after he was elected.
After reading yours, I see no reason to post another...you've hit the nail squarely on the head.
Wife and I both voted for him. He sounded like he was going to reverse the growth of Minnesota government, cut payrolls, apply some sanity, etc. Then about 6 or 7 months into the program he says "state employees (the DFL) have nothing to fear from me." By the second year, he was calling reporters into his office and threatening to give em a good whipping. He'd turned into a complete paranoid.