I actually liked Jesse during his campaign in the 1990s, mainly because he wasn’t afraid of anybody and he was pissing off the right people. But soon after getting elected, he went off the deep end and has only managed to sink.
I really think that becoming a public figure drove him nuts. He was a wrestler and a sometimes-actor that actually got some decent roles. Alright, he’s not Marlon Brando, but there’s a whole lot of people that try their whole lives to be an actor and don’t get 5 seconds of screen time in Hollywood. That stuff gave him a small taste of being a public figure but nothing like being an actual state governor, especially one that was outrageous and had media following him around to see what kind of wacky shtuff that he was going to try next. It didn’t take him long before he got sick of the media following him around 24/7 and had no problem making him look like an idiot, which was a very short trip. Then he hit a phase where he couldn’t shut up about his military service and kept getting caught in lies about what he did—and where. After talking about being a SEAL in Vietnam, it was proven that Jesse never served in combat in Vietnam. He also earlier claimed that a health problem with blood clots in his lungs was caused by being exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, which was also proven to be a lie. That’s a clear case of stolen valor and admitting to it had to have carried a real sting, as it should.
I think being a controversial public figure drove him nuts and that’s why he spiraled so bad.
Wife and i voted for Jesse.
He ran as a true outsider. Then, about 6 months into his job, his brin short circuited and he threatened to kill a Star Tribune reporter.
It went down hill from there...