Transcript: Jesse Ventura Interview
June 12 -- Terry Moran, of ABCNEWS' Good Morning America, interviewed Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura today. Following is a complete transcript of the exchange.
Terry Moran: Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota is wrestling withwhat may be the biggest crisis of his political career; he's preparingfor a possible total shutdown of the government in Minnesota.Governor Ventura joins us from St. Paul.
Welcome, governor. Let me ask you first, what is happening inMinnesota? I understand you've got a gridlock problem with bothhouses of the legislature being controlled by different parties.Sounds familiar, but what's going on?
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura: Well, they couldn't get their work done in the five-month period that they're in session. They couldn't reach agreement on even spending targets. They got nowhere, and so now we're faced with — yesterday I called a special session because the clock is running.
Of course, the fiscal year runs out on June 30, whichessentially means that even though the state of Minnesota has money,we can't get at it to provide for the needs that state government dobecause you can't do that without the right legislature enacted to doso, and so they're in special session right now. I called them backyesterday and we already had to send preliminary notices out formassive layoffs and come this following Monday, if they haven'treached agreement, then we will mail those layoff notices out to over51,000 employees.
Terry Moran: Well, calling a special session is a special power thatgovernors have. Presidents don't. What do you think of the wayPresident Bush, so far, is handling his job?
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura: Well, I think he's doing fairly good. He's passing themajor initiatives that he's put on the table. That's beingsuccessful. He seems to be getting bipartisan support on them and soat this early point of his four-year tenure, I think he's doing OK.
Terry Moran: You know, he lost the Senate recently with SenatorJeffords of Vermont, switching from being a Republican to being anindependent. As an independent yourself, what do you make ofJeffords' switch? Is it a good thing for the kind of politics thatyou espouse?
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