In a Larry King Live interview, Jesse Ventura, the former Independent Governor from Minnesota, warned that the two major parties were "leading us down the road to ruin". In classic Ventura style, the Navy veteran urged Americans to wake up and stop voting for Democrats and Republicans since they have repeatedly demonstrated that party politics comes before the best interests of the people. And when asked about the Tea Party, Ventura challenged their silence on critical constitutional issues in years past, and identified it as more of a right-wing movement.
Ventura cited George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams as the Founding Fathers who explicitly warned against the potential corruption of party politics, and admonished Larry King to "never say never" when posing the possibility of eventually dissolving the two-party stranglehold.
When asked if President Obama should have focused more on jobs instead of healthcare, Ventura stated that Obama should focus on jobs, healthcare, and the wars. Ventura is known for supporting a more non-interventionist foreign policy, and on healthcare, he touted the state-run programs in Hawaii and the VA.
Agree or disagree with Ventura, more and more Americans are expressing a similar, deep-seated frustration with the current, partisan-fueled political system. Perhaps he or another independent-minded candidate will mount a serious 3rd party bid to challenge the two-headed, one-party monster in 2012. A little competition couldn't hurt.
To view the CNN interview, click here.