Jesse Ventura on VoteMatch

VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Illegalizing abortions won't stop abortions: Favors topic 1 Vetoed 4-hour waiting period for abortions: Strongly Favors topic 1 Keep abortion legal on privacy grounds: Favors topic 1 Constitution is designed to be interpreted: Favors topic 1 Doesn’t support abortion, but leave them legal: Favors topic 1 Abortion decision belongs with the woman and who she chooses: Strongly Favors topic 1
Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-3 points on Economic scale)	Equal opportunity for women; but equal responsibility too: Favors topic 2 As football commentator, found name “Redskins” offensive: Neutral on topic 2 Crime statistics are distorted to encourage racism: Neutral on topic 2 Against the draft; for including women except in combat: Neutral on topic 2 Prosecution and sentencing should be colorblind: Neutral on topic 2 Support principles embodied in the Equal Rights Amendment: Favors topic 2
Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+2 points on Social scale)	Equal state benefits for gay employees and partners: Favors topic 3 Civil unions for gays AND hetero couples: Strongly Favors topic 3 Respect diversity, both cultural and lifestyle: Favors topic 3 Gay domestic partnership OK; not gay marriage: Favors topic 3 Gay domestic partnership OK; not gay marriage: Strongly Opposes topic 3
Opposes topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (+2 points on Social scale)	Only governor of 50 to not declare National Prayer Day: Strongly Opposes topic 4 Evolution for science teachers & Creation for Sunday school: Strongly Opposes topic 4 Requiring the Pledge of Allegiance brainwashes students: Opposes topic 4 Focus on results and standards: Favors topic 4 Transition from Welfare to Self-Sufficiency: Favors topic 4 Public schools can’t advocate religion; private prayer OK: Opposes topic 4 Teach “creation science” in church, not schools: Opposes topic 4 Religious Right & extreme left are both “morality brokers”: Opposes topic 4 Social programs should be a safety net, not a hammock: Favors topic 4 Focus welfare on jobs & training: Favors topic 4 Problem is with fundamentalist fanatics, not religion: Opposes topic 4 Believes in private charity, not government charity: Strongly Favors topic 4
Opposes topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (+2 points on Economic scale)	Individual responsibility for unhealthy lifestyle choices: Opposes topic 5 Focus on prevention, children, and results: Opposes topic 5 Supports “Minnesota Care”; tax to pay for uninsured: Favors topic 5 No national care, but pure capitalism can’t work: Opposes topic 5 Government interference should be kept to a minimum: Opposes topic 5 Maintain Medicare funding of HMO benefits: Favors topic 5 Protect state tobacco settlement funds from federal seizure: Neutral on topic 5
No opinion on topic 6: Privatize Social Security (0 points on Economic scale)	Maintain federal Social Services Block Grant funding: Favors topic 6 Maintain long-term solvency of Social Security and Medicare: Opposes topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (-3 points on Economic scale)	Fund schools at state level instead of via property taxes: Neutral on topic 7 Commonsense steps to improve public education: Opposes topic 7 Erase the word voucher from the vocabulary: Opposes topic 7 Public dollars belong to public schools: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Loosen federal control; leave more to state & locals: Favors topic 7 Public schools are inefficient; but fix them, don’t end them: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Choosing private school includes responsility to pay: Strongly Opposes topic 7
Favors topic 8: Human needs over animal rights (-3 points on Social scale)	Too risky to have large feedlots near homes: Favors topic 8 More state autonomy on brownfields & Superfund cleanups: Favors topic 8
Opposes topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (+2 points on Social scale)	Opposes death penalty because DNA proves too many mistakes: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Opposes “Three Strikes”; leave discretion to judges: Strongly Opposes topic 9 No role for governor in crime; it’s for local police: Opposes topic 9 Put up with death penalty until life sentences mean life: Favors topic 9 Tougher drunk-driving laws for repeat offenders: Favors topic 9 Supported death penalty, but now as Governor opposes it: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Find compromise between rehabilitation and punishment: Opposes topic 9 Supports flexible federal block grants for crime programs: Neutral on topic 9
Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-3 points on Economic scale)	Gun responsibility goes with gun rights: Opposes topic 10 Guns are designed to kill; respect them: Opposes topic 10 If you’re going to own a gun, know what you’re doing: Opposes topic 10 Concealed weapons OK if you can pass safety exam: Opposes topic 10
Strongly Opposes topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (+5 points on Economic scale)	Government is no bottomless pit of money-it’s from you & me: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Repeal the 16th Amendment: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Replace income with national sales tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Return any budget surpluses to the taxpayers automatically: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Let people keep as much of their money as possible: Strongly Opposes topic 11 $600 “Jesse Checks” tax rebate to every taxpayer: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Replace income tax with 15% national sales tax: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Supports national consumption tax to equalize tax burden: Strongly Opposes topic 11 No national sales tax or VAT: Neutral on topic 11
Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+2 points on Social scale)	Great Wall of China failed; so will the Great Wall of the US: Strongly Favors topic 12 Immigration is an integral part of who we are: Strongly Favors topic 12 Official English leads to Official Christianity: Strongly Favors topic 12 Emergency medical, but no other services, for illegal imms.: Opposes topic 12 Grant legal immigrants all benefits of citizens: Strongly Favors topic 12 Share costs of legal immigration between states & federal: Neutral on topic 12 Federal government should deal with criminal repatriation: Neutral on topic 12 Ease Canadian border-crossing rules: Favors topic 12
Strongly Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+5 points on Economic scale)	Questions why we still need Cuban embargo: Strongly Favors topic 13 NAFTA reservations: Mexican labor conditions & US job loss: Opposes topic 13 Active role in bringing China into WTO: Strongly Favors topic 13 Make Agriculture Competitive Anywhere in the World: Favors topic 13 Trade creates jobs & productivity: Strongly Favors topic 13 Ease Canadian border-crossing rules: Favors topic 13 Grant fast-track authority to the President: Favors topic 13
No opinion on topic 14: Maintain US sovereignty from UN (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Opposes topic 15: Expand the military (+2 points on Social scale)	Assassinating foreign leadership is despicable: Opposes topic 15 War isn’t civilized; don’t expect warriors to be: Neutral on topic 15 Military is stronger if all-volunteer: Opposes topic 15
Favors topic 16: Stricter limits on political campaign funds (-3 points on Economic scale)	Unlimited secret cash from corporations influences elections: Opposes topic 16 Limit campaign money to one publicly-funded source: Strongly Favors topic 16
Strongly Favors topic 17: Stay out of Iran (+5 points on Social scale)	We attacked Saddam for the same WMDs we have in our arsenal: Strongly Favors topic 17 Wartime draft would stop Iraq War and prevent future wars: Favors topic 17 Withdrawal from Iraq should start on first day of presidency: Strongly Favors topic 17 Opposed Iraq War from the beginning and on the air: Strongly Favors topic 17 Iraq war drains resources from social programs: Favors topic 17 Bush has no Iraq exit strategy; he plans on never leaving: Strongly Favors topic 17 Bush violated Constitution by misleading US into Iraq War: Strongly Favors topic 17 Global cooperation OK; world government not: Strongly Favors topic 17 Buchanan is an unrealistic isolationist: Favors topic 17 We need Saddam as the bad guy in oil disputes: Neutral on topic 17 Include states in anti-terrorism planning: Neutral on topic 17
Favors topic 18: Prioritize green energy (-3 points on Economic scale)	Military agrees: climate change represents a serious threat: Strongly Favors topic 18 Develop light rail tranist for Minnesota: Favors topic 18 Competitive electricity pricing; include alternative energy: Favors topic 18 Overcome dependency on foreign oil: Favors topic 18 Subsidize ethanol like we subsidize oil: Strongly Favors topic 18 Recycling conserves our limited resources: Favors topic 18 Teach environment in grade schools: Favors topic 18 Replace MTBE in gasoline with cleaner ethanol: Neutral on topic 18 Voluntary partnerships reduce greenhouse gases economically: Neutral on topic 18 Kyoto Treaty must include reductions by all countries: Opposes topic 18
Strongly Opposes topic 19: Never legalize marijuana (+5 points on Social scale)	Banks & prison-industrial complex gets rich on the drug war: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Let states decide medical marijuana laws: Strongly Favors topic 19 Treat marijuana like we treat alcohol and tobacco: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Drug addiction is a health problem, not a crime: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Drug War fails like Prohibition did: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Stop being so afraid of marijuana; some uses are OK: Strongly Opposes topic 19 The war on drugs has failed; look for other solutions: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Rethink approach to drugs; “more of the same” fails: Opposes topic 19 Jail won’t work when we can’t even keep drugs out of prisons: Opposes topic 19 More federal funding for all aspects of Drug War: Favors topic 19
Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (+2 points on Economic scale)	Training and retraining to resolve workforce shortage: Strongly Favors topic 20 Social programs should be a safety net, not a hammock: Opposes topic 20