Patterson may be speaking presciently, for if Ventura's trademark is his willingness to speak his mind, it could also prove to be his undoing.
Recently, Ventura has had difficulty reconciling his brazen honesty with some of the more sobering demands of political prominence.
After he called organized religion a "crutch" and "a sham" in a recent interview with Playboy, and then continued to say that he would like to be reincarnated as a 38 DD bra, his approval ratings dropped 19 points overnight. His support among women dropped to its lowest levels ever.
"If I believed in polls," said Ventura, true to form, "I wouldn't be governor of Minnesota."
Although the governor claims to be indifferent to the effect his words have on the electorate, some think he exhibits mere political naivete.
"He could stand to think a little more before speaking," said Alexis J. Loeb '02.
While Ventura first stole the spotlight as a populist icon, he was catapulted to greater prominence earlier this month when Patrick J. Buchanan threatened to quit the Republican Party and run for president on the Reform Party's presidential ticket.
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