The People's Machine
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy
-
- $17.99
-
- $17.99
Publisher Description
California voters passed Proposition 13 in 1978. At the same time, a champion bodybuilder named Arnold Schwarzenegger was becoming a movie star. Over the past quarter century, the twin arts of direct democracy (through ballot initiatives designed to push the public to the polls on election day) and blockbuster moviemaking (through movies designed to push the public to the theaters on opening weekend) grew up together, at home in California. With the state's recall election in 2003, direct democracy and blockbuster movies officially merged. The result: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In The People's Machine, political reporter Joe Mathews, who covered Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign for the Los Angeles Times and who has subsequently broken many front page stories about him, traces the roots of both movie and political populism, how Schwarzenegger used these twin forces to win election and, especially, how he has used them to govern. "Let the people decide," said Governor Schwarzenegger after his inauguration. The People's Machine, through remarkable access and whip-smart analysis -- there is news in this book -- reports on whether this system of governing proves blessing, curse, or mess, and on the remarkable Austrian bodybuilder, movie star, and political man with the nerve to carry it out.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Mathews tackles the legend of Arnold amongst the contorted fa ade of California politics, producing an exciting jaunt into the la-la land of big-state direct democracy-the kind of politics that throws political initiatives of all stripes to the people's vote, including the infamous Governor recall vote that put Schwarzenegger into power. Mathews goes through Schwarzenegger's political history, showing how the strong-man became active in George H.W. Bush's presidential campaign and, later, in that administration's physical fitness education agenda. As Schwarzenegger's views come into focus, Mathews demonstrates how his personal frustration with Sacramento gave him the impetus to win over the lefty-libertarian vibe of Californian malcontents. A reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Mathews' meticulous research takes readers inside Arnold's flashy yet reasoned campaign, follows Arnold's governance as it takes flight, stumbles and finds its footing, and mixes a Schwarzenegger-size sense of fun with wonky policy specifics for a page-turner with the rush of a good political potboiler.
