What Did I Say?

I'm quoted in this piece on California's troubles in the German magazine Stern. (The interview was conducted in English--I don't speak more than a couple dozen words of German, and those are Austrian German at that.)

Pick Up

That's the old newspaper term for when your story gets picked up elsewhere. Today, I'm quoted in this Sacramento Bee story on IOUs (I take the pessimistic view that the state's leaders are incapable of negotiating a way out of the budget predicament).

And my recent story in the Washington Post got a mention Wednesday during the governor's press briefing in Sacramento. From the transcript:
QUESTION: This budget situation is getting a lot of attention nationally. People are saying that California is a laughing stock. Are you embarrassed for California?
GOVERNOR: I'm proud of California, even though we have our crisis. But no one should point fingers, because as you can see, there are more than 30 states right now that have their fiscal year starting today that also don’t have a budget. So let's not go and get carried away and just look at California, as we are the only state that cannot manage the budget.
And also, on top of it, people always say that the United States maybe has to bail out California and all of those things. And I think that Joe Mathews had a good story just recently in the paper where he talked about who is to say that the United States should bail us out? We are actually in much better shape than the United States, because if you look at us we have only 4 percent of debt of our GDP and look at what the United States has -- it is $14 trillion of GDP and we have $11 trillion debt. So that's a whole different ballgame. So we are in much better shape than the United States is.
So all we need to do is just really deal with reality and deal with those cuts, that are very painful for some people here in this building and then move on. And we will get the loans and then try to get out of this financial crisis. OK?

Was Pete Wilson Right?

Here is a description (with video) of my interview with former Gov. Pete Wilson Monday night at RAND, as part of a Zocalo Public Square event. The page also includes a pre-show interview with Wilson. Among the highlights were Wilson describing how he handled a budget predicament similar to the one we currently face, and Wilson answering "hell, yes," when I asked him if he'd like to run for governor again next year. (He's prevented from doing so by term limits).

What Does Armageddon Look Like?

Please join me July 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the California Endowment in Los Angeles (1000 N. Alameda--yes, that's right, Jake, it's Chinatown) for a panel discussion of the human costs of the big cuts to the state budgets for social services programs. It's free and open to the public (with a reception afterwards, with free drinks). You can reserve a seat here.

I discussed a similar subject Monday night on Warren Olney's KCRW show, "Which Way, LA?" A link to audio is here.

Radio Update on California Budget

Here's a link to audio of my appearance on NPR's "Diane Rehm Show" this morning. We discussed the California budget.

Credit Rating Agencies and California

On Warren Olney's show, "Which Way, LA?", I talked more about unfair federal attacks on California and question the credibility of rating agencies who have ranked the state's credit lower than that of many corporations. (My appearance is the third item on this list, below Iran and Mayor Villaraigosa, about 38 minutes into the show on the audio).

If California Catches Cold, Does Oregon Get Sick?

I was interviewed by Oregon Public Radio this morning on the question of how California's economic and budgetary troubles could hurt our neighbors to the north. A link to the audio is here.

This Californian to Feds: Drop Dead

Writing in this Sunday's Washington Post (story already posted online here), I push back at national critics of California and its request for federal loan guarantees. Main lesson: California would be better off as its own country.

Mate the Press

Writing in The Daily Beast, I tackle the relationship between LA's mayor and a local news anchor, and wonder whether the media should have done more with the story -- at least in the name of getting the attention of Angelenos, who simply refuse to pay much attention to politics.

Recent Fox & Hounds Daily Columns

Here are a few highlights from my twice weekly columns on the California business and politics site, Fox & Hounds Daily. A full list of my columns is here.

-So If We Take Your Terrorists.... I propose a way that President Obama and California can help each other.

-The State of California Owes Me Money. I appeal for legislative pay.

-Memo to California Reformers: Breathe. Some skepticism on the many plans to save the state, including a constitutional convention.

-Why Meg Is Right to Lay Low. On why the failure of the former eBay chief to ask questions is Ok for now.

-"Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall..." I ask whether California really is the most dysfunctional state.

Failing State?

Here's a link to my appearance on "Forum" on KQED (Northern California's NPR station) this morning.

Can Gay Marriage Truly Win In California?

At the Daily Beast, I suggest that marriage equality can't be won in California, and that same-sex marriage advocates should focus their time and resources on other states.

Quoted in Oregonian

On signature gathering reform in Oregon.

In the NYT: How Federal Assistance to California Should Work

I don't care for the headline the New York Times put on my May 22 piece suggesting why federal loan guarantees for California might be a good idea -- and explaining how they should work. It's not a "bailout" I'm proposing. California shouldn't receive any cash from the feds. The only cash in the deal will be the cash California sends Washington as a fee for the guarantees.

Boiled down, here's what I'm arguing. California is a big place that can't govern itself. In the short term, it has cash flow problems. The federal government can help California manage those cash flow problems -- at virtually zero risk and at no cost. So the feds should step in and help -- but use that leverage to force California to adopt a plan to fix its structural budget problems. The feds could force California to submit a plan as a condition of issuing the guarantee--and lock the plan in by making it part of the guarantee (and by including financial penalties if the state doesn't make its budget targets in the plan).

Will the feds do this? Right now, they say no, as they should. California doesn't run out of cash until July, and by refusing to help now, the feds keep the pressure on the legislature and governor to address the problem first. But I think it's a safe bet California leaders won't be able to resolve this, and the feds will have to offer the guarantees this summer.

USA Today Thinks I'm Smart

All evidence to the contrary. Here's a link.

On Point

California treasurer Bill Lockyer, LA Times columnist Sandy Banks and yours truly discuss California's troubles today on NPR's On Point.

To the Point

More on California's troubles: I joined historian Kevin Starr, political scientist Bruce Cain, and SF Chronicle political writer Carla Marinucci on NPR's "To the Point" with Warren Olney today. A link to audio is here.

The Curious Case of California's Stem Cell Board

In the Scientific American, I report on the benefits -- and perils -- of establishing a major scientific research enterprise -- California's stem cell agency and its board -- by ballot initiative.

The Armageddon Tease

In the Daily Beast, I examine how Schwarzenegger's rhetoric undermined him politically.

Let's Vote More

My proposal for statewide quarterly elections (in place of our current system) appears in today's Los Angeles Times.

NPR's Morning Edition

Here's a link to an NPR "Morning Edition" piece on California's budget predicament in which I'm quoted.

On KPBS, Talking Budget

Here's a link to podcast of my appearance on KPBS, San Diego's NPR affiliate, this morning.

Link to Audio of My KCRW Appearance

If you listen, my appearances on "Which Way, LA?" offer a sort of increasingly dark, increasingly bleak view of California's finances.

Angelenos, See Me Monday

Channel 35 is replaying my roundtable on the future of the Republican Party (to the extent there is one) on Monday, May 11 at 1:30 and 8 p.m.

On Billing and Birth

My wife, Anna Wilde Mathews of the Wall Street Journal, writes about the birth of our son--and the bills.

Follow me on Twitter

I'm tweeting as joemmathews. Note the extra "m" for my middle name.

Sacramento Bee on Ballot Props

In the Sacramento Bee, Shane Goldmacher explains how ballot measures are drafted. One conclusion: measures are written to encourage wealthy interests to give to the campaign (and to discourage other wealthy interests from donating to the no side). I'm quoted deep in the piece on this phenomenon.

Please Join Me Saturday in San Diego

Please join me this Saturday morning, May 2, in San Diego for what should be a fascinating discussion about the ballot measures on the May 19 special election. The event runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the San Diego Hall of Champions. (Sports fans out there would be wise to make it a day of California governance and sports). The event is free, but be sure to reserve yourself a seat by signing up here or here. And you can consider this brunch if you like--there will be food.

The panel is headlined by former Congressman and former state finance director Tom Campbell, who has thought as deeply about the state budget as anyone alive. (He has an interesting discussion on tax reform currently running on his web site). Also on the panel are Chris Reed of the San Diego Union-Tribune, writer of America's Finest Blog; New America senior scholar Mark Paul; and your blogger. The co-sponsors are New America, the Center for Policy Initiatives, and the City Club of San Diego.

On the Future of the Republican Party

For Angelenos out there, I was recently interviewed by CBS 2's Dave Bryan as part of an LA Roundtable show on the future of the California Republican Party. Yes, if there is one. The show can be downloaded here. (It's program #59). Those of you in LA can find it on Channel 35. It's one of several shows appearing in the 8 p.m. hour over the next month.

Prop 1D and 1E, the Unintended Consequences

Here's my piece from this morning's LA Times on the possible unintended consequences of Props 1D and 1E, two of the measures on California's May 19 special election ballot. The two measures ask voters to raid taxes that voters approved in early initiatives. This is good for the budget short-term, but it establishes a precedent that will make future ballot initiatives less fiscally responsible (and thus worsen the state's structural deficit).

Attention, Central Valley Listeners

You can hear me tonight (Thursday, March 12) shortly after 8 p.m. on the great big AM radio station, KMJ, 580. I'll be talking with Inga Barks about ballot initiatives, California politics, the special election and Arnold. I appeared on her show in Bakersfield this morning on KERN 1180.

What's the Future of Newspapers?

In the Sacramento Bee's "The Conversation," I suggest that newspapers will survive -- but as content carriers, not producers.

Arnold and the Republicans

The headline of my piece in the Daily Beast doesn't fit the story exactly. (Gov. Schwarzenegger didn't consider switching parties; he had a conversation with associates about dropping out of the GOP and becoming an independent, but quickly discarded the idea.) But I think the piece is a helpful primer on the history of the relationship between Schwarzenegger and the Republicans. Bottom line: Schwarzenegger has never been a partisan, and his relationship with the party establishment has never been close. And in California, legislative Republicans have been a serious obstacle to advancing his agenda.

Furloughs Better Than Layoffs for Journalists

That's the position I take in a quote from this story in the Ventura County Star.

California Tilts North Politically

California has had Southern California governors for more than 40 years. But the streak is about to end. I explain why in Sunday's Los Angeles Times.

In the Arena, Politico's Arena

I've joined the cast of dozens of folks who contribute to Politico's Arena site. Here's my first post, from this morning, on the questions of whether bipartisanship is a Washington DC obsession, and whether the journalists going to work for the Obama administration might have done the same for McCain.

On the Radio, Talking About the Budget

I've been a guest on Warren Olney's show "Which Way LA?" the past two evenings. In the first appearance, I described the serious threat to the state of California from the delay in addressing the budget crisis and cash crunch. In the second, I talked about how voters will have to pass judgment on various ballot measures that are part of the proposed deal.

The Morgue

The New Republic asked me to explain what's been lost with all the layoffs and buyouts at newspapers. Here's my attempt to do that. (I don't like the headline--the LA Times probably isn't going to die, but I'm proud of the result).

Latest F&H Columns: Budget Deal, LA Times, etc.

I write a twice-weekly column for the California business and politics web site Fox & Hounds Daily. Here are links to some of the latest comments.

On the California budget deal: "The Deal Is Terrible. Pass It Now"; "Cowards, Bullies and Bluffs"; "Cool! Our Own Boston Tea Party!"; "Selling Public Bonds Privately." And "Tax Reform Now, Or At Least a Rough Draft."

On the media: What Does the Death of the LA Times Local Section Mean?

On labor organizing and the federal bill, The Employee Free Choice Act: "A Way to Fix EFCA" and "The Fiction of Business' 'Secret Ballot' Argument."

On highway infrastructure: "A Southern California Test of Obama's Promises."

On Arnold: "The 'I Got Nothing' Speech" and "Some Founders Worried About Actors in Power."

Report on Cash Crunch Panel

Zocalo Public Square, sponsor of a panel I moderated Tuesday night with State Controller John Chiang on the question, "What Happens When California's Cash Runs Out?", has posted a description, with pictures, of the evening. It's here.

In the picture, I'm on the far right of the table, with, from left, New America senior scholar Mark Paul, Barclays Capital managing director Peter J. Taylor, and Chiang. Zocalo also published green room interviews with the participants. I'm interviewed here.

Talking About Silicon Valley

Tim Draper, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist whom I'm interviewed by email last week, has posted the exchange at his blog, The Riskmaster.

Arnold for HHS Secretary?

Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic throws the governor's name into this item on possible secretaries now that Tom Daschle has withdrawn. My take: Schwarzenegger would be an excellent secretary (he knows the health care issue, and would be much more effective as a cabinet secretary with a focused portfolio than he is as a governor--in the same way he was better as an actor in a movie star, with a defined role to play, than as a director). But it won't happen. The governor couldn't leave California during this moment of crisis. And folks in labor would lose their mind, even though Schwarzenegger is a liberal on the health care issue, publicly favoring universal coverage (and privately, favoring European-style solutions that, in this country, would be dismissed as socialist).

We've Been Here Before

I have an essay in this Sunday's Los Angeles Times books section that re-reads classic journalism of California (Hinton Helper's "Land of Gold," Lincoln Steffens' autobiography, and especially Carey McWilliams' "California: The Great Exception") in the context of the state's budget deficit and cash crisis. The conclusion: California is always on the edge of fiscal cliff. In fact, our perilous finances are part of what define us as a state.

Panetta Feinstein Dust Up

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein's criticism of fellow Californian Leon Panetta drew intense media interest. Some assumed the two are rivals. It ain't so. The New Republic online quoted my explanation in this piece. The progressive web site Calitics picked up my blog post on Panetta's role in the reform movement, but thinks I'm wrong.

The 'I Got Nothing' Speech

Appearing Thursday on San Diego's NPR affiliate, KPBS, I discussed Gov. Schwarzenegger's "state of the state" speech. The audio is here. I developed my argument further in this column at Fox & Hounds Daily.

Latest Fox & Hounds Columns

I contribute a couple of short columns a week to Fox & Hounds Daily, a new web site for commentary and news on California business and politics. Here are some of the latest:

"The Advice Arnold Didn't Take," from Dec. 23.

5 Ways to Repeal Prop 8, from Dec. 8.

Revehen Hits the Nail on the Head, from Nov. 21.

Where Does Arnold Go Next? from Nov. 25.

The Perils of the Rose Parade

I love the parade and grew up near the route in Pasadena. But I'm a bit worried about its future. Why? I explained on New Year's Eve in this piece in the Los Angeles Times.

What Went Wrong With Arnold?

Writing at Fox & Hounds Daily, I recall how the governor ignored what proved to be good advice from a UCLA economist on how to use taxes to balance the budget.

Elsewhere, my former LA Times colleague Tim Cavanaugh has a piece in the LA Weekly in which he runs through the explanations for Schwarzenegger's failures. I'm quoted on his difficulty in dealing with Republicans.

Quotations

Becoming a senior fellow at the New America Foundation has been a big adjustment. One of the strangest things: I'm no longer only the guy asking questions. Sometimes, reporters are interviewing me, usually about the ballot initiative process.

In this Oakland Tribune story, I try to explain why California initiatives draw so many legal challenges. (The short version: the inflexibility of California's initiative system, which requires that any law established by initiative be changed only by another vote of the people, leaves opponents little choice but to go to court).

In this story in the Salt Lake City Tribune, I again question the wisdom of targeting the Mormon Church for protests after the passage of Prop 8, the California initiative to ban same-sex marriage. The protests are counterproductive for the cause of marriage equality.

And in this story from the San Diego Union-Tribune, I'm quoted on Gov. Schwarzenegger's political future.

The Problems of Prop 8

On Sunday night, I appeared on the nationally syndicated radio show Beyond the Beltway to discuss the campaign troubles that led to the unexpected victory of Prop 8, the California ban on same-sex marriage.

Recent Radio On Referenda-Initiatives Proposal

Wednesday night, I was interviewed on KVMR News about my proposal to reform California's initiative process. A link to the show and audio is here.

Obama And Latinos

Here's the English-language version, via Fox & Hounds Daily, of a piece I wrote a few weeks before the election about Obama's effort. (It was previously published in Spanish).

The Real Bradley Effect: Guns, Mail and Football

I spent a couple weeks tracking down all sorts of people and data from the much discussed 1982 governor's race in California, in which Tom Bradley unexpected lost to George Deukmejian. Here's a short piece on my findings that appeared in Politico on election day. I have a longer version that should appear elsewhere in the coming months.

The Dangers of Teaching Gay Marriage to Kindergarteners

The claim of the now victorious Prop 8 campaign, the California initiative to ban same-sex marriage, is that if same-sex marriage remains legal in the state, even small children will have to be taught about such marriages in school. I imagine in this New American item how you might explain same-sex marriage to kindergarteners.

A Creepy Campaign

In the Washington Post, I look at how the campaign over Prop 8, the California initiative to ban same-sex marriage, has turned into a nasty contest.

Big Idea: More Referenda, Fewer Initiatives

I lay out a plan to improve California politics -- specifically its initaitive politics -- in Sunday's Sacramento Bee. The idea boils down to making it easier to qualify referenda -- measures reversing an act of the legislature -- for the ballot and harder to qualify or pass initiatives -- which allow voters to circumvent the legislature entirely. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The piece ran as part of a regular Sunday feature called The Conversation. So please be sure to check out the three pieces responding to my idea. It'd also be wonderful if you would like to contribute your own comments on the site.

Please Join Me in Sacramento Tuesday, Oct. 14

It'll be a tough day for someone who enjoys being a critic, but on Tuesday morning in Sacramento, I'll actually be proposing a solution to a problem. The problem is California's initiative process. New America, the foundation that employs me, is hosting an event entitled, "Blockbuster Democracy." The full details are here. (Please click the link and you can sign up to attend on the right-hand side of the web page).

It begins at 9:30 a.m. at the California State Association of Counties, 1020 11th Street, 2nd floor. I'll speak beginning at 9:45 a.m. Also offering ideas for how to improve California's direct democracy are Bob Stern of the Center for Governmental Studies; Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign, Tony Rubenstein, a longtime initiative entrepreneur, and my New America colleague, senior scholar Mark Paul, who will talk about the impact of initiatives on California's troubled finances. Lunch is provided--there will be a question and answer session at lunchtime.

A California 'Bill of Rights'

There's been a lot of talk of constitutional reform in California. So, tongue in cheek, I offer my proposal for a California "bill of rights" in this Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle.

Text of Keynote Speech in Aarau, Switzerland

Here's a link to the keynote speech I delivered Oct. 1 in Aarau, Switzerland at the first global seminar on direct democracy.

Highlights from Switzerland

I spent a week in Switzerland reporting and attending a gathering for a new organization, the World Democracy Forum, that brings together journalists, academics and others interested in initiatives and referenda. Here are links to some of the items I filed from Switzerland: Uruguay and a Common Language of Direct Democracy, Word of the Day, Stat of the Day, World Democracy Forum, The Germans on the Bus, Think Like a Philosopher and Write Like a Farmer, The Initiative Monk, The Swiss Skepticism Of Ballot Initiatives, The Wisdom Of Voting in More Than One Place, Turnout Apologies, The Home of William Tell, and More Choice for Voters Here.

In Scientific American

In this piece for Scientific American, I analyze the political prospects of two California ballot initiatives that would promote greater use of alternative fuels and renewable energy sources.

A Constitutional Convention?

Today I appeared on KCRW (89.9-FM), the Los Angeles NPR affiliate. with historian Kevin Starr to discuss the budget, Gov. Schwarzenegger's political predicament, and the possibility of a state constitutional convention. A link to the program is here.

Governor Should Embrace Own Recall

The prison guards' union wants to recall Gov. Schwarzenegger. I think he should embrace the recall vote--and defeat the recall as part of a strategy to renew his political capital. Here's my piece in the LA Times on the subject.

Sept. 9 Panel On Teachers' Unions

Please join me on Tuesday evening, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Riordan Central Library in downtown Los Angeles for a Zocalo LA panel, "Are Teachers' Unions Too Powerful? Or Not Powerful Enough?"

I'll be moderating. Our panelists are a strong group: Joshua Pechthalt, vice president of United Teachers Los Angeles; Mikki Cichocki, a board member of the California Teachers Assn.; David Tokofsky, former LAUSD board member; and Steve Barr, founder and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools, the charter school organization. Admission is free. More details are here.

Does California Need a New Capital?

I think so. And in today's LA Times, I suggest a new location.

Free Little League Is A Right

Last year and early this year, before I returned to California to become a New America fellow, I spent some time in Pennsylvania researching the life of Carl E. Stotz, the founder of Little League Baseball. Stotz broke with Little League in a bitter dispute with the organization's board in 1955. And his successors, who came from the corporate world, changed Little League. But his original vision of Little League survives in several rules -- including a little-enforced Little League rule that any child who wants can play, even if his or her family can't afford the league fees. Here's my piece in the New York Times explaining the roots of a little-known American right: free Little League.

A Test For Union Leadership

Here's my short column in Fox & Hounds on recent revelations about Tyrone Freeman, the leader of a huge SEIU local that represents home health care workers.

Gay Marriage And Presidential Campaign

Here's a link to audio of my appearance on the July 20 nationally syndicated show, "Beyond the Beltway," with Bruce DuMont. I show up in the last half-hour of the two-hour show.

Poll Skimming

Here's my quick take on the prospects of various California ballot initiatives, based on the recent Field Poll.

On Schwarzenegger, Budget, State Workers

Here's a link to the audio of my appearance on Warren Olney's KCRW show, "Which Way, LA?" discussing Schwarzenegger's threat to reduce state workers' pay until the state has a new budget signed. The budget is more than a month late, and there's growing concern that the state could run out of cash next month. On the program with me are State Controller John Chiang and Schwarzenegger finance director Mike Genest. It left me with the impression that a budget agreement may be closer than we think. If state leaders let Chiang and Genest negotiate it themselves, we'd be done this weekend.

Is Schwarzenegger Planning to Leave Governorship?

After watching the governor flirt on ABC News this morning with the idea of being an energy czar for a President Obama, I think it's possible. Such an appointment might make sense for both Obama and Schwarzenegger. Here's my Sunday column on the subject, from the New America Foundation web site.

Mystery Of Prop 98

Here's my piece from Sunday's Los Angeles Times on the history, complexity and future of Prop 98.

Redistricting Slugfest

Tony Quinn and I have been engaged in a back and forth over a California ballot initiative to reform how legislative districts are drawn. The interesting part is that Tony and I both think the initiative is a decent idea. We disagree about its chance. He thinks it has a decent chance of winning, and I think it has virtually no chance. And the opportunity cost of pursuing this idea again is huge; it would be better for its supporters to drop the idea and come up with a new game plan for pursuing political reform.

Dude, Where's My Car?

Here's a short story I did about shipping my wife's car cross country. It tells part of the tale of California's economic collapse.

Is Arnold the Most Conservative Governor?

He could make the case, if the issue is taxes (and a certain Brown isn't part of the conversation). From this week's Fox & Hounds, a new web site focusing on California and business.

Here's a previous column of mine from the same site.

Betting on the Lottery

Here's my piece from this Sunday's Los Angeles Times on the proposal to borrow against future state lottery revenues. I tried to tamp down some of the crazier rhetoric about this idea. With the state unwilling to tackle serious budget or tax reform, this is the best idea on the table.

Video and Audio of Panel

Now available is video and audio of the May 27 panel I moderated on "ballot box planning," the phenomenon of major land use and planning questions being decided by voters through local ballot measures.

The Hugh Hefner of Politics

Here's my profile of Taylor Marsh, pro-Clinton blogger and voice, from The New Republic. She's been much criticized, but I really enjoyed meeting with her and talking with her, and believe she has a promising future as a commentator.

Gay Marriage's Vietnam?

I'm for gay marriage, but there's reason to worry about the ability of California -- and its dysfunctional government -- to legalize it. Here's my look at the question in Sunday's Washington Post. And here's a Q&A I did on the Post web site. (Yes, there are plenty of typos and missing words in my typing on this, but in my defense, I'd been up all night after a United Airlines ordeal).

Audio: From Business at Local Ballot Panel

Here's a link to the audio of the Zocalo LA panel, "Is Business Abusing the Ballot?", that I moderated May 27 at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. We made some news that night. Harvey Englander, a consultant for hotels near LAX, said his clients would not sponsor a referendum of a law extending LA's so-called "living wage" protections to workers there. (At least half the workers already make a salary equivalent to the living wage, of $10.64 per hour, according to the hotels). The event runs about an hour.

On the Media Appearance

Here's a link to a transcript and audio of my appearance this weekend on NPR's "On the Media." The topic is Spanish-language news.

Going Viral: Reading Arnold's Mind

This was a little post I tossed off last weekend on my "Blockbuster Democracy" blog at the New America Foundation web site (It's cross-posted to Fox and Hounds). It's spreading fast through the Internet universe.

Democracy Inc, and May 27 event

Here's a link to my piece in today's Los Angeles Times examining how businesses, borrowing a tactic from environmentalists and neighborhood groups, are using ballot measures to block the development plans of competitors. I'll be moderating a Zocalo LA panel on this and related issues on May 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Autry National Center. Details on the event are here.

My Contributions on New California Site

I'm contributing to a new California web site on business and politics, Fox and Hounds. There are some conservative voices on the site, and some Schwarzenegger administration folks too (key Democratic aides for some reason). I'm aligned with neither left nor right nor Arnold, but want to be part of a new California enterprise. Here's my first post, a modest proposal for extending the sales tax to a certain kind of services.

And my second, that looks at gay marriage.
And my third, called "Reading Arnold's Mind."

In Praise of Spanish-Language News

Here's my piece from the Sunday Washington Post explaining how and why Spanish-language TV news in Los Angeles is superior to its English-language competitors.

Politicians, Spouses and Branding

Here's my essay from this Sunday's Los Angeles Times Magazine about how political spouses can protect each other by keeping their brands separate.... And I'm quoted in this morning's Sacramento Bee on the phenomenon of California legislators opening up ballot measure accounts.

Please Join Me May 27

For a Zocalo LA panel on Local Ballot Measures and Business. It's called, a bit dramatically, "Is Business Abusing the Ballot?" I'm moderating. The panel is at the Autry Museum in Griffith Park, and goes from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. You also should be able to hear it on KPCC, 89.3 FM, on Sunday, June 1, at 9 p.m.

KPBS Appearance

Here's a link to audio of my appearance April 15 on KPBS, the NPR affiliate in San Diego.

Drinking and Reforming

Well, maybe not as bad as that, but proposing education cuts and budget reforms don't mix. I explain why in Sunday's LA Times, and talk about why Gov. Schwarzenegger has had such a hard time with this lesson.

All Times Considered

I was quoted yesterday in a piece on NPR's All Things Considered on the difficulties of my former paper, the Los Angeles Times, and its new boss, Sam Zell.

Disney-Anaheim, War and Peace

No link because Orange Coast magazine doesn't have its April issue up on the web, but you can check out my piece on the town-theme park fight that produced a referendum, a ballot initiative and now peace.

It Really Does Take a Village

Here's my investigation into the Southern California, Depression-era childhood of Dorothy Howell, mother of Hillary Clinton. Ours is a region with so much history; we should know more of it.

Direct Democracy Blog Has Moved...

to http://www.newamerica.net/blog/blockbuster_democracy

Information about me, my work, and my book, The People's Machine, remains here. But the Blockbuster Democracy blog, as it is now known, is now updated daily at the site maintained by the New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank where I'm an Irvine senior fellow. (I'd like to stroke my beard when I recite that uppity sounding title, but my wife won't let me grow one. She correctly points out that all the title means is that I'm a freelance writer with a subsidy that expires in two years).

Dear Okie, and the Latino Vote

This op-ed from the Sunday, Feb. 24, Los Angeles Times is my attempt to explain an apparent surge in Latino voting in California

This earlier op-ed offers a preview of the kind of work you'll be seeing from me as I leave the paper's staff and become an Irvine senior fellow at The New America Foundation.

A Big Move for Me

I've decided to leave the Los Angeles Times after the presidential primaries. It's hard to leave what I believe is the most important newspaper in the world. But after eight years at the Times, it's time for me to explore the journalistic world outside of newspapers.

I have a wonderful opportunity to make a living as an independent writer. To that end, I'm joining the New America Foundation as one of their California fellows. (My exact title will be Irvine senior fellow). It's a non-partisan think tank that supports journalists, among others. You'll see my byline in the LA Times (as a freelancer), in magazines, and elsewhere. I'll have the freedom to follow my reporting nose wherever it leads me, and to write the truth as I see it.

I'll continue to focus on California, its politics, voters, real estate and labor--all topics that I covered in The People's Machine and in my LA Times work. I also plan to blog on direct democracy. It is not yet clear whether that blog will appear on this web site, or on a different site.

Here's the announcement from New America:
Building on his fine work as a political reporter at the Los Angeles Times, Joe will be examining political disengagement in California. He will be studying the interaction between lawmakers and voters, between the initiative and the referendum, and between the state's major interest groups, with a particular focus on labor, real estate, and media.

New Stuff from Joe

Here's my explanation, from the December issue of the new business magazine Conde Nast Portfolio, of a fight between the city of Anaheim and the Walt Disney Company that is headed for the municipal ballot next year. A key lesson: Anaheim, and that part of Orange County, has become a metropolis in reality, if not in name.

And here's my profile of Tom Hiltachk, the author of the California ballot initiative on the Electoral College that everyone is talking about. From the December 10 issue of the New Republic.

Ballot War Near Disneyland

What's the real story of the coming ballot measure battle in Orange County between Disney, the developer SunCal, the Unite Here hotel workers union, affordable housing advocates, and the Anaheim city council? The fight, which likely will include three separate measures on the Anaheim city ballot next June, could prove to be the most expensive municipal ballot measure fight in the history of California. I'll describe the missteps and strategies that led to the confrontation and reveal new behind-the-scenes details in an upcoming issue of Conde Nast Portfolio.

Upcoming Appearances

If you're interested in having me speak to your group, please contact me at joe@joemathews.com

The People's Machine on TV and Web

With Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa taking political hits for adultery, the LA Times asked me to examine how Schwarzenegger escaped damage for his bad behavior. The Arnold rules of damage control are here.

Bloomberg-Schwarzengger makes an unconstitutional but alluring presidential ticket. I examine the history of New York-California independent presidential campaigns in the LA Times.

Elsewhere in the media, Michael Grunwald, writing in Time magazine, compares Schwarzenegger and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and cites The People's Machine here.

Also, TPM is cited in this profile of California Teachers Assn. president Barbara Kerr, who has been both a Schwarzenegger ally and foe.

Check out my piece in Politico on how ballot measures will shape the California presidential primary.

Rachel Smolkin, managing editor for the American Journalism Review, interviewed me about The People's Machine on Book TV.

- my interview with the Santa Barbara Independent.

Previous Appearances

Thank you to all the hosts.

2008 EVENTS
March 27, 2008
Speech, Q&A
California Lutheran Unviersity
Thousand Oaks, Calif.

APRIL 15, 2008/SOLANA BEACH, Calif
Speech
Solana Beach Library 6:30 p.m.

MAY 27, 2008/GRIFFITH PARK
Business and local ballot measures panel,
Autry Museum. 7 p.m.

JULY 17, 2008/SACRAMENTO
Panelist
"Climate Change Policy"
New America Foundation
at the California State Association of Counties
7:30 p.m.

JULY 24, 2008/PALOS VERDES, Calif.
Speech
Trump Ocean Trail Golf Club 7 p.m.

AUGUST 12, 2008/WASHINGTON DC
Presentation
The Problems of Ballot Initiatives in California
New America Foundation, fellows meeting
Noon

AUGUST 21, 2008/TORRANCE, Calif. S
Speech to LA County Republicans
Sizzler restaurant
7 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2008/LOS ANGELES
Panel moderator
"Are Teachers Unions Too Powerful Or Not Powerful Enough?"
Sponsored by Zocalo LA
Riordan Central Library
7:30 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008/LOS ANGELES
Talk
"Investigative Reporting"
Class at USC
6:45 p.m.

OCTOBER 1, 2008/AARAU, SWITZERLAND
Keynote speech
"Direct Democracy in North America"
Delivered at the first Global conference on direct democracy
Cantonal parliament building
9 p.m.

OCTOBER 14, 2008/SACRAMENTO
Panel
Ballot Initiative Reform
Sponsored by the New America Foundation
California State Association of Counties room
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

OCTOBER 19, 2008/LOS ANGELES
Panel
The 2008 Elections
Cornell University Alumni organization
11 a.m.

OCTOBER 22, 2008/LOS ANGELES
Panel
Education in the Presidential Election
Jesse Unruh Institute, USC
Noon

OCTOBER 27, 2008/MALIBU
Talk
To Class on California and Initiative Politics
Pepperdine University
1 p.m.

OCTOBER 30, 2008/STUDIO CITY
Panel on Ballot Initiatives
Valley Industry & Commerce Association Conference
11 a.m.

NOVEMBER 1-5/SAN FRANCISCO, SACRAMENTO AND DENVEr
Guide
Direct Democracy Tour of the United States
Sponsored by the Initiative & Referendum Institute - Europe, University of Marburg, Germany
I served as leader of a tour of initiative campaigns and states.

NOVEMBER 19, 2008/WEST LOS ANGELES
Speech
The California Political Outlook
Consular Press Officers Association
Noon

2007 EVENTS

Wednesday, January 3/SANTA BARBARA
Interview Clear Channel Radio

Sunday, January 7/ORANGE COUNTY
KOCE-TV interview "Conversations with Jim Doti"
Airs at 10 a.m.

Monday, January 8/SAN DIEGO
Speech University of California San Diego
Osher Institute for Continued Learning, Room 129
1 p.m.

Thursday, January 11/SANTA BARBARA
Speech "Soft in the Middle"
Victoria Hall, 333 W. Victoria
sponsored by University of California Santa Barbara
8 p.m.

Monday, January 22/LOS ANGELES
Speech
Unruh Institute, University of Southern California
11:45 a.m.

Wednesday, January 24/IRVINE
Speech, "The Big Enchilada: What Schwarzenegger Wants in His Second Term"
McDonnell Douglas Engineering Auditorium
University of California Irvine
6:30 p.m.

January 2007/BALTIMORE Reading and Q&A Enoch Pratt Free Library

Wednesday, February 7/SAN FRANCISCO
Panel, The Politicization of Local Government
California League of Cities convention
3:30 p.m.

Monday, February 12/COACHELLA VALLEY
Zetta Castle literary salon
3 to 5 p.m.

March 3-4, 2007/COLUMBUS, OHIO
Media interviews and talk

Tuesday, March 13/BERKELEY Lecture UC Berkeley class 3:40 p.m.

Monday, March 19, 2007/SAN MARINO, Calif.
"Conversations with..." series
Huntington Library
Noon

Wednesday, March 28/THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.
Speech Cal Lutheran University 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 12/LOS ANGELES
Lecture
USC
7:45 p.m.

Monday, April 16/SANTA BARBARA
Lecture UCSB 2 p.m.

Monday, April 16/LOS ANGELES
Lecture USC Annenberg School
6:45 p.m.

Friday, April 20/TORRANCE
Talk
Los Angeles County Lincoln Club
Noon

Sunday, April 29/WESTWOOD
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Panel: "The Promised Land: California and the American Dream"
Fowler Museum Lenart Auditorium
UCLA
3 p.m.

Sunday, April 29/WESTWOOD
CSPAN Book TV 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday, May 16/PLEASANT HILL, Calif.
Speech
Political Vanguard Series
Contra Costa Country Club
6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. event

Thursday, May 24/COMMERCE
Speech
Limited Government Coalition
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Friday, May 25/LANCASTER
Speech
Los Angeles County Lincoln Club
7:30 a.m.

Tuesday, June 12/CULVER CITY, Calif.
Speech
7 p.m.

Friday, June 15/COVINA
Speech
San Gabriel Valley Lincoln Club Breakfast
Blake's Restaurant (in the Radisson Suites Covina Hotel)
1211 East Garvey Street
7:30 a.m.

Wednesday, June 27/SANTA MONICA
Lecture
Santa Monica City College
6:30 p.m.

Friday, July 6/SANTA FE SPRINGS
Speech
Geezer's Restaurant 7:30 a.m.

Thursday, July 19/LOS ANGELES--CANCELLED
Speech Los Angeles County Lincoln Club Downtown Noon

2006 EVENTS

August 12, 2006
Reading and Q&A
Redondo Beach, Calif.

August 16, 2006
Talk and signing
Sacramento Press Club

August 25, 2006
Signing
Avid Reader
Sacramento, Calif.

August 26, 2006
Reading and Q&A
Sacramento, Calif.

August 27, 2006
Reading and Q&A
College Heights Church
San Mateo, Calif.

August 31, 2006
Reading and Q&A,
The Village at Mammoth
Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

September 6, 2006
Reading, signing and Q&A
Vroman’s Bookstore
Pasadena, Calif.

September 9, 2006
Reading, signing and Q&A
Barnes & Noble
Orange, Calif.

September 10, 2006
Reading, signing and Q&A
Russo’s Books
Bakersfield, Calif.

September 14, 2006
Signing
Barnes & Noble, location at the Grove
Los Angeles

September 16, 2006
Signing
Barnes & Noble
Fresno, Calif.

September 17, 2006
Reading, signing and Q&A
Chaucer’s Books
Santa Barbara

September 20, 2006
Speech
Luminaria’s Restaurant
Monterey Park, Calif.

September 23, 2006
Reading and Q&A
Pasadena, Calif.

September 24, 2006
Reading and Q&A
Pacific Palisades

Friday, September 29, 2006/BALTIMORE, MD
Appearance
Baltimore Book Festival
Baltimore, MD
5 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 30/BETHESDA, MD
Reading and Q&A

Monday, October 2/WASHINGTON DC
Radio interview, Washington Post radio

Tuesday, October 3/DEL MAR, CA
Reading, signing and Q&A
Book Works
Flower Hill Promenade, 2670 Via De La Valle, Suite A230, Del Mar, CA 92014
Time 7 p.m.

Wednesday, October 4/NAPERVILLE, IL
Reading, signing and Q&A
Anderson’s Bookshop
123 W. Jefferson Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
Time: 7 p.m.

Thursday, October 5/KANSAS CITY, MO
Reading
Kansas City Public Library
Plaza Branch
1 p.m.

Speech
Platte County Pachyderm Club
Touché, 6264 Lewis St., Parkville, MO
5:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 7/MADISON, WI
University Bookstore
Hilldale Mall
2 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, October 8/CHICAGO, IL
Bruce DuMont Show
Museum of Broadcasting
400 North State Street
6 to 8 p.m.

Monday, October 9/MADISON, WI and CHICAGO, IL
Radio interview
Wisconsin Public Radio
9:30 a.m.

Radio interview
10 a.m. Pacific, KPBS SAn Diego

Radio interview
6 p.m., WGN, Chicago

Tuesday, October 10/ANN ARBOR, MI
Radio interview, Australian radio

Radio interview, Denver, KBCO

Talk, University of Michigan

Wednesday, October 11/PALO ALTO, CA
Reading, signing and Q&A
Books Inc.
157 Stanford Shopping Ctr
Palo Alto, CA 94304
7:30 p.m.


Thursday, October 12/HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLORADO
Reading, signing and Q&A
Tattered Cover
9315 Dorchester Street
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 13/SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Reading, signing and Q&A
Cody's Stockton Street
2 Stockton Street, San Francisco
7 p.m.

Monday, October 16/ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
Speech
Rotary Club
Noon

Monday, October 16/ALBUQUERQUE
Reading, signing and Q&A
Page One Books
11018 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87111.
7 p.m.

Wednesday, October 18/PORTLAND
TV interview, KATU
9 a.m.

Monday, October 23/ST. LOUIS--POSTPONED
Radio interview, KMOX
10:20 a.m.

Tuesday, October 24/LOS ANGELES
Speech, Los Angeles Press Club
The Steve Allen Theater
4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 90027
Street parking available and parking is free in the LAPC lot (enter off of Berendo Street);
Reception and signing 6:30 p.m.
RSVP to rsvp@lapressclub.org or contact the e-mail/phone numbers above; Light refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served
Program 7:30 p.m.
Emcee – former LAPC Board Member and celebrated columnist, Jill Stewart

Friday, October 27/PHOENIX
Radio interview
KTAR
10 a.m.

TV interview
Channel 8
1 p.m.

Monday, October 30/BOSTON--POSTPONED
Reading, signing and Q&A
Amrheins Restaurant
80 West Broadway
South Boston
6:30 p.m.


Wednesday, November 1/CORONADO-San Diego, Calif.
Reading, signing and Q&A
Bay Books
1029 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118
7 p.m.

Thursday, November 2/SAN JOSE
Speech, "The Management Secrets of Arnold Schwarzenegger"
Commonwealth Club, Business and Leadership Forum Program
Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. Fifth St.
check in 6:30 p.m., program 7 p.m., signing 8 p.m.

Friday, November 3/PALM SPRINGS
Reading, signing and Q&A
Peppertree Books
7 p.m.

Saturday, November 4/LA QUINTA
Reading, signing and Q&A
Peppertree Books
3 p.m.

Sunday, November 5/CAPITOLA, CA
Reading, signing and Q&A
Capitola Book Cafe
1475 41st Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010
2:30 p.m.

Monday, November 6/PASADENA
Interview, KPCC
Air Talk with Larry Mantle
10 a.m.

Wednesday, November 8/SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Radio interview with Patt Morrison
KPCC, 89.3 FM
1 p.m.

Thursday, November 9/SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
VICA post-election panel
7:45 a.m.
5121 Van Nuys Boulevard, Suite 203 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-1496

Saturday, November 11/SAN LUIS OBISPO
Reading, signing and Q&A
The Novel Experience
787 Higuera
1 p.m.

Monday, November 13/LOS ANGELES
Talk
USC
6:45 p.m.

Tuesday, November 14/BERKELEY
Speech
Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley
Noon

Wednesday, November 15/LOS ANGELES
Post-election panel at USC, Taper Hall Auditorium
7 p.m.

Sunday, November 19/HOMEWOOD, ALABAMA
Reading and Q&A
The Little Professor
5 p.m.

Wednesday, November 29/LOS ANGELES
Talk, and Q&A about Gov. Schwarzenegger and book
Hollenbeck Youth Center
2015 E. 1st. St.
Boyle Heights
7 p.m.

Friday, December 1/ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
Book event, hosted by Heisman Properties
5 to 7 p.m.
1136 Washington Avenue #202

Thursday, December 14/PASADENA
Speech, 85th Annual Curmudgeons' Lunch
Monty's (corner of California Blvd and Fair Oaks)
Noon

Friday, December 15/BALTIMORE, MD
Book party
627 S. Macon St.
7 p.m.

Errata

p. 5. "In 1848, the Swiss adopted a constitution that allowed citizens to overturn laws."

CORRECTION: The Swiss adopted a constitution in 1848 that allowed its citizens to vote on laws. But the citizens' referendum -- allowing them to overturn -- did not become part of the constitution until 1874. Hat tip to Bruno Kaufmann, a journalist and project director of a worldwide conference on direct democracy scheduled for May 2008 in Switzerland.


p. 34. Schwarzenegger earned a "vocational high school degree."

CORRECTION: There was no such "vocational high school degree, writes Guenter Bischof, director of the University of New Orleans' Center Austria. Schwarzenegger, after completing elementary school and junior high, did complete a vocational apprenticeship program. As part of the program, he worked at a business that sold wood and other hardware supplies. But Bischof writes that his successful completion of this apprenticeship does not constitute a high school degree. He never received the high school diploma that is a prerequisite for attending university in Austria.


p. 68. "... Shawn Steel and a deputy, Tim Clark."

CORRECTION. Clark was a political consultant, not a deputy to party chairman Steel.

p. 115. a sign that read "Shawn Steel Is Nuts."
CORRECTION. The sign said: "Shawn Steel is a Lunatic."

p. 189. "Garry South, a lead campaign strategist for Davis, said there was so much information publicly available about Schwarzenegger that the governor's team never did formal opposition research on him."

CLARIFICATION: An opposition researcher for Davis says that the campaign did produce a folder on Schwarzenegger by campaign's end.

REVIEWS: What The People Are Saying About The People's Machine

A running list of reviews and comments about The People's Machine.

LA Times Review: If you're a political junkie, Joe Mathews' book, "The People's Machine," will be catnip. If you're not a political junkie, beware: It could easily make you one.

What they’re saying about “The People’s Machine”…

Were Schwarzenegger not that resilient and resourceful, he never would have made it out of Austria, to the top of the body-building world, to a business career, Hollywood stardom and now striking success in politics, all of which Joe Mathews describes in his excellent new political biography, "The People's Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy.'' -- David Broder, The Washington Post

“[A] powerful account of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s political ascent—and of his subsequent fall from public grace … a penetrating, inside look at the celebrity California governor and his team … at once critical and sympathetic. Set against the backdrop of California’s fascination with direct democracy, this book is a triumph of meticulous reporting and solid research.”
—Lou Cannon, author of Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power

"It's the best book written about California politics in 40 years."
-Dan Schnur, commentator and consultant

“Journalist Mathews tackles the legend of Arnold amongst the contorted façade 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…. mixes a Schwarzenegger-size sense of fun with wonky policy specifics for a page-turner with the rush of a good political potboiler.” – Publishers Weekly

“It’s a remarkable piece of journalism, a must read for anyone interested in politics in California… It also separates fact from fiction on how power is exercised is the nation’s largest state… A fascinating work. --NBC 4, Los Angeles

“Mathews delivers a completely engrossing look at Schwarzenegger's long and calculated strategy to run for political office…” -- Booklist

“Wonderfully detailed and surprisingly readable.” – St. Petersburg Times

“This book catches Schwarzenegger in mid-career and offers fascinating insights into his style and substance.” – Orange County Register

“What Mathews is able to do, thanks in part to his subject's star power, is write a book that describes something most people never thought they'd ever be interested in -- how government works (even when it doesn't) -- and still be entertaining.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“It's a well researched and reported book, crammed with behind-the-scenes stories and insights into how political campaigns come together.” – Sacramento Bee.

“It is the rollicking, wild story of how an Austrian carpenter's apprentice rose to become leader of his adopted land's largest state, and how to some extent he has become merely life-size since then.” – Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund in the New York Sun

"Mathews’ work is going to entirely change the way we view California’s governor. It’s detailed, it’s fair and non-ideological in its take, and it reveals fascinating new facts.” Pasadena Star-News
"Joe Mathews has done an artful, fascinating, and convincing job of connecting the California of today's Schwarzenegger era to the long history that made his rise possible. Anyone who reads his book will understand why America's political future may include many more Arnolds. This is an intriguing and accomplished book." —James Fallows, national correspondent The Atlantic Monthly

"Lest you believe it was all a dream, The People's Machine explains in vivid detail that yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually elected governor of California after his predecessor was abruptly ousted by voters. Joe Mathews examines the many interconnected reasons why that happened with authoritative reporting and uncommon thoroughness. He offers a shrewdly interpretive biography that spans a few decades while also crystallizing the heady drama of those few months in 2003 when American democracy took on a whole new form. If you're looking for clear-eyed dream analysis, here is the definitive kind." – Dade Hayes, co-author of Open Wide and editor at Entertainment Weekly

The People Machine's is destined to be the classic definer of the Age of Arnold.
--Flash Report (leading California political blog)

An excellent blend of in-depth analysis and biographical information results.
– Midwest Book Review

Mathews has managed to keep whatever personal feelings he has about Schwarzenegger in a file drawer somewhere, and takes an honest look the campaign and beyond with wit, vigor and good old-fashioned in-depth investigative coverage. – Mammoth Times (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.)

“A groundbreaking account.” -- CNN

“Fascinating.” – KCUR radio (NPR), Kansas City

“Excellent.” – Miami Herald

“The best book written on Schwarzenegger to date.” – Guenter Bischof, director of Center Austria (Center for Austrian Culture and Commerce), University of New Orleans

LA Times Review

A campaign without end

The People's Machine Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy
Joe Mathews
PublicAffairs: 456 pp. $26.95

By Peter Schrag, Peter Schrag, a columnist and former editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee, is the author, most recently, of "California: America's High Stakes Experiment."

July 30, 2006

IF you're a political junkie, Joe Mathews' book, "The People's Machine," will be catnip. If you're not a political junkie, beware: It could easily make you one.

Mathews, a Los Angeles Times reporter who has covered much of Arnold Schwarzenegger's intense three-year political career — yes, it's been only three years — believes that the governor, in his fusion of entertainment with politics and of conventional government with direct democracy, represents a new phenomenon in American public life.

Except for the labels Mathews uses — "blockbuster democracy," "the people's machine" — that's not altogether a new take. A lot of politicians — Huey P. Long Jr., Fiorello H. LaGuardia, William Jennings Bryan — put on good shows for "the people." In our history, a good deal of the nation's entertainment has come from politicians and preachers. The Romans offered the people bread and circuses.

Nor is Schwarzenegger the first California politician to use ballot measures as part of his political strategy. Republican Gov. Pete Wilson's reelection in 1994 owed a great deal to his embrace of hot-button crime and immigration initiatives. Jerry Brown, now the Democratic candidate for attorney general, is still trumpeting his authorship of the California Political Reform Act, which helped carry him to victory in the governor's race in 1974.

But Mathews is right that no one has built ballot measures — both as instruments of policy and as threats — into the very essence of governance. The three years have been a nonstop mall-to-mall campaign — from recall (2003) to recovery bonds (2004) to political reform (2005) to infrastructure bonds, tougher penalties for sex crimes and reelection (2006). Although the governor's reform agenda famously crashed last year — some of it before it even reached the ballot — there's no sign that his essential approach will change.

As Schwarzenegger, who is as much a Republican maverick as he is a Republican moderate, said after his reform initiatives lost in November, there's always a new movie. The tough-guy act ("I call them girlie men") bombed, so now he's Mr. Nice Guy, as in the early days of his governorship. But blockbuster ballot-box democracy rolls on: politics as shtick. The irony here, as Mathews says, is that Schwarzenegger is trying "to harness California's century-old system of direct democracy to build precisely the thing it had been designed to counter: a political machine. Of course [this would be] run not on patronage but on stardust…. "

The real appeal of Mathews' book is in the detailed, sometimes hour-by-hour story that his extensive reporting and proximity to Schwarzenegger's political operation allow him to tell. It's a story with a remarkable cast of characters, the 135 candidates hoping to replace Gov. Gray Davis in the recall as well as the old Wilson team — George Gorton, Bob White, Don Sipple and Wilson himself — who were waiting for a marketable star like Schwarzenegger.

There is the ever-changing roster of senior staffers — three finance directors, two chiefs of staff, two communications directors — plus First Lady Maria Shriver and the Schwarzeneggers' (and Kennedy family's) longtime friend, Hollywood lawyer Bonnie Reiss, who's been a fixture in the administration. There is the ever-shifting list of pollsters, advance people, stage managers, speechwriters, lawyers, publicists and flunkies who keep this show on the road.

Then there are the political negotiating partners: the irascible Democrat John Burton, president pro tem of the state Senate until he was termed out in December 2004, who liked to shoot the breeze with the governor in the smoking tent outside the governor's office; the muscular prison guards union; and the various Indian casino gaming interests who were "ripping us off."

And, of course, there's California Teachers Assn. President Barbara Kerr, who thought she had a deal with Schwarzenegger on school funding during the fiscal drought of 2004, a deal he broke the following year. That break — and the clumsy way it was handled — was probably the biggest weapon in the campaign against the governor's ballot measures in the 2005 election.

Mathews portrays Schwarzenegger as a good listener and quick study. But, like other reporters, he concludes that the governor's insistence on constant "action" and his overestimation of his ability to sell anything — especially after his first-year successes passing his $15-billion recovery bond and reforming workers compensation — led to the confusion of proposals and flawed ballot measures that brought on the disaster of 2005.

Although Mathews doesn't make a point of it, from the start Schwarzenegger has focused more on process and performance than on the complexities of substantive policy. The misbegotten spending-cap initiative that became the centerpiece of his 2005 reform package was so complex that it probably never had a chance. His merit-pay plan for teachers evolved into a marginal proposal to extend the probationary period for new teachers from two to five years. His pension reform plan flamed out before voters could weigh in.

Schwarzenegger liked to say that if he could sell his bad movies, he could sell anything, but politics isn't always show biz. With last year's special election for his initiatives, which took on many of the state's most powerful interests at once and which could easily be seen as a thinly disguised union-busting strategy, he went to the well once too often. The initiative process, as Mathews says, "was not a magic elixir for politicians to employ whenever they got into jams."

The fun of this book is its seamless narrative of the Schwarzenegger political operation — like Theodore H. White's "The Making of the President" insider's look — extended to nonstop campaigning. But it leaves you wishing for more attention to the policies at issue and their larger consequences for the schools, the tax system and for the state as a whole. Ditto for the complex and rapidly changing economic, demographic and social landscape over which Schwarzenegger was elected to preside.

Nor is there much about the opposition. The book implicitly accepts the conventional journalistic wisdom that the Schwarzenegger operation went off track through its own errors, which would be a tribute to Schwarzenegger's dominance. Gail Kaufman, who ran the well-funded union campaign against Schwarzenegger's measures, gets little more than a couple of mentions.

It was Kaufman who knew how to exploit Schwarzenegger's mistakes and who, in a string of powerful TV ads, turned the governor's attacks on the "special interests" into the faces of individual firefighters, nurses, cops and teachers. Public employees, nurses in particular, showed up to picket and heckle at almost every Schwarzenegger event — to the point where the governor had to sneak through back doors and garage entrances to get into the hotel ballrooms where he held his fundraisers. How was all that opposition organized and who organized it? Mathews doesn't tell us.

In contrast with other observers, Mathews believes that it was Schwarzenegger who pushed hardest for last year's ill-fated special election campaign, that his consultants urged caution. But the political consultants were the most obvious beneficiaries. Did they really want to lose all those fees? Schwarzenegger paid his campaign consultants about $14.7 million between 2003 and 2006, according to the best estimates. Mathews might have noted that even if they were voices of caution, they made out like bandits.

But Mathews' engrossing narrative of Schwarzenegger's perpetual campaign is dead-on. The approach worked against a crippled unpopular governor in the recall and through much of 2004, when he had lots of support from prominent Democrats. But when his 2005 initiatives were sinking in the polls, "Schwarzenegger leaned harder than ever on theatrics, [believing] that bigger, flashier events would give him a better chance of pulling out of his rut." As they say in sports, he stayed with the strategy that got him there.

Yet even Schwarzenegger couldn't roll his machine over opponents who could outspend, out-strategize and, finally, out-think him — and who just might have been better on the issues. Blockbuster democracy may or may not survive Schwarzenegger. Either way, however, Mathews' story will be essential in explaining why.