Since his landslide reelection in a state dominated by Democrats, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has arguably become the nation’s most successful Republican politician. His near-universal name recognition and status as governor of the nation’s most populous state have placed Schwarzenegger at the forefront of such key issues as health care, environmental protection, and immigration.

Combining liberal stands on social and environmental issues with fiscally conservative, pro-business policies, Schwarzenegger has appealed to Republicans, Democrats, and independent voters, whose support has been critical to his success. Party of One offers a portrait of a political celebrity by one of his closest observers.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Contact: Darcy Cohan
415-339-4111
darcycohan@p3books.com

Download

Party of One Calls Schwarzenegger the Face of America’s Political Future

In a new book from PoliPointPress, veteran journalist Daniel Weintraub shows why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s political style may represent the wave of the future in American politics. Party of One: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of the Independent Voter (January 2008; $19.95 cloth cover; foreword by Michael Barone) recounts Schwarzenegger’s unlikely political career and concludes that his nonpartisan approach has placed him at the forefront of health care, immigration, global warming, and other issues on which partisan stalemates have thwarted effective action.

Since his landslide reelection in a state dominated by Democrats, Schwarzenegger has arguably become the nation’s most successful Republican politician. Weintraub, whom Peter Schrag describes as “one of Schwarzenegger’s closest and shrewdest observers,” shows how the California governor has found favor with Republicans, Democrats, and independent voters, whose support has been critical to his success. Combining liberal stands on social and environmental issues with conservative pro-business policies, Schwarzenegger has made critical mistakes but has recovered, Weintraub explains, by appealing to voters who value problem solving over ideology.

Daniel Weintraub is the public affairs columnist for the editorial pages of The Sacramento Bee. Formerly a political analyst for MSNBC, he has appeared on Fox News, CNN, CNBC, NPR, and every major public radio station in California. He served as capitol bureau chief and columnist for the Orange County Register and began his career in journalism writing for the Los Angeles Times in San Diego. In April 2003, he became the first full-time political journalist in California to start a blog, the California Insider. In 2000, he received the John Jacobs Award from the Center for California Studies for excellence in the reporting of California government and politics. His columns can be read at sacbee.com/opinion.

For more information, visit www.partyofonebook.com