When Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he was running to be Governor of California, pundits asked if his candicacy was democracy in action or the cult of celebrity trouncing the democratic process.
Alex Cooke's insightful film tells the story of this bizarre election and reveals some of the funniest moments from the 135-candidate circus.
Director Interview: Alex Cooke
BBC Four: Did you ever think Arnie actually resembled a politician during the campaign?
Alex Cooke: I went out there not expecting very much from him but I was quite surprised by how he could command a room and how charismatic he was. He could be witty and was quite an eloquent speaker. He obviously believes strongly in what he says and has surrounded himself with a team of people with a lot of political experience. We were watching him transform himself into that role and he did say on a couple of occasions, "I am new to this and other people might know more than me but I will bring leadership. I have always been a good leader".
BBC Four: But did he have any definable policies?
AC: Not at the beginning. That's what frustrated a lot of journalists - that he was so vague. I wouldn't say he really nailed anything down prior to the election. He's now started to do a couple of the things he said he would, like repealing the car tax.
BBC Four: Were you at all surprised that all these allegations, the groping and so on, had so little impact on his campaign?
AC: Some of the allegations weren't new. He was known to be a colourful character with a colourful past. If it had been a longer campaign they might have had more impact. Because they came out so close to the election it was too late. Most people had made their minds up already. If you looked at how the numbers were increasing at the rallies you got an indication that the momentum was so big and getting bigger all the time. Even if people didn't go to those rallies they would have seen them on the telly. In America I think there is sense that people want to back a winner not a loser.
BBC Four: Speaking of losers, did you have any sympathy with Gray Davis?
AC: I did really. I felt that he was a bit of a scapegoat. The governorship is not an office that acts totally independently - there is a legislature. The governor can't sign off on the budget; he still has to take it to the next tier up which is Democrats and Republicans, who then sign it off. I think it was a bit unfair to blame all these problems on one guy as if he'd been wholly responsible for them. The fact that the recall election movement started three months after the guy had been re-elected begs the question, why did you let him get in again? A particular group of Republicans started so fast to try and recall him it did smack a bit of sour grapes that they didn't win.
BBC Four: One of the interesting things about the film is this man Darrell Issa, the republican congressman who practically bankrolled the recall process.
AC: Darrell Issa is a character. He's an ideologue who really, really believes in what he is doing. But he's also someone with a lot of money. When I got there I wondered what the equivalent would be here - Hugh Grant running for office? It would never happen because there's a kind of intellectual elitism about politicians here. If it did happen you expect a Glenda Jackson type, a serious actor, not an action movie star.
When you went out on the streets in California people really weren't interested in what Schwarzenegger had to say, they just wanted to touch him or shake his hand. All that celebrity stuff took over. If you're Gray Davis, who admittedly is one of the most uncharismatic politicians, how do you compete? This is what politics is all about now - who looks best on telly. Who looks like they're having the most fun? Schwarzenegger's campaign put on a fantastic show. They used every marketing tool they knew. You'd turn up at the rallies and it was like being at a really nice concert in a park.
BBC Four: What did you find the most bizarre thing about the campaign as a whole?
AC: At the Sacramento rally at the end my head was spinning. One thing I found bizarre was how energised people were about the election. Everyone was talking about it in a way that never would have happened in a normal governor race. If Arnold hadn't entered people probably wouldn't have voted and Gray Davis would still be in!
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