Arnold's PR Muscle

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"Throughout his career as a bodybuilder and action-movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger has shaped his public persona much as he once sought to sculpt his champion muscles - with a domineering determination," write Dion Nissenbaum and Eric Nalder. His obsession with controlling his image goes even beyond the practices of other Hollywood celebrities. "Arnold's entire career has been manufactured," said Arthur Seidelman, who directed Schwarzenegger in his first action film. "He is very much in control of his image and has shaped that image every step of the way. He's a very controlling, powerful force." During his campaign for public office, his aides have been required to sign a five-page confidentiality agreement and have run his electoral race like a Hollywood publicity campaign, courting sycophantic interviews while avoiding tough questions from journalists - even as questions mount about the 15 women who have accused him of sexually harassing behavior, former associates have said he admired Hitler's skills as a propagandist, and journalist Greg Palast reports on a sweetheart deal between the Governator and California's scandal-ridden utility companies.