The Terminator, The Gipper and the Banana Republicans

Share this

"Acting has been a stepping-stone to political careers for numerous Republicans. In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger examples include Ronald Reagan the former governor of California and two-term president of the United States. There are several reasons for this disparity. One is that the Republican Party has actively recruited and supported candidates from the entertainment world. Another is that Republicans often run as 'anti-government' or 'non-politician' candidates, so that an actor's lack of political experience can actually be an advantage for his campaign. And although Bill Clinton was clearly a master of showmanship, for the most part Republicans have shown greater mastery of the rules of postmodern politics, in which style is as important as substance and issues are less important than personality. Republican candidates understand these unwritten rules because they and their campaign consultants, some of whom actually started in the entertainment industry, played a big part in inventing them."