direct-democracy

In this chapter, Arnold Schwarzenegger reflects on the idea and process of entering politics, particularly his contemplation and preparation for running for governor of California. He discusses the political and economic challenges California faced in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including the dot-com crash and energy crisis, and evaluates his own political positioning, strengths, and weaknesses. Schwarzenegger also considers the significance of celebrity in politics, the importance of direct democracy in California, and the strategic decisions involved in launching a gubernatorial campaign.

Chapter 2 critiques the contemporary left's strategic limitations, focusing on the dominance of folk politics, particularly horizontalism, in recent radical movements such as Occupy. It argues that while horizontalism advances important commitments like rejecting domination and embracing direct democracy, its reliance on immediacy, prefigurative politics, and direct action often fails to build sustained political power necessary to challenge global capitalism. The chapter uses the Occupy movement as a case study to illustrate both the appeal and the shortcomings of these folk-political strategies in core capitalist countries.