Preface -- Photos follow page 78 -- Part I. The Politics of Recall -- 1. The California Republic: More Like a Nation Than a State -- Land of Direct Democracy -- California Sets the Pace: Tom Brokaw, NBC News, -- October 8, 2003 California's Economy: Ranking Sixth in the World If the State Were a Nation Diversity Compounded by Diversity Fractured Political Parties -- Out of History and Diversity: Opportunity-and Opportunists -- 2. Elements of a Perfect Storm -- The Power Crisis A Plunging Economy The Budget Deficit And Then the Rains Came . . . -- Part II. The Shaping of the Battle -- 3. The Legislature: Gridlock Defined -- The Problem of the Two-Thirds Vote -- The Term-Limits Paradox -- Safe Districts and Dangerous Legislative Conflicts -- Adding Fuel to the Fire -- 4. Governor Gray Davis: Triumph, Decline, Denial -- Who Is Gray Davis? -- Governor Davis: Implement My Vision -- Slow Reaction: A Governor in Denial Davis Agonistes -- 5. Qualifying for the Ballot: Right-Wing Conspiracy or Convergence of Interests? -- Qualifying for the Ballot Instigators and Visionaries -- The Stealth Campaign: The Internet and Talk Radio -- Darrell Issa's Golden Egg -- Davis Fights Back -- Republicans Engaged -- An Election Is Ordered -- Part III. The Campaign -- 6. The 75-Day Sprint -- The Recall Goes to Court A Two-Part Affair -- Gray Davis: Defending Slippery Turf -- Arnold Schwarzenegger: Capitalizing on the Mystique of -- Cruz Bustamante: The Democratic Alternative -- Tom McClintock: The Conservative Conscience -- Peter Camejo: The Liberal Conscience -- Bill Simon, Peter Ueberroth, and Arianna Huffington: -- The Dropouts The Supporting Cast And the Winner Is . . . -- 7. The Issues -- Voter Concerns -- Candidate Positions -- The Economy and the Budget -- Education: We're All for the Kids -- Energy: Crisis and Conspiracy Theories -- Immigration-and Immigrant Candidates -- Social Issues: Gay Rights, Gun Control, Abortion, and Women's Rights Other Issues: The Environment, Health Care, and Political Reform Issues: The Bottom Line -- 8. Interest Groups: Taking Sides -- The Right: Conservative Groups and the Recall The Left: Liberal Groups and the Recall Labor: Rallying the Troops Business: A Winner at Last Indians: California's Newest Players Follow the Money -- Personality Politics: Movie Stars and Political Stars A Different Sort of Election -- 9. The Campaigns and the Media: -- Whose Election Is It Anyway? -- The Campaigns: Shaping the Messages -- The Polls: What Did We Know and When Did We Know It? -- The Debates -- The News Media: Kill the Messenger Alternative Media: Celebrity Politics The Final Cliffhanger -- Part IV. The Outcome -- 10. Davis Loses the Recall Battle -- A Normal Political Campaign in an Abnormal Political Climate A Mandate for Change Key Factors -- The Schwarzenegger Surprise Voting Groups -- A Smooth Operation After All Anatomy of a Defeat -- 11. Recall and Political Stability in California: -- Can They Coexist? -- Putting the Pieces Back Together Lessons Learned -- The Permanence of Structural Issues California Recall: Perfect Storm or Trendsetter? -- The Uncertainty Ahead -- 12. Epilogue -- Out with the Old-In with the New -- Schwarzenegger the Activist -- Early Victories -- Early Defeats -- Early Compromises -- The Movie Star and the Bully Pulpit -- More to Come-But What? -- Appendix A: Recall Timeline -- Appendix B: The 2003 Recall Election and California Politics on the Internet Notes Index -- About the Authors