Arnold Schwarzenegger has undertaken a campaign to restore his public image. The central issue the campaign is addressing—and needs to address of course—is last year’s infidelity. Schwarzenegger seems to be taking the best approach to that problem: owning it.
The release of his new memoir, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, suggests the sort of confession and personal reflection that is needed. But in a host of negative reviews the media has judged that attempt unsatisfactory. It “fails to achieve either the depth or the emotional impact that would make us care more deeply about this fascinating public figure,” according to the Washington Post’s Vernon Loeb.
The Toronto Sun offers some excellent advice on how he could have crafted a more effective memoir.
Schwarzenegger’s reputation rehabilitation plan has fared better with the recent launch of his own eponymous political think tank at USC, a move that has helped rebrand him as “a global policy wonk and statesman dedicated to leading America into what he calls a new post-partisan era,” according to the Associated Press’ John Rogers. The American Psychological Association’s Dr. Bernard Luskin explains the relative success of this branch of his strategy to The Christian Science Monitor’s Gloria Goodale: “Arnold will persist with the same aggressive ruthlessness that he has demonstrated with the other obsessive passions in his life,” the American Psychological Association’s Dr. Bernard Luskin tells Ms. Goodale.
Arnold’s Future
There is no broad consensus on how effective Schwarzenegger’s efforts will finally be, but experts tell the Monitor that his comeback could succeed, but it probably won’t restore him to his previous stature. “The public may be willing to forget to some degree but will not forgive—so much as accept—as he attempts to remake himself,” says the APA’s Luskin. Echoing that sentiment, University of Texas, Arlington’s Ben Agger imagines that the former California governor “well be publicly redeemed if he seeks, not elective office, but talk-show host.”
Luskin and other analysts have likened him to Bill Clinton, but Schwarzenegger will need to recognize his own unique strengths and weaknesses to fulfill his goal. A Business Insider article by USC marketing professor Ira Kalb provides a great breakdown of the characteristics and history of his public image. He deftly protected his reputation against previous allegations, Kalb acknowledges, but last year’s scandal dealt it a major blow. “Time will tell if he is successful repairing his image,” Kalb says. “His admissions and apologies are two steps in the right direction, but this is the third time he has employed this approach in public, and it may take more time and a more aggressive charm offensive to pull it off on this go-round.” Schwarzenegger certainly doesn’t lack aggressiveness, but he’ll need the perfect balance of charm to win back the public’s trust and respect.