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"\n\n In January, after seven years, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will go back to being plain old Ahnuld. His time in office has been marked by political daring (defying the GOP to support gay marriage; heck, running for governor in the first place) and political pratfalls (saying he's \"always kicking [the] butts\" of the state's nurses; failing spectacularly to manage the state legislature). But in all that time, he's managed to keep one thing largely secret: The guy is a wonk. In the new documentary Gerrymandering, out October 15, Schwarzenegger is one of many politics nerds who weigh in on the vital, oft-overlooked issue of how states draw (and redraw) their congressional districts. The film ends with the passage of California's Proposition 11, which took the power away from self-interested incumbents and placed it in the hands of a citizens commission. Schwarzenegger spoke with GQ about the fight to pass Prop 11, his regrets about his failed 2005 special election, and how politics is like bodybuilding.\n\n\u00B7\u00B7\u00B7\n\n Gerrymandering is a wonky subject. I know you're a politician, but I don't think of you as a wonk.\n\nFirst of all, I don't like when you call me a politician. Because I'm not a politician. I'm a public servant. And\u2014 \n\n That sounds like something a politician would say.\u2026\n\n\u2014and I feel that a lot of times politics kind of destroys all the good ideas. I am just for what is right for the state. I am a visionary. I have the courage to tackle challenging subjects like this. \n\n When did you learn what gerrymandering was?\n\nIn the '80s, when I became more politically interested, after Ronald Reagan won the presidency. It has really increased since 2000, when the lines were drawn the last time. I think it became clear that that's not the way to go, that we've got to give that responsibility to other people rather than politicians. It was not clear at that point how we do it the right way. But after long discussions with people who think about those things, we came up with the formula. \n\n Do you think the passage of Prop 11 is a victory that's going to last?\n\nWe should always be aware that you can't let your guard down. This is something that politicians will just despise simply because they were not involved in the decision-making. \n\n It was an uphill battle. Did you expect that?\n\nAnytime you take on the whole establishment, you expect a big battle. But I did not expect that we were going to lose five times. I'm not complaining. It's like wanting to be the world champion in bodybuilding. You can't get around working out five hours a day. You can't get around lifting fifty tons of weight a day. You can't get around that you're going to get beaten at one point or another. \n\n Have you learned anything from politics that you didn't learn from Hollywood or bodybuilding?\n\nSo many people in politics only listen to themselves when they talk. That's one thing I learned when we went for the special election. Looking back, I feel like the subject matter and the issues were right but the approach was wrong. \n\n I'd say. California voters ended up rejecting all eight of the ballot propositions.\n\nIt was too harsh, kind of \"do it my way or else,\" rather than bringing people slowly in and waiting an extra year for 2006. \n\n Speaking of harsh: Andrew Breitbart is scheduled to headline a fund-raiser for the RNC in Los Angeles this fall. Is that something you endorse?\n\nI don't like to talk about this with you. There is a fund-raiser. I don't know. I have been told many things. \n\n Maybe it'll happen after you leave office. What's next for you?\n\n I have no plans yet. Something that doesn't involve a chance of losing."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/arnold-schwarzenegger-interview-california-gerrymandering>