Politics: Show Biz for Ugly People?

Can Arnold win on looks alone? This LA Times story looks at how style and appearance is playing out in the California recall spectacle. It quotes liberally from former Reason editor Virginia Postrel, whose forthcoming book, The Substance of Style, is excerpted in the October ish of Reason (subscribe already if you haven't!). A snippet:

"If governors' races were determined solely by looks, Kathleen Brown would have beaten Pete Wilson," said economist and author Virginia Postrel, whose new book, "The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness" (HarperCollins), will be released in September. "But there is an ability to punch through and attract the camera, which in this field of so many people is more important than when you only have two choices."