Unrest:Jesse Unruh Political Animal

Unruh was a mere man, but the character he chose to portray was bigger then life. The person Jesse Unruh presented to the press and general public was only a small part of who he truly was. He was more then a huge, hulking, overbearing, demanding politician in California. He was in fact an intelligent kindhearted teddy bear of a man who truly cared about the little people who made California

Unruh had been a fighter all of his life and had won the majority of battles he fought. He had been bigger then life itself. People were, “enthralled not only by his mastery … but also by the folklore” (Hawthorne 158). Unruh has even been called, “the best governor California never had” (Schmidt 435). He was forever the magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat to accomplish some goal. Now in death he is merely a man. This does not seem a fitting ending for a warrior who gave his entire adult life to bettering the lives of the residence of California. However, Jesse Unruh’s life was a thing of folklore and myths. Jesse Unruh was a man whose thinking and ideals were ahead of their time.

After years of being accused of taking money, reeking havoc, and down right blasphemous acts Unruh is now considered one of the greatest politicians in California’s history. The decisions he made in the assembly and the treasury are now described as, “the most positive influence on the state Legislature in the history of California.” “He was anything but a radical” (Wallace A1).

their home. Everything he did was to better the lives of Californians. “The enormous power he held was nearly always used to benefit the poor and the homeless” (Burgess 455). He was a kindly father, who took great care of his children, even if sometimes doing so meant doling out discipline with an iron fist. “If people were not cooperating, they went away” (Hawthorne 158).

California is often observed to be a country unto it’s self. Often stepping out onto a limb to change the way things are done, no other state would dare such a leap of faith. These are also the views expressed by outside visitors to California. With this being the case it is not surprising “Big Daddy” Unruh came to power in California. While Jesse Unruh never held a title of authority, he did have the power to control the state decision making process. Jesse Unruh was the perfect politician for California because he was a politician unto himself. No one told Unruh what to do. He always did what he thought best, regardless of the beliefs of the rest of the assembly. Much the same way California does what California wants, regardless of the rest of the country’s beliefs. Amazingly enough both Unruh and California have always been leaders in their perspective arenas, with the rest of the world coming around to their way of thinking.

It is amazing Unruh was able to accomplish anything as a politician. Every time he attempted to do anything it was like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Unruh was constantly fighting against Governor Pat Brown, the press, and his own bad public choices, but he was like a dog with a bone and refused to let go at any cost. Larry Margolis once said Unruh’s strength was, “to get goals fixed firmly in his sights, and then apply a hard operational intelligence to their achievement” (Burbank 489).

As if these two incidents were not enough, Unruh decided to also take on the California Democratic Council. He knew they would also be against him in future elections because he had paid out $100,000 dollars during his “get out the vote” campaign. Unruh had paid people to do what he wanted, the same work the Democratic Council “Volunteers” had been doing for years. The California Democratic Council had been passing themselves off to the general voting public as the “Official” organization of the Democratic Party. Unruh realized in future elections the California Democratic Council would not be on his side, and would probably work vigorously against him. Therefore he created a measure requiring the council to add the word “Unofficial” on all future mailings or literature.

Much like he did with the lobbyists’ money, Unruh learned how to play the game. Then he beat the big companies at their own game. Unruh learned the inner workings of the takeover process, and then found a wa

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