Book excerpt: The Hollywood Presidency of Ronald Reagan was founded on the skills of the 'Great Communicator'; Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' is used by the Chrysler Corporation to assure us that the 'pride is back'; feminists and right-wing militants converge to oppose pornography; racial tensions increased when the Cosby show tops the ratings. This book is a radical attempt to lay out the complex ways in which the American media and American culture are powerfully interlocked.