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American Morning
Arnold Makes It Official
Aired August 07, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we're going to get to the one that everyone's been talking about this morning, that being the story about Arnold Schwarzenegger. And he's going to headline what seems like a cast of thousands in the latest Hollywood blockbusters, the California governor's race. In true Hollywood style, Schwarzenegger made his announcement last night on "The Tonight Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: And the man that is failing the people more than anyone is Gray Davis. He's failing them terribly and this is why he needs to be recalled. And this is why I'm going to run for governor of the State of California.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And now he is not going to be alone. California's lieutenant governor, Democrat Cruise Bustamonte is going to announce his candidacy today.
Now, some other celebrities on the state house walk of fame to consider, as well, columnist of Arianna Huffington -- you know her; pornographer Larry Flynt -- we heard he announced it last week or earlier this week, we should say; and actor Gary Coleman is also now going to be in the race.
How about that?
Well, let's talk about it now with our political analyst Bill Schneider, who is in Los Angeles this morning, and our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, here with us in the studio.
Now, we've been talking about this all morning -- Jeff, let's start with you.
What do you think this really means now for the race there for the governor's seat?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the things it probably means is there's going to be a heck of a turnout. One of the things that unconventional candidates do -- a Ross Perot, a Jesse Ventura -- is to bring out people who are alienated from the process.
The second thing I think we already heard it. If that report is right, that Lieutenant Governor Cruise Bustamonte is going to announce today, that is a humongous development. He's the first major Democratic figure to break ranks and say I'm sorry, Gray Davis -- not that he's that sorry, they don't like each other -- but we've got to have a Democrat on that ballot. And I'm not, I think without Schwarzenegger in the race, the Democrats could have all held back and said, well, it'll just be a couple of conservatives.
So it shakes the entire thing up in a way that even those of us who thought this was unprecedented before couldn't have imagined.
HARRIS: Now, how about you, Bill? You're out there in California. Do you get a sense the Democrats out there may be beginning to panic now or what?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's why Cruise Bustamonte is in the race, because Democrats were -- the minute they heard Arnold was coming in, they said oh my god, we've got to do something. We're not just going to rally behind Gray Davis because he's a very unpopular figure. Cruise Bustamonte adds a new wrinkle to this and I think a lot of the Democrats may start abandoning Gray Davis and here you're going to have a real race because, look, while everyone's talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger, the polls show he does have a credibility problem.
An actor and politics? Well, Ronald Reagan made it, but it took a long time for Americans to decide Reagan could be president of the United States or even governor of California. Actor, an actor like Schwarzenegger does have a credibility problem. If actors have a bad image, there's only one occupation that has a worse image, and that is politician. And that's Gray Davis, of course, and Cruise Bustamonte.
So it's going to be a close and very hard fought race with a lot of new voters. That's going to be the key.
HARRIS: I don't know about that, Bill. I've heard plenty of people who say journalists ought to be added with that list you just mentioned there, as well.
Well, Jeff, let's talk about that, though, about Schwarzenegger and about what he's got to do there to get over this credibility problem.
GREENFIELD: I think Bill is exactly right. I also think it's an enormous opportunity for Schwarzenegger. If people's principal problem with him is he's an actor, I don't know that he's up for it, Schwarzenegger has it in his power, if he's up to it, to change that. And in my view, if I were back in my very old occupation as political operative from decades ago, I would say that in the next 24 hours it's Arnold Schwarzenegger who should challenge all the other credible candidates, not the publicity hounds, to debates. He should take the initiative, not wait to be invited. He should say look, I want to debate our finances, I want to debate the education system. I'm ready.
The fact of the matter is that beneath that accent and the fact that he may be the only candidate we've ever seen naked on, at least deliberately, intentionally naked, for him to step up in the public policy venues and demonstrate that he actually knows the stuff really is an enormous benefit for him because once you get finished with the is he credible enough, what are you left with except for, you know, sort of private matters?
So I think that's the way that a Schwarzenegger deals with that issue.
SCHNEIDER: Bill, let me ask you this as a Californian here, you know, the thinking amongst most people has been that now that Schwarzenegger is in, that basically will invite more people to come out and vote. But let me ask you this as a bit of a contrarian here. You've got so many other things that are happening, too, with Gary Coleman, Arianna Huffington. You know, we even heard about porn stars now who are getting in, as well as a pornographer, Larry Flynt, the -- who called himself the smut peddler who cares.
Doesn't that mix, that melange of just craziness there alienate voters? Doesn't that sort of thing make people say listen, why should I go out there, all we're doing is embarrassing ourselves?
SCHNEIDER: Well, they are a little bit embarrassed to see the rest of the country, in fact, the rest of the world, rather, laughing at California. But I think in effect what it does in a multi candidate field, where whoever gets the largest number of votes wins, you do not need a majority. There is no primary. There is no runoff. What that does is it, in a way, makes it easier for someone like Schwarzenegger to win.
Remember Jesse Ventura? He had no real credibility. He won a three way race with a plurality of the vote. Well, with a lot of candidates crowding this field, each of them getting a small slice of the electorate, then Schwarzenegger can get elected with far less than 50 percent of the vote and it just makes it easier for him.
HARRIS: Very interesting.
We'll have to watch and see how it all plays out.
Jeff Greenfield, Bill Schneider, thanks.
As always, good to see both of you.
GREENFIELD: Sure.
SCHNEIDER: Thank you.
HARRIS: All right, folks, you can keep up with all the California candidates by watching "Inside Politics" with Judy Woodruff live from Los Angeles now this afternoon, 4:00 Eastern, 1:00 Pacific.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 7, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we're going to get to the one that everyone's been talking about this morning, that being the story about Arnold Schwarzenegger. And he's going to headline what seems like a cast of thousands in the latest Hollywood blockbusters, the California governor's race. In true Hollywood style, Schwarzenegger made his announcement last night on "The Tonight Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: And the man that is failing the people more than anyone is Gray Davis. He's failing them terribly and this is why he needs to be recalled. And this is why I'm going to run for governor of the State of California.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And now he is not going to be alone. California's lieutenant governor, Democrat Cruise Bustamonte is going to announce his candidacy today.
Now, some other celebrities on the state house walk of fame to consider, as well, columnist of Arianna Huffington -- you know her; pornographer Larry Flynt -- we heard he announced it last week or earlier this week, we should say; and actor Gary Coleman is also now going to be in the race.
How about that?
Well, let's talk about it now with our political analyst Bill Schneider, who is in Los Angeles this morning, and our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, here with us in the studio.
Now, we've been talking about this all morning -- Jeff, let's start with you.
What do you think this really means now for the race there for the governor's seat?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the things it probably means is there's going to be a heck of a turnout. One of the things that unconventional candidates do -- a Ross Perot, a Jesse Ventura -- is to bring out people who are alienated from the process.
The second thing I think we already heard it. If that report is right, that Lieutenant Governor Cruise Bustamonte is going to announce today, that is a humongous development. He's the first major Democratic figure to break ranks and say I'm sorry, Gray Davis -- not that he's that sorry, they don't like each other -- but we've got to have a Democrat on that ballot. And I'm not, I think without Schwarzenegger in the race, the Democrats could have all held back and said, well, it'll just be a couple of conservatives.
So it shakes the entire thing up in a way that even those of us who thought this was unprecedented before couldn't have imagined.
HARRIS: Now, how about you, Bill? You're out there in California. Do you get a sense the Democrats out there may be beginning to panic now or what?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's why Cruise Bustamonte is in the race, because Democrats were -- the minute they heard Arnold was coming in, they said oh my god, we've got to do something. We're not just going to rally behind Gray Davis because he's a very unpopular figure. Cruise Bustamonte adds a new wrinkle to this and I think a lot of the Democrats may start abandoning Gray Davis and here you're going to have a real race because, look, while everyone's talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger, the polls show he does have a credibility problem.
An actor and politics? Well, Ronald Reagan made it, but it took a long time for Americans to decide Reagan could be president of the United States or even governor of California. Actor, an actor like Schwarzenegger does have a credibility problem. If actors have a bad image, there's only one occupation that has a worse image, and that is politician. And that's Gray Davis, of course, and Cruise Bustamonte.
So it's going to be a close and very hard fought race with a lot of new voters. That's going to be the key.
HARRIS: I don't know about that, Bill. I've heard plenty of people who say journalists ought to be added with that list you just mentioned there, as well.
Well, Jeff, let's talk about that, though, about Schwarzenegger and about what he's got to do there to get over this credibility problem.
GREENFIELD: I think Bill is exactly right. I also think it's an enormous opportunity for Schwarzenegger. If people's principal problem with him is he's an actor, I don't know that he's up for it, Schwarzenegger has it in his power, if he's up to it, to change that. And in my view, if I were back in my very old occupation as political operative from decades ago, I would say that in the next 24 hours it's Arnold Schwarzenegger who should challenge all the other credible candidates, not the publicity hounds, to debates. He should take the initiative, not wait to be invited. He should say look, I want to debate our finances, I want to debate the education system. I'm ready.
The fact of the matter is that beneath that accent and the fact that he may be the only candidate we've ever seen naked on, at least deliberately, intentionally naked, for him to step up in the public policy venues and demonstrate that he actually knows the stuff really is an enormous benefit for him because once you get finished with the is he credible enough, what are you left with except for, you know, sort of private matters?
So I think that's the way that a Schwarzenegger deals with that issue.
SCHNEIDER: Bill, let me ask you this as a Californian here, you know, the thinking amongst most people has been that now that Schwarzenegger is in, that basically will invite more people to come out and vote. But let me ask you this as a bit of a contrarian here. You've got so many other things that are happening, too, with Gary Coleman, Arianna Huffington. You know, we even heard about porn stars now who are getting in, as well as a pornographer, Larry Flynt, the -- who called himself the smut peddler who cares.
Doesn't that mix, that melange of just craziness there alienate voters? Doesn't that sort of thing make people say listen, why should I go out there, all we're doing is embarrassing ourselves?
SCHNEIDER: Well, they are a little bit embarrassed to see the rest of the country, in fact, the rest of the world, rather, laughing at California. But I think in effect what it does in a multi candidate field, where whoever gets the largest number of votes wins, you do not need a majority. There is no primary. There is no runoff. What that does is it, in a way, makes it easier for someone like Schwarzenegger to win.
Remember Jesse Ventura? He had no real credibility. He won a three way race with a plurality of the vote. Well, with a lot of candidates crowding this field, each of them getting a small slice of the electorate, then Schwarzenegger can get elected with far less than 50 percent of the vote and it just makes it easier for him.
HARRIS: Very interesting.
We'll have to watch and see how it all plays out.
Jeff Greenfield, Bill Schneider, thanks.
As always, good to see both of you.
GREENFIELD: Sure.
SCHNEIDER: Thank you.
HARRIS: All right, folks, you can keep up with all the California candidates by watching "Inside Politics" with Judy Woodruff live from Los Angeles now this afternoon, 4:00 Eastern, 1:00 Pacific.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
