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CNN Live Today
California Recall
Aired August 26, 2003 - 10:27 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: In the California recall race, there are more than 100 candidates in the running, but two men are leading the pack and all the discussions as well. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante are the ones to watch as they jockey for position in a bruising campaign.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is live once again from Los Angeles. He's got more.
OK, Bob, what's the latest?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the irony is that the two, Bustamante and Schwarzenegger, are involved in a campaign that may have no meaning, if somehow the current governor, Gray Davis, is able to repel the efforts to recall him. Of course, right now, that's an uphill battle, but it's kind of a muddled mess.
By the way, the ballot's going to include people even if they pulled out, like Bill Simon. But as you pointed out, the recall alternative ballot is really led by two people, the Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Democrat, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. And "The L.A. Times" poll has shown that Schwarzenegger has really slipped behind Bustamante, 13 points behind. So as Schwarzenegger decides to take the radio talk show circuit on, he's ratcheted things up a bit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, CALIF. GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think that people just have to understand that when you vote when you think about Gray Davis, you have to also think at the same time Bustamante, because it's one team. I mean, they both are -- it's -- one cannot say, well, listen, I had nothing to do with that mess, because they both are together, and it's like one newspaper pointed out, that it's just Bustamante is Gray Davis with a receding hairline and with a mustache.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: No telling how many people with receding hairlines and mustaches he antagonized there.
But the labor unions of course are only choosing between Democrats today. The state's AFL-CIO is holding a big meeting in Manhattan beach to decide whether it will continue to simply oppose the recall, or if it's going to join this march of opposing the recall and support Bustamante. Governor Gray Davis, of course, started out by asking that it be purely an opposition to the recall, but even he, in the last several days, seems to be inching toward a joint position, which is to say, opposing the recall, supporting Bustamante -- Leon.
HARRIS: This is getting more and more fun as it goes along. And, Bob, it looks like you're the one to gets to enjoy most of it.
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 26, 2003 - 10:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In the California recall race, there are more than 100 candidates in the running, but two men are leading the pack and all the discussions as well. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante are the ones to watch as they jockey for position in a bruising campaign.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is live once again from Los Angeles. He's got more.
OK, Bob, what's the latest?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the irony is that the two, Bustamante and Schwarzenegger, are involved in a campaign that may have no meaning, if somehow the current governor, Gray Davis, is able to repel the efforts to recall him. Of course, right now, that's an uphill battle, but it's kind of a muddled mess.
By the way, the ballot's going to include people even if they pulled out, like Bill Simon. But as you pointed out, the recall alternative ballot is really led by two people, the Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Democrat, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. And "The L.A. Times" poll has shown that Schwarzenegger has really slipped behind Bustamante, 13 points behind. So as Schwarzenegger decides to take the radio talk show circuit on, he's ratcheted things up a bit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, CALIF. GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think that people just have to understand that when you vote when you think about Gray Davis, you have to also think at the same time Bustamante, because it's one team. I mean, they both are -- it's -- one cannot say, well, listen, I had nothing to do with that mess, because they both are together, and it's like one newspaper pointed out, that it's just Bustamante is Gray Davis with a receding hairline and with a mustache.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: No telling how many people with receding hairlines and mustaches he antagonized there.
But the labor unions of course are only choosing between Democrats today. The state's AFL-CIO is holding a big meeting in Manhattan beach to decide whether it will continue to simply oppose the recall, or if it's going to join this march of opposing the recall and support Bustamante. Governor Gray Davis, of course, started out by asking that it be purely an opposition to the recall, but even he, in the last several days, seems to be inching toward a joint position, which is to say, opposing the recall, supporting Bustamante -- Leon.
HARRIS: This is getting more and more fun as it goes along. And, Bob, it looks like you're the one to gets to enjoy most of it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
