Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Schwarzenegger Will Not Take Part in Recall Debate Tonight
Aired September 03, 2003 - 11:21 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And as we conclude, move on to California recall election, where the political stage is set. Many of the candidates are already -- they are debating the debate.
Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will not take part in tonight's face off between five frontrunners, but he vows he will take part in a later debate. It's one in which the candidates will be actually given the questions in advance, hardly the pop quiz.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more now. He is in Los Angeles, I believe.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I am in Los Angeles. And of course, all of this gives rise to complaints from the critics of Arnold Schwarzenegger that he is refusing to put himself into a position, or he has to do anything more than learn his lines which of course he's been doing as an actor for so many years.
But Schwarzenegger is not going to appear in the debate tonight, not until the one on September 24, put on by the California Broadcasters Association. Normally journalistic rules in the United States don't allow submitting of questions in advance, but the broadcasters here decided before the debate was even set up that that's the way they were going to do it.
Now Arnold Schwarzenegger today will in fact be campaigning in Long Beach, California and in some brief interviews with local reporters. He is defending the decision not to debate so early.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIF. GOV. CANDIDATE: I'm going to, you know, as many different places (unintelligible), to reach out, to knock on doors and talk to people and get the message out there of what I'm trying to accomplish in this state.
So it's not all about debate. It's just to get the message out there. And we have a very, very packed schedule in the next four weeks, let me tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: But I expect tonight when the other candidates debate, that one of the repeated questions will be where is Arnold coming from the candidates who will appear, including the top tier of those who are running to become governor -- running against Arnold Schwarzenegger to become governor, if in fact the governor is recalled, Governor Gray Davis will participate in the first part of the debate, taking questions from reporters. And then five others will be taking questions from each other and reporters in the first debate, which will not include the presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger -- Daryn Kagan?
KAGAN: All right, Bob Franken. I didn't have a chance to submit my questions to you in advance. So I'm going to let you off the hook and let you join our questions today. Thank you for that report. Appreciate that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Tonight>
Aired September 3, 2003 - 11:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And as we conclude, move on to California recall election, where the political stage is set. Many of the candidates are already -- they are debating the debate.
Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will not take part in tonight's face off between five frontrunners, but he vows he will take part in a later debate. It's one in which the candidates will be actually given the questions in advance, hardly the pop quiz.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more now. He is in Los Angeles, I believe.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I am in Los Angeles. And of course, all of this gives rise to complaints from the critics of Arnold Schwarzenegger that he is refusing to put himself into a position, or he has to do anything more than learn his lines which of course he's been doing as an actor for so many years.
But Schwarzenegger is not going to appear in the debate tonight, not until the one on September 24, put on by the California Broadcasters Association. Normally journalistic rules in the United States don't allow submitting of questions in advance, but the broadcasters here decided before the debate was even set up that that's the way they were going to do it.
Now Arnold Schwarzenegger today will in fact be campaigning in Long Beach, California and in some brief interviews with local reporters. He is defending the decision not to debate so early.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIF. GOV. CANDIDATE: I'm going to, you know, as many different places (unintelligible), to reach out, to knock on doors and talk to people and get the message out there of what I'm trying to accomplish in this state.
So it's not all about debate. It's just to get the message out there. And we have a very, very packed schedule in the next four weeks, let me tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: But I expect tonight when the other candidates debate, that one of the repeated questions will be where is Arnold coming from the candidates who will appear, including the top tier of those who are running to become governor -- running against Arnold Schwarzenegger to become governor, if in fact the governor is recalled, Governor Gray Davis will participate in the first part of the debate, taking questions from reporters. And then five others will be taking questions from each other and reporters in the first debate, which will not include the presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger -- Daryn Kagan?
KAGAN: All right, Bob Franken. I didn't have a chance to submit my questions to you in advance. So I'm going to let you off the hook and let you join our questions today. Thank you for that report. Appreciate that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Tonight>
