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CNN Live Sunday

Bill Clinton Heads To California, Says No On Recall

Aired September 14, 2003 - 16:43   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.


FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A former resident of the White House is lending some support to embattled California Governor Gray Davis. He's become an expert in overcoming political trouble himself and even reminded his audience certain mistakes shouldn't cost a person elected office. CNN's Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley joins us now from Los Angeles. Hi, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Fredricka. Well, if what you need is for your party's democratic base to come out and vote for you, who are you going to call? Bill Clinton. And that's who came out to see Governor Davis today to stand by his side in really a bastion of democratic support. That is, the first A.M.E. Church in south central L.A.

The president, former president showed up there, and just his mere presence says what Gray Davis wants to be said, which is this election is all about the same people who wanted to get rid of Bill Clinton.

So this was all about religion and politics and redemption and getting out the vote. Bill Clinton very popular among the base vote, particularly in Latino voters as well as black voters. This was a very important day for governor Gray Davis, who of course hopes to beat back that recall election, which is next month. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Candy, did the former president make an argument against the recall specifically?

CROWLEY: Well, he did. But the whole of his argument really was you don't want to do this because if you go down this path anybody can be recalled. They'll start recalling governors. That's when you elect someone you have a contract for four years and therefore you stick with it. You don't want to go down this road.

He said he fears for California because it's becoming a circus and it's very sad. Very little, really, about Gray Davis, although he said he's a good friend of mine, he doesn't want this to happen to him, but it's much bigger than that and we can't start going down this path.

So that was Clinton's basic argument against it.

WHITFIELD: And former president Clinton, as if he were running for office or as if he were still in office shaking hands, waving, talking about the many people that he knew in the audience. I imagine it was rather easy to be upstaging governor Gray Davis. Did people tend to even forget that this was all about Gray Davis? He was there too.

CROWLEY: He is definitely a mixed bag to be standing on the same stage with Bill Clinton, who is the Democrats' most popular Democrat. So you know, what happens, everybody wants Bill Clinton's autograph. Everybody hands their babies to Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton gets the best applause. So you know, it's a mixed bag.

But you know, look, basically, Gray Davis got exactly what he wanted, which was his picture taken with Bill Clinton and Bill Clinton saying this recall is wrong. Because in the end, as you know, winning an election means getting your voters out to vote, and part of Gray Davis's problem is that he has not instilled a lot of passion.

In fact, his unfavorables are very high here. Bill Clinton, they're hoping, can start to bring some of those up and get people out to the polls.

WHITFIELD: So this weekend a picture with Bill Clinton. Coming up next perhaps a picture with Al Gore?

CROWLEY: A cast of thousands actually. A lot of the '04 candidates are coming out here. Senator Bob Graham, Senator John Edwards, among others. Howard Dean, ever on the cutting edge, has already been out here.

Yes. Al Gore is coming. And again, this fits into Davis's attempt to kind of nationalize this election, to say to Democrats the people who tried to get Bill Clinton out of office and the people who stole the election as democrats say from Al Gore, those are the same kind of people who are trying to get me. So having Al Gore come out here also fits into that whole theme for Gray Davis.

WHITFIELD: All right. Candy Crowley from Los Angeles. Thanks a lot.

CROWLEY: Sure.

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 September 14, 2003 - 16:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A former resident of the White House is lending some support to embattled California Governor Gray Davis. He's become an expert in overcoming political trouble himself and even reminded his audience certain mistakes shouldn't cost a person elected office. CNN's Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley joins us now from Los Angeles. Hi, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Fredricka. Well, if what you need is for your party's democratic base to come out and vote for you, who are you going to call? Bill Clinton. And that's who came out to see Governor Davis today to stand by his side in really a bastion of democratic support. That is, the first A.M.E. Church in south central L.A.

The president, former president showed up there, and just his mere presence says what Gray Davis wants to be said, which is this election is all about the same people who wanted to get rid of Bill Clinton.

So this was all about religion and politics and redemption and getting out the vote. Bill Clinton very popular among the base vote, particularly in Latino voters as well as black voters. This was a very important day for governor Gray Davis, who of course hopes to beat back that recall election, which is next month. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Candy, did the former president make an argument against the recall specifically?

CROWLEY: Well, he did. But the whole of his argument really was you don't want to do this because if you go down this path anybody can be recalled. They'll start recalling governors. That's when you elect someone you have a contract for four years and therefore you stick with it. You don't want to go down this road.

He said he fears for California because it's becoming a circus and it's very sad. Very little, really, about Gray Davis, although he said he's a good friend of mine, he doesn't want this to happen to him, but it's much bigger than that and we can't start going down this path.

So that was Clinton's basic argument against it.

WHITFIELD: And former president Clinton, as if he were running for office or as if he were still in office shaking hands, waving, talking about the many people that he knew in the audience. I imagine it was rather easy to be upstaging governor Gray Davis. Did people tend to even forget that this was all about Gray Davis? He was there too.

CROWLEY: He is definitely a mixed bag to be standing on the same stage with Bill Clinton, who is the Democrats' most popular Democrat. So you know, what happens, everybody wants Bill Clinton's autograph. Everybody hands their babies to Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton gets the best applause. So you know, it's a mixed bag.

But you know, look, basically, Gray Davis got exactly what he wanted, which was his picture taken with Bill Clinton and Bill Clinton saying this recall is wrong. Because in the end, as you know, winning an election means getting your voters out to vote, and part of Gray Davis's problem is that he has not instilled a lot of passion.

In fact, his unfavorables are very high here. Bill Clinton, they're hoping, can start to bring some of those up and get people out to the polls.

WHITFIELD: So this weekend a picture with Bill Clinton. Coming up next perhaps a picture with Al Gore?

CROWLEY: A cast of thousands actually. A lot of the '04 candidates are coming out here. Senator Bob Graham, Senator John Edwards, among others. Howard Dean, ever on the cutting edge, has already been out here.

Yes. Al Gore is coming. And again, this fits into Davis's attempt to kind of nationalize this election, to say to Democrats the people who tried to get Bill Clinton out of office and the people who stole the election as democrats say from Al Gore, those are the same kind of people who are trying to get me. So having Al Gore come out here also fits into that whole theme for Gray Davis.

WHITFIELD: All right. Candy Crowley from Los Angeles. Thanks a lot.

CROWLEY: Sure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com