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CNN Live At Daybreak
Boost for Davis From Former President Clinton
Aired September 15, 2003 - 05:06 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for your daily dose of California politics. Governor Gray Davis is getting some help from a Democratic powerhouse.
CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the boost for Davis from former President Bill Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you need the party faithful to get out and vote, who are you going to call?
GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: And I have no better friend than the former president of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton.
CROWLEY: In the arsenal of the Democratic Party, he is the bomb. And there are no more loyal Democratic soldiers than African-American voters. Put it together inside a church in L.A. and what you have is a revival meeting of the political sort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, you gave me another chance. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for your protection, lord. I've got to say thank you, Jesus.
CROWLEY: The former president is a natural at the pulpit, preaching both the gospel of forgiveness and redemption and warning against the evils of recall.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's California I'm worried about. I don't want you to become a laughing stock, a carnival or the beginning of a circus in America where we just throw people out as soon as they make a tough decision. Don't do this. Don't do this.
CROWLEY: The only problem with sharing a stage with Bill Clinton is there's barely enough room. He's a tour de force, the one who gets handed the babies and the pieces of paper to sign. It is Clinton they reach for, his picture they want.
They were a study in contrasts, the most popular Democrat in the country and the most unpopular Democrat in California. But even in the contrast there's a message. Gray Davis obliged for those who might not get it.
DAVIS: My friends, some of these same forces, particularly in Washington, abused the constitution when they tried to overturn the election of 1996, when America reelected President Clinton, by trying to impeach him in 1998. It was wrong. It failed. But those are the kind of forces we're against.
CROWLEY: Even if overshadowed, Davis can count this as a great day. With just over three weeks before the recall vote, he could use a few more.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 15, 2003 - 05:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for your daily dose of California politics. Governor Gray Davis is getting some help from a Democratic powerhouse.
CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the boost for Davis from former President Bill Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you need the party faithful to get out and vote, who are you going to call?
GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: And I have no better friend than the former president of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton.
CROWLEY: In the arsenal of the Democratic Party, he is the bomb. And there are no more loyal Democratic soldiers than African-American voters. Put it together inside a church in L.A. and what you have is a revival meeting of the political sort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, you gave me another chance. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for your protection, lord. I've got to say thank you, Jesus.
CROWLEY: The former president is a natural at the pulpit, preaching both the gospel of forgiveness and redemption and warning against the evils of recall.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's California I'm worried about. I don't want you to become a laughing stock, a carnival or the beginning of a circus in America where we just throw people out as soon as they make a tough decision. Don't do this. Don't do this.
CROWLEY: The only problem with sharing a stage with Bill Clinton is there's barely enough room. He's a tour de force, the one who gets handed the babies and the pieces of paper to sign. It is Clinton they reach for, his picture they want.
They were a study in contrasts, the most popular Democrat in the country and the most unpopular Democrat in California. But even in the contrast there's a message. Gray Davis obliged for those who might not get it.
DAVIS: My friends, some of these same forces, particularly in Washington, abused the constitution when they tried to overturn the election of 1996, when America reelected President Clinton, by trying to impeach him in 1998. It was wrong. It failed. But those are the kind of forces we're against.
CROWLEY: Even if overshadowed, Davis can count this as a great day. With just over three weeks before the recall vote, he could use a few more.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
