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CNN Live At Daybreak
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Campaign Getting a Boost
Aired September 29, 2003 - 06:52 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: With eight days until the California recall election, Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign is getting a boost. In a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 63 percent of probable voters said they would vote to recall Governor Gray Davis. And Schwarzenegger leads the pack of possible replacements with 40 percent of the respondents supporting him, Schwarzenegger has a 15 percentage point lead on his closest rival, which would, of course, be Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante.
Earlier polls taken by other groups have shown a much closer race between Schwarzenegger and Bustamante. Hey, so now we're counting down to the recall vote in this morning's Party Politics.
Mark Plotkin, political commentator for WTOP Radio, joins us live from Washington.
Good morning, Mark.
MARK PLOTKIN, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, to what do you attribute this surge in numbers for Arnold Schwarzenegger?
PLOTKIN: Well, I think Schwarzenegger passed the drool test in the debate. He didn't have to win the debate. That was -- I stole that line. That was used about Ronald Reagan against Jimmy Carter and against George Bush and against Al Gore.
He just had to show up and be presentable and be somewhat substantive and not look like an idiot. And that was enough.
COSTELLO: That's so pathetic, though.
PLOTKIN: Well, I mean, you know, we have sort of minimum standards sometimes for American voting. And second of all, Gray Davis, who -- I read a "New York Times" magazine article, which I have to mention, where his next door neighbor, Gray Davis' next door neighbor gave $2,000 to the recall vote. He's just not very likeable. People don't like him and he might have made, Davis, a very strategic mistake, Carol, by taking out TV ads. And that reminded people -- and now I think people have come to the conclusion that if I'm going to vote, I'm not going to vote for Bustamante, I'm not going to come out to vote for Gray Davis, I'm going to come out, if I participate, to throw this guy out.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable. So, you know, Gray Davis is going around saying he wants to debate Arnold Schwarzenegger and he's complaining that Mr. Schwarzenegger is saying no. But it would probably be a stupid move for Arnold Schwarzenegger to actually debate Gray Davis, wouldn't it?
PLOTKIN: Yes, if you're ahead you just sit on your lead. I mean Gray Davis' approval rating at 22 percent, you know, all the Democrats, Jesse Jackson, all the Democratic presidential candidates, Bill Clinton, the consummate, Powell, all came there and said look, it's not Gray Davis. They almost said that. You don't have to be voting for Gray Davis. Don't vote for this concept, the recall. And I think the voters didn't buy it.
COSTELLO: One last question for you. Everyone was saying that Tom McClintock -- I have such trouble saying that guy's name -- but, anyway, he should drop out of the race because he's splitting the vote between himself and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Do you think he'll drop out now that the poll numbers are showing such a surge in numbers for Arnold Schwarzenegger?
PLOTKIN: Well, there are two schools of thought. One is that he drops out and the party always remembers him and they thank him and they slate him for a future office. And the second one is that he feels he's a principled person and he knows what the verdict probably will be and he gets support for his intensity and passion for staying in.
It doesn't look like by staying in he hurts Schwarzenegger. You know, you don't have to get 50 percent, Carol, to win that primary -- it's not a primary, that election -- you just need a simple plurality. So he can have his cake and eat it, too.
COSTELLO: Yes, well, we'll see what happens. Fun, as always.
Mark Plotkin from WTOP joining us live from Washington this morning.
PLOTKIN: All right.
COSTELLO: For a complete wrap-up from the campaign trail, be sure to watch Judy Woodruff's "Inside Politics." That airs at 4:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
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 29, 2003 - 06:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: With eight days until the California recall election, Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign is getting a boost. In a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 63 percent of probable voters said they would vote to recall Governor Gray Davis. And Schwarzenegger leads the pack of possible replacements with 40 percent of the respondents supporting him, Schwarzenegger has a 15 percentage point lead on his closest rival, which would, of course, be Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante.
Earlier polls taken by other groups have shown a much closer race between Schwarzenegger and Bustamante. Hey, so now we're counting down to the recall vote in this morning's Party Politics.
Mark Plotkin, political commentator for WTOP Radio, joins us live from Washington.
Good morning, Mark.
MARK PLOTKIN, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, to what do you attribute this surge in numbers for Arnold Schwarzenegger?
PLOTKIN: Well, I think Schwarzenegger passed the drool test in the debate. He didn't have to win the debate. That was -- I stole that line. That was used about Ronald Reagan against Jimmy Carter and against George Bush and against Al Gore.
He just had to show up and be presentable and be somewhat substantive and not look like an idiot. And that was enough.
COSTELLO: That's so pathetic, though.
PLOTKIN: Well, I mean, you know, we have sort of minimum standards sometimes for American voting. And second of all, Gray Davis, who -- I read a "New York Times" magazine article, which I have to mention, where his next door neighbor, Gray Davis' next door neighbor gave $2,000 to the recall vote. He's just not very likeable. People don't like him and he might have made, Davis, a very strategic mistake, Carol, by taking out TV ads. And that reminded people -- and now I think people have come to the conclusion that if I'm going to vote, I'm not going to vote for Bustamante, I'm not going to come out to vote for Gray Davis, I'm going to come out, if I participate, to throw this guy out.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable. So, you know, Gray Davis is going around saying he wants to debate Arnold Schwarzenegger and he's complaining that Mr. Schwarzenegger is saying no. But it would probably be a stupid move for Arnold Schwarzenegger to actually debate Gray Davis, wouldn't it?
PLOTKIN: Yes, if you're ahead you just sit on your lead. I mean Gray Davis' approval rating at 22 percent, you know, all the Democrats, Jesse Jackson, all the Democratic presidential candidates, Bill Clinton, the consummate, Powell, all came there and said look, it's not Gray Davis. They almost said that. You don't have to be voting for Gray Davis. Don't vote for this concept, the recall. And I think the voters didn't buy it.
COSTELLO: One last question for you. Everyone was saying that Tom McClintock -- I have such trouble saying that guy's name -- but, anyway, he should drop out of the race because he's splitting the vote between himself and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Do you think he'll drop out now that the poll numbers are showing such a surge in numbers for Arnold Schwarzenegger?
PLOTKIN: Well, there are two schools of thought. One is that he drops out and the party always remembers him and they thank him and they slate him for a future office. And the second one is that he feels he's a principled person and he knows what the verdict probably will be and he gets support for his intensity and passion for staying in.
It doesn't look like by staying in he hurts Schwarzenegger. You know, you don't have to get 50 percent, Carol, to win that primary -- it's not a primary, that election -- you just need a simple plurality. So he can have his cake and eat it, too.
COSTELLO: Yes, well, we'll see what happens. Fun, as always.
Mark Plotkin from WTOP joining us live from Washington this morning.
PLOTKIN: All right.
COSTELLO: For a complete wrap-up from the campaign trail, be sure to watch Judy Woodruff's "Inside Politics." That airs at 4:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
