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CNN Live Saturday

Sherry Bebitch Wades Through California Candidates

Aired August 09, 2003 - 12:05   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: Well, the cast of candidates in this recall election is enough to cast a shadow over the issues in the campaign. We take a closer look now at these candidates with Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, and she's a political scientist at the University of Southern California.
Good to see you.

SHERRY BEBITCH JEFFE, POLITICAL SCIENTIST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, this is already becoming a quite a crowded field. You saw in Thelma's piece earlier, already something like 60 people who have picked up the paper work, have actually that filed the completed paperwork. Is this impressive to you or is this absurd to have so many people throwing their hats into the race -- ring?

JEFFE: Do I have to choose?

WHITFIELD: Yes, you do.

JEFFE: I mean, it is both impressive and somewhat absurd. It's interesting that so many Californians, for whatever reason, have decided to become motivated to file papers to run for governor, but it is also somewhat absurd in that there's never going to be any time for issues. I mean, Schwarzenegger has a very interesting strategy. Nobody's going to have enough time to get deeply into the issues. So why get caught...

WHITFIELD: So this campaign

JEFFE: Putting your stance out?

WHITFIELD: So, this campaigning, you say, is really about popularity, getting the most attention and we already know who's doing that.

JEFFE: Oh, do we -- when's the last time you saw a rope line at a registrar's office when somebody just came to candidacy file papers? It is truly amazing. It is also about Gray Davis' it is also about voter anger and voter frustration with the direction in which the state is going; with the way in which Gray Davis has governed and a lot of these 600 people are really acting out their frustrations by getting directly involved. That's why they call it "direct democracy." WHITFIELD: You know what? You bring up an interesting point when you talk about, there may not be enough time in which to address the issues, especially with such a crowded field. And you saw in John's piece, just a moment ago, that Schwarzenegger is being criticized for not really addressing the issues, but isn't it always the case that perhaps there might be a lot of folks in the public who might kind of jump behind him, support him given that they don't want to see people criticizing someone that they're so familiar with and like him from the movies?

JEFFE: That is a possibility, but I think that the real dynamic is this: If people are angry about Gray Davis. They're angry about Gray Davis. And they're going to want to get rid of him and he has positioned himself as a man of experience. His slogan was "Experience money can't buy." He was called "the best trained governor in waiting for California." And, say to the voters, look where he took us. Why is experience necessary? Schwarzenegger got a point there. He's doing good polling, I think, when he talks about it's all about leadership. It's all about strong leadership. That's what the voters perceive has been missing and that's what they perceive has gotten us into the predicament.

WHITFIELD: And, so do you see if people voting against Gray Davis, they're not likely to be choosing the two democrats that broke ranks who are also having their names on the ballot?

JEFFE: Well, one, I -- the democratic vote will be split. So, that's something in favor of the best known opponent, which is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Two, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante is perceived as being the second in command. So, the voters may conceive that he is not part of the solution, but part of the problem.

WHITFIELD: So, in effect, do you see that a high-profile democrat will need to raise their hand and perhaps campaign for any one of those candidates, as does a republican -- high-profile republican need to do, for this California race in order to help the voters narrow the field and make a selection?

JEFFE: The voters will narrow the field and I expect we'll have maybe three or four really strong major candidates, but I'll tell you something. I would not want to be U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, right now. She's every democrat's choice to save the party. She said she wouldn't run and the pressure, today, on her must be unbearable.

WHITFIELD: So, you think that perhaps she could still change her mind, huh? Potential.

JEFFE: What we've gone through, in the last week, I mean -- you know, I'm not going to bet anything on anybody.

WHITFIELD: We have a few more hours.

JEFFE: Yes. I mean, that's an eternity in the politics of this recall.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, thanks very much, of USC. Thanks for joining us.

JEFFE: My Pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Good talking to you.

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 9, 2003 - 12:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the cast of candidates in this recall election is enough to cast a shadow over the issues in the campaign. We take a closer look now at these candidates with Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, and she's a political scientist at the University of Southern California.
Good to see you.

SHERRY BEBITCH JEFFE, POLITICAL SCIENTIST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, this is already becoming a quite a crowded field. You saw in Thelma's piece earlier, already something like 60 people who have picked up the paper work, have actually that filed the completed paperwork. Is this impressive to you or is this absurd to have so many people throwing their hats into the race -- ring?

JEFFE: Do I have to choose?

WHITFIELD: Yes, you do.

JEFFE: I mean, it is both impressive and somewhat absurd. It's interesting that so many Californians, for whatever reason, have decided to become motivated to file papers to run for governor, but it is also somewhat absurd in that there's never going to be any time for issues. I mean, Schwarzenegger has a very interesting strategy. Nobody's going to have enough time to get deeply into the issues. So why get caught...

WHITFIELD: So this campaign

JEFFE: Putting your stance out?

WHITFIELD: So, this campaigning, you say, is really about popularity, getting the most attention and we already know who's doing that.

JEFFE: Oh, do we -- when's the last time you saw a rope line at a registrar's office when somebody just came to candidacy file papers? It is truly amazing. It is also about Gray Davis' it is also about voter anger and voter frustration with the direction in which the state is going; with the way in which Gray Davis has governed and a lot of these 600 people are really acting out their frustrations by getting directly involved. That's why they call it "direct democracy." WHITFIELD: You know what? You bring up an interesting point when you talk about, there may not be enough time in which to address the issues, especially with such a crowded field. And you saw in John's piece, just a moment ago, that Schwarzenegger is being criticized for not really addressing the issues, but isn't it always the case that perhaps there might be a lot of folks in the public who might kind of jump behind him, support him given that they don't want to see people criticizing someone that they're so familiar with and like him from the movies?

JEFFE: That is a possibility, but I think that the real dynamic is this: If people are angry about Gray Davis. They're angry about Gray Davis. And they're going to want to get rid of him and he has positioned himself as a man of experience. His slogan was "Experience money can't buy." He was called "the best trained governor in waiting for California." And, say to the voters, look where he took us. Why is experience necessary? Schwarzenegger got a point there. He's doing good polling, I think, when he talks about it's all about leadership. It's all about strong leadership. That's what the voters perceive has been missing and that's what they perceive has gotten us into the predicament.

WHITFIELD: And, so do you see if people voting against Gray Davis, they're not likely to be choosing the two democrats that broke ranks who are also having their names on the ballot?

JEFFE: Well, one, I -- the democratic vote will be split. So, that's something in favor of the best known opponent, which is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Two, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante is perceived as being the second in command. So, the voters may conceive that he is not part of the solution, but part of the problem.

WHITFIELD: So, in effect, do you see that a high-profile democrat will need to raise their hand and perhaps campaign for any one of those candidates, as does a republican -- high-profile republican need to do, for this California race in order to help the voters narrow the field and make a selection?

JEFFE: The voters will narrow the field and I expect we'll have maybe three or four really strong major candidates, but I'll tell you something. I would not want to be U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, right now. She's every democrat's choice to save the party. She said she wouldn't run and the pressure, today, on her must be unbearable.

WHITFIELD: So, you think that perhaps she could still change her mind, huh? Potential.

JEFFE: What we've gone through, in the last week, I mean -- you know, I'm not going to bet anything on anybody.

WHITFIELD: We have a few more hours.

JEFFE: Yes. I mean, that's an eternity in the politics of this recall.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, thanks very much, of USC. Thanks for joining us.

JEFFE: My Pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Good talking to you.

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