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CNN Live Saturday
The Aftermath Of The Schwarzenegger Press Conference
Aired August 09, 2003 - 16:00 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with a battle for California. Gubernatorial hopefuls have just four hours left to submit papers to jump into the recall case. After Arnold Schwarzenegger has already filed, others are rushing to do the same.
CNN's Bob Franken is at the Los Angeles County Election Center in Norwalk, California with the very latest. It doesn't look quite as crowded behind you as it did earlier Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are others?
WHITFIELD: That's right.
FRANKEN: For a while it didn't seem like there were others. It's all this attention that's focused on Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor, bodybuilder turned politician who, of course, attracted a massive amount of attention here. We all witnessed it earlier live on CNN, his arrival.
There were just dozens upon dozens of camera crews here all jammed into one area. Off to the side there were a large number of fans, several hundred of the fans, who cheered the arrival of Arnold Schwarzenegger who is now one of the hundred or more people who has expressed an interest in running for the governorship if, in fact, Governor Gray Davis is recalled.
Now, what Schwarzenegger was doing today is coming to the L.A. County Registrar's Office to actually put down his $3,500. Yes, he can afford it, and come up with his 65 signatures. He was along with his wife who is the politician herself, or at least in a political family.
Maria Shriver is an NBC Correspondent on leave now but she is from the Kennedy clan and what she had to say is that, in fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger, her husband, was a candidate who could cross party lines in a field of Democrats as well as Republicans. As for Schwarzenegger, he said that he was going to be the candidate for everybody.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIF. GOV. CANDIDATE: The outpour that I have witnessed this last few days was absolutely extraordinary, the outpour of support for my candidacy, so I want to thank all the people and all the supporters so much for your great enthusiasm.
I don't want to say any more. I just want to say to you that I'm running for governor and I promise you that I will be the people's governor, the people's governor. FRANKEN: So, the candidate came out for the people. He has not expressed many substantive opinions yet on various issues, although media reporters have, of course, been challenging him on that. He is certainly not the only one who is filing.
As I said, there are any number of people, first of all Governor Gray Davis is fighting to keep his seat but he runs on a separate part of the ballot. There are going to be dozens upon dozens of others on that other side of the ballot with Schwarzenegger.
Arianna Huffington, who is the well known columnist, was among those who filed. She made it a point to be there when Schwarzenegger was there so she was able to, in fact, get in on the same camera shots although there was a bit of a mishap. She knocked over a microphone podium.
Also, Bill Simon, the man who lost to Gray Davis just eight months ago filed his papers here. He'll be running again trying to make good on the election that he lost to Gray Davis last time.
Peter Uberoff, who is the former baseball commissioner and the organizer of the L.A. Olympics is also going to run. He filed in Orange County. It's going to be a very crowded field. It's going to get quite theatrical as they can only do, Fredricka, in California.
WHITFIELD: More theatrical than what we've seen today even?
FRANKEN: One can only expect that that will be the case.
WHITFIELD: All right, Bob, and what was interesting there too, not only did you have (unintelligible) but we were looking at the video earlier. There were an awful lot of fans down there who were lining up to shake Arnold Schwarzenegger's hand, say a word or two to him, et cetera, and it sounds as though that he only got support there. Were there people who were questioning him as well about his plans?
FRANKEN: Oh, as a matter of fact there were people shouting from the audience. There were Arianna's supporters, Arianna Huffington supporters who were holding up their signs as Arnold Schwarzenegger walked by. It was what you call in California a normal kind of political day.
WHITFIELD: All right, all in a day's work Bob. Thanks very much.
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 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with a battle for California. Gubernatorial hopefuls have just four hours left to submit papers to jump into the recall case. After Arnold Schwarzenegger has already filed, others are rushing to do the same.
CNN's Bob Franken is at the Los Angeles County Election Center in Norwalk, California with the very latest. It doesn't look quite as crowded behind you as it did earlier Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are others?
WHITFIELD: That's right.
FRANKEN: For a while it didn't seem like there were others. It's all this attention that's focused on Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor, bodybuilder turned politician who, of course, attracted a massive amount of attention here. We all witnessed it earlier live on CNN, his arrival.
There were just dozens upon dozens of camera crews here all jammed into one area. Off to the side there were a large number of fans, several hundred of the fans, who cheered the arrival of Arnold Schwarzenegger who is now one of the hundred or more people who has expressed an interest in running for the governorship if, in fact, Governor Gray Davis is recalled.
Now, what Schwarzenegger was doing today is coming to the L.A. County Registrar's Office to actually put down his $3,500. Yes, he can afford it, and come up with his 65 signatures. He was along with his wife who is the politician herself, or at least in a political family.
Maria Shriver is an NBC Correspondent on leave now but she is from the Kennedy clan and what she had to say is that, in fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger, her husband, was a candidate who could cross party lines in a field of Democrats as well as Republicans. As for Schwarzenegger, he said that he was going to be the candidate for everybody.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIF. GOV. CANDIDATE: The outpour that I have witnessed this last few days was absolutely extraordinary, the outpour of support for my candidacy, so I want to thank all the people and all the supporters so much for your great enthusiasm.
I don't want to say any more. I just want to say to you that I'm running for governor and I promise you that I will be the people's governor, the people's governor. FRANKEN: So, the candidate came out for the people. He has not expressed many substantive opinions yet on various issues, although media reporters have, of course, been challenging him on that. He is certainly not the only one who is filing.
As I said, there are any number of people, first of all Governor Gray Davis is fighting to keep his seat but he runs on a separate part of the ballot. There are going to be dozens upon dozens of others on that other side of the ballot with Schwarzenegger.
Arianna Huffington, who is the well known columnist, was among those who filed. She made it a point to be there when Schwarzenegger was there so she was able to, in fact, get in on the same camera shots although there was a bit of a mishap. She knocked over a microphone podium.
Also, Bill Simon, the man who lost to Gray Davis just eight months ago filed his papers here. He'll be running again trying to make good on the election that he lost to Gray Davis last time.
Peter Uberoff, who is the former baseball commissioner and the organizer of the L.A. Olympics is also going to run. He filed in Orange County. It's going to be a very crowded field. It's going to get quite theatrical as they can only do, Fredricka, in California.
WHITFIELD: More theatrical than what we've seen today even?
FRANKEN: One can only expect that that will be the case.
WHITFIELD: All right, Bob, and what was interesting there too, not only did you have (unintelligible) but we were looking at the video earlier. There were an awful lot of fans down there who were lining up to shake Arnold Schwarzenegger's hand, say a word or two to him, et cetera, and it sounds as though that he only got support there. Were there people who were questioning him as well about his plans?
FRANKEN: Oh, as a matter of fact there were people shouting from the audience. There were Arianna's supporters, Arianna Huffington supporters who were holding up their signs as Arnold Schwarzenegger walked by. It was what you call in California a normal kind of political day.
WHITFIELD: All right, all in a day's work Bob. Thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
