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Europe Reacts to Schwarzenegger Candidacy
Aired August 08, 2003 - 15:23 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.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: As you might expect, Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown in Austria is all abuzz today about his decision to run for California governor. As one resident put it: "Politics and acting are very similar. He'll do a good job."
Gaven Morris has reaction from Austria and other parts of Europe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's about as far from Los Angeles as you're likely to get, Graz, Austria, where the only famous face in town belongs to its historic clock. But Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown is happy to endorse its favorite son's run for office, even if it is 6,000 miles away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He is a talented speaker and he's remained as he was as a young man, a very human person. He's never forgotten the people he knew when he was here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): America will have a proper future if Arnie gets in. He's relaxed. His attitude is, "Give me time," whereas George W. Bush is aggressive and crass.
MORRIS: They've named a stadium after Mr. Schwarzenegger, and that was just to honor his acting skills. So, does high esteem extend to his political talents?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think of him in a different role, as an actor. I think it suits him better.
MORRIS: There is certainly skepticism about Schwarzenegger's ambitions. Europeans have been disappointed before by actors who have revealed their political side.
Take Cicciolina, the Italian star of, shall we say, the adult screen, who was elected to the Italian Parliament. Her appeal, though, seemed only skin deep. After just one term, her political skills laid bear, she was voted out of office.
In Britain, there's Glenda Jackson, an altogether more upstanding leader. As an actor, she won two Academy Awards. Now she's a maverick member of Parliament in Tony Blair's party, to many, the conscience of new Labor. But her efforts have hardly convinced her countrymen of the value of thespians-turned-politicians. The English worry for their Californian cousins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, he's plastic. He's a bunch of muscles and a monotone voice. It's pretty dire if they elect someone as -- who just has celebrity status and nothing else to offer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he has a chance of winning because he's a celebrity?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think the Californians really go for that.
MORRIS: But, at least in Europe, Schwarzenegger has no problem selling his message. A fledgling candidate, they coo for his wisdom. He reaches out to people. They hear him. They remember his words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TERMINATOR")
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, ACTOR: I'll be back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll be back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle" is a good one, yes.
MORRIS: It's all stirring stuff. And if quotation was the currency of politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be raking it in here. It's not. He might be glad he's running in California.
Gaven Morris, CNN, London.
(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 August 8, 2003 - 15:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: As you might expect, Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown in Austria is all abuzz today about his decision to run for California governor. As one resident put it: "Politics and acting are very similar. He'll do a good job."
Gaven Morris has reaction from Austria and other parts of Europe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's about as far from Los Angeles as you're likely to get, Graz, Austria, where the only famous face in town belongs to its historic clock. But Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown is happy to endorse its favorite son's run for office, even if it is 6,000 miles away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He is a talented speaker and he's remained as he was as a young man, a very human person. He's never forgotten the people he knew when he was here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): America will have a proper future if Arnie gets in. He's relaxed. His attitude is, "Give me time," whereas George W. Bush is aggressive and crass.
MORRIS: They've named a stadium after Mr. Schwarzenegger, and that was just to honor his acting skills. So, does high esteem extend to his political talents?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think of him in a different role, as an actor. I think it suits him better.
MORRIS: There is certainly skepticism about Schwarzenegger's ambitions. Europeans have been disappointed before by actors who have revealed their political side.
Take Cicciolina, the Italian star of, shall we say, the adult screen, who was elected to the Italian Parliament. Her appeal, though, seemed only skin deep. After just one term, her political skills laid bear, she was voted out of office.
In Britain, there's Glenda Jackson, an altogether more upstanding leader. As an actor, she won two Academy Awards. Now she's a maverick member of Parliament in Tony Blair's party, to many, the conscience of new Labor. But her efforts have hardly convinced her countrymen of the value of thespians-turned-politicians. The English worry for their Californian cousins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, he's plastic. He's a bunch of muscles and a monotone voice. It's pretty dire if they elect someone as -- who just has celebrity status and nothing else to offer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he has a chance of winning because he's a celebrity?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think the Californians really go for that.
MORRIS: But, at least in Europe, Schwarzenegger has no problem selling his message. A fledgling candidate, they coo for his wisdom. He reaches out to people. They hear him. They remember his words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TERMINATOR")
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, ACTOR: I'll be back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll be back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle" is a good one, yes.
MORRIS: It's all stirring stuff. And if quotation was the currency of politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be raking it in here. It's not. He might be glad he's running in California.
Gaven Morris, CNN, London.
(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
