Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Davis Trying to Suppress Negative Feelings, Go About Official Business

Aired August 11, 2003 - 15:03   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: And now to Schwarzenegger's star turn in the big apple. Sources say he had lunch at the Four Seasons with New York GOP power players. They say the meeting was organized by Governor Pataki's chief fund-raiser to discuss ways to help bolsters Schwarzenegger's campaign coffers.
When Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy, He said he was so rich he didn't need anyone's money. Financial reports show the movie icon earned $26 million in 2001, down from $31 million the previous year.

In his new role as a candidate, Schwarzenegger continues to be the magnet for media hordes. Hordes of reporters turned out for his tour of a summer athletic program for youngsters in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I want your kids to know what an exciting situation this is, what an exciting day this is, and how many people love all of you and your after-school programs. Look at all the press back there. They're all here for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Embattled California Governor Gray Davis is trying today to steal some of Schwarzenegger's spotlight. Today he said the effort to drive him out of office is an "insult" to the Californians who elected him governor less than a year ago. At the same time, Davis says he's trying to suppress his negative feelings and go about his official business.

That may be easier said than done given the latest polls on the recall election. Let's bring in now our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, in Los Angeles. Bill, what do these polls tell us about the state of play right now?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: They tell us that Gray Davis is in a whole lot of trouble and things may be looking worse. Right now, according to our latest poll taken of California voters this weekend, the figures are more than two to one in favor of driving Davis out of office. Sixty-four percent say they would vote now to recall him, and only 29 percent say they would vote to keep him in office. Figures like that may be difficult to turn around. We could begin to see Democrats abandoning Davis and rallying to his lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante, on the replacement ballot.

What does that replacement ballot look like? Not quite as clear, but on the second ballot, where people will vote who should replace Davis, Schwarzenegger leads the crowded field with 25 percent. And the only other candidate in double digits is Cruz Bustamante, the Democratic lieutenant governor, followed by two conservative Republicans, Tom McClintock and Bill Simon, Jr., both of whom who have run for statewide office.

All other candidates are below five percent, including three Independents tied at four percent. Peter Uberroth, the former Olympics organizer, columnist Arianna Huffington, they're both tied with a self-described smut peddler, Larry Flynt. John, how embarrassing is that?

KING: I'll leave that one for you maybe tomorrow, Bill. Explain to us what's behind the Schwarzenegger phenomenon? Is it just star quality?

SCHNEIDER: Well, a lot of it is. It's not really partisan and it's not political. When we asked people, do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the result was overwhelmingly favorable, and it crossed party lines.

You can see here, nearly 80 percent of California voters say they have a favorable opinion of Schwarzenegger. And that's 69 percent among Democrats. And he does call himself a Republican.

Now, what does he have going for him? He's an outsider. And he's depicting Gray Davis as the face of government in Sacramento that Californians love to hate.

When we asked people, would Schwarzenegger do a better or worse job than a career elected official, the result by two to one is they say, yes, he would do a better job than a career politician. He's an actor. A lot of people in California aren't sure an actor would make a credible governor, but there's one occupation they like less, and that is politician.

KING: Well, the politician in question, most in question is Governor Gray Davis, with less than two months, less than 60 days, fewer than 60 days. What can he do?

SCHNEIDER: Well, one option, obviously, is to go after Arnold Schwarzenegger's credibility. Gray Davis is a master at running negative campaigns, but he's been warned that if he does that, it could backfire on him and make him look like a typical relentless, ruthless politician.

He could make the argument he's tried to make in the past that this is an attempt at a right-wing coup. The problem with that is that the coup plotter, Darrell Issa, is no longer in the race. He's the one who paid for the petition-gathering effort to put the recall on the ballot. And Arnold Schwarzenegger is very hard to depict as some kind of a right-wing coup plotter.

The best thing he can do is probably run against the recall itself. To say, as he's been saying, I'm the governor, I'm doing my business. And to be above it all, the recall, that's the circus. All those other candidates, smut peddlers and porn stars and former actors, they're all running in this circus out there, but I'm above it all, and try to run on his own dignity and achievement as the governor of California.

That is the only way recalls have ever been defeated. And they have been several times, because the candidate says it's not about me, it's about this process.

KING: All right. Bill Schneider on the ground for us in California. And best we can tell, at least of today, not on the ballot.

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




Official Business>


Aired August 11, 2003 - 15:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: And now to Schwarzenegger's star turn in the big apple. Sources say he had lunch at the Four Seasons with New York GOP power players. They say the meeting was organized by Governor Pataki's chief fund-raiser to discuss ways to help bolsters Schwarzenegger's campaign coffers.
When Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy, He said he was so rich he didn't need anyone's money. Financial reports show the movie icon earned $26 million in 2001, down from $31 million the previous year.

In his new role as a candidate, Schwarzenegger continues to be the magnet for media hordes. Hordes of reporters turned out for his tour of a summer athletic program for youngsters in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: I want your kids to know what an exciting situation this is, what an exciting day this is, and how many people love all of you and your after-school programs. Look at all the press back there. They're all here for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Embattled California Governor Gray Davis is trying today to steal some of Schwarzenegger's spotlight. Today he said the effort to drive him out of office is an "insult" to the Californians who elected him governor less than a year ago. At the same time, Davis says he's trying to suppress his negative feelings and go about his official business.

That may be easier said than done given the latest polls on the recall election. Let's bring in now our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, in Los Angeles. Bill, what do these polls tell us about the state of play right now?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: They tell us that Gray Davis is in a whole lot of trouble and things may be looking worse. Right now, according to our latest poll taken of California voters this weekend, the figures are more than two to one in favor of driving Davis out of office. Sixty-four percent say they would vote now to recall him, and only 29 percent say they would vote to keep him in office. Figures like that may be difficult to turn around. We could begin to see Democrats abandoning Davis and rallying to his lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante, on the replacement ballot.

What does that replacement ballot look like? Not quite as clear, but on the second ballot, where people will vote who should replace Davis, Schwarzenegger leads the crowded field with 25 percent. And the only other candidate in double digits is Cruz Bustamante, the Democratic lieutenant governor, followed by two conservative Republicans, Tom McClintock and Bill Simon, Jr., both of whom who have run for statewide office.

All other candidates are below five percent, including three Independents tied at four percent. Peter Uberroth, the former Olympics organizer, columnist Arianna Huffington, they're both tied with a self-described smut peddler, Larry Flynt. John, how embarrassing is that?

KING: I'll leave that one for you maybe tomorrow, Bill. Explain to us what's behind the Schwarzenegger phenomenon? Is it just star quality?

SCHNEIDER: Well, a lot of it is. It's not really partisan and it's not political. When we asked people, do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the result was overwhelmingly favorable, and it crossed party lines.

You can see here, nearly 80 percent of California voters say they have a favorable opinion of Schwarzenegger. And that's 69 percent among Democrats. And he does call himself a Republican.

Now, what does he have going for him? He's an outsider. And he's depicting Gray Davis as the face of government in Sacramento that Californians love to hate.

When we asked people, would Schwarzenegger do a better or worse job than a career elected official, the result by two to one is they say, yes, he would do a better job than a career politician. He's an actor. A lot of people in California aren't sure an actor would make a credible governor, but there's one occupation they like less, and that is politician.

KING: Well, the politician in question, most in question is Governor Gray Davis, with less than two months, less than 60 days, fewer than 60 days. What can he do?

SCHNEIDER: Well, one option, obviously, is to go after Arnold Schwarzenegger's credibility. Gray Davis is a master at running negative campaigns, but he's been warned that if he does that, it could backfire on him and make him look like a typical relentless, ruthless politician.

He could make the argument he's tried to make in the past that this is an attempt at a right-wing coup. The problem with that is that the coup plotter, Darrell Issa, is no longer in the race. He's the one who paid for the petition-gathering effort to put the recall on the ballot. And Arnold Schwarzenegger is very hard to depict as some kind of a right-wing coup plotter.

The best thing he can do is probably run against the recall itself. To say, as he's been saying, I'm the governor, I'm doing my business. And to be above it all, the recall, that's the circus. All those other candidates, smut peddlers and porn stars and former actors, they're all running in this circus out there, but I'm above it all, and try to run on his own dignity and achievement as the governor of California.

That is the only way recalls have ever been defeated. And they have been several times, because the candidate says it's not about me, it's about this process.

KING: All right. Bill Schneider on the ground for us in California. And best we can tell, at least of today, not on the ballot.

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




Official Business>