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Interview With Traditional Values Coalition Founder Lou Sheldon
Aired August 12, 2003 - 15:13 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DANA ROHRBACHER (R), CALIFORNIA: Arnold isn't going to be just like Ronald Reagan. He's certainly not as conservative as Ronald Reagan was, but he's like Reagan in the sense that he has some creative ideas. He's bringing some people in from the outside rather than relying on the old political crowd to try to solve the problems.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Supportive words there, but there are plenty of Republicans who are not supporting Schwarzenegger's run for the California's governor's mansion. Among them, the founder of the Traditional Values Coalition, the Reverend Lou Sheldon. I spoke with him a bit earlier today and Sheldon says if Schwarzenegger is governor he'd create a moral vacuum be in Sheldon's words, "a darker villain than anyone we've seen in Schwarzenegger's movies." He explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOU SHELDON, TRADITIONAL VALUES COALITION: His position on issues that are of a paramount importance to millions of Americans, and especially Californians, the marriage issue as an example, the abortion issue is another example. You know, just on a sideline, where was he when Darrell Issa needed help four months ago? And yet he talks about the recall, that it's so important to go through with it and to remove Gray Davis.
And he jumps in when it looks like a winner and when the train appears to be close to where he wants to board it. Now that's not good. You need to have a person who has some aspect of being principally based.
KING: Well, Reverend Sheldon, what will you do to try to stop the Schwarzenegger candidacy then? You are from the Traditional Values Coalition. I know you've started a new group, Californians For Moral Government.
What are you talking about in this campaign? Are you talking about raising and spending money on advertising? How do you stop what at least at this early day appears to be a candidacy with quite a bit of momentum?
SHELDON: Yes, it does have momentum. But we believe if we begin to educate our people -- I am shocked that the number of conservative people, especially people of faith, who do not understand that this man is really the antithesis of what Ronald Reagan was. What we plan to do is, one, go electronically. Go into our huge, gigantic electronic e-mail list.
And we now have access to millions of other names on the e-mail list here in California. We're going to be informing those people on things that Mr. Schwarzenegger has said.
KING: I'm wondering, sir, if you might inadvertently help him in the sense that, if you look at public opinion polling in California, it is known as a pretty tolerant state. Two-thirds, for example, in a relatively recent poll support abortion rights. Any worry on your part that by criticizing him you might somehow help him?
SHELDON: No, we have to go on record. We haven't worked these past 30 years to establish a credible witness not only in California, but on America with the Traditional Values Coalition Group. And we're not going to allow this person to redefine what it means to be conservative, to redefine what it means to be a Republican.
You know he's an antithesis to the president on the gay marriage issue. He's an antithesis concerning the abortion issue. Yes, it would be nice to have a Republican, but then you have to live with the fact, what kind of a Republican is he? And is he going to be positive or negative in the '04 election?
KING: You mentioned the president, sir. Let me ask you this: do you think Mr. Bush was perhaps being too clever or too cute when he said the other day that he thought Arnold Schwarzenegger would make a good governor? Many Schwarzenegger supporters take that as a green light from a conservative president.
SHELDON: Yes, I do understand that they take that as a green light. And I believe the president wasn't wanting to speak ill. And I certainly don't want to try -- I'm not trying to damage Mr. Schwarzenegger's character or anything. I'm only trying to say the Republican philosophy of conservative principles is being damaged.
The president maybe just did make a slip of the lip at that point, because he also said last year that Bill Simon would make an outstanding governor. I was there at the fund-raiser where he said that.
(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
Sheldon>
Aired August 12, 2003 - 15:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DANA ROHRBACHER (R), CALIFORNIA: Arnold isn't going to be just like Ronald Reagan. He's certainly not as conservative as Ronald Reagan was, but he's like Reagan in the sense that he has some creative ideas. He's bringing some people in from the outside rather than relying on the old political crowd to try to solve the problems.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Supportive words there, but there are plenty of Republicans who are not supporting Schwarzenegger's run for the California's governor's mansion. Among them, the founder of the Traditional Values Coalition, the Reverend Lou Sheldon. I spoke with him a bit earlier today and Sheldon says if Schwarzenegger is governor he'd create a moral vacuum be in Sheldon's words, "a darker villain than anyone we've seen in Schwarzenegger's movies." He explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOU SHELDON, TRADITIONAL VALUES COALITION: His position on issues that are of a paramount importance to millions of Americans, and especially Californians, the marriage issue as an example, the abortion issue is another example. You know, just on a sideline, where was he when Darrell Issa needed help four months ago? And yet he talks about the recall, that it's so important to go through with it and to remove Gray Davis.
And he jumps in when it looks like a winner and when the train appears to be close to where he wants to board it. Now that's not good. You need to have a person who has some aspect of being principally based.
KING: Well, Reverend Sheldon, what will you do to try to stop the Schwarzenegger candidacy then? You are from the Traditional Values Coalition. I know you've started a new group, Californians For Moral Government.
What are you talking about in this campaign? Are you talking about raising and spending money on advertising? How do you stop what at least at this early day appears to be a candidacy with quite a bit of momentum?
SHELDON: Yes, it does have momentum. But we believe if we begin to educate our people -- I am shocked that the number of conservative people, especially people of faith, who do not understand that this man is really the antithesis of what Ronald Reagan was. What we plan to do is, one, go electronically. Go into our huge, gigantic electronic e-mail list.
And we now have access to millions of other names on the e-mail list here in California. We're going to be informing those people on things that Mr. Schwarzenegger has said.
KING: I'm wondering, sir, if you might inadvertently help him in the sense that, if you look at public opinion polling in California, it is known as a pretty tolerant state. Two-thirds, for example, in a relatively recent poll support abortion rights. Any worry on your part that by criticizing him you might somehow help him?
SHELDON: No, we have to go on record. We haven't worked these past 30 years to establish a credible witness not only in California, but on America with the Traditional Values Coalition Group. And we're not going to allow this person to redefine what it means to be conservative, to redefine what it means to be a Republican.
You know he's an antithesis to the president on the gay marriage issue. He's an antithesis concerning the abortion issue. Yes, it would be nice to have a Republican, but then you have to live with the fact, what kind of a Republican is he? And is he going to be positive or negative in the '04 election?
KING: You mentioned the president, sir. Let me ask you this: do you think Mr. Bush was perhaps being too clever or too cute when he said the other day that he thought Arnold Schwarzenegger would make a good governor? Many Schwarzenegger supporters take that as a green light from a conservative president.
SHELDON: Yes, I do understand that they take that as a green light. And I believe the president wasn't wanting to speak ill. And I certainly don't want to try -- I'm not trying to damage Mr. Schwarzenegger's character or anything. I'm only trying to say the Republican philosophy of conservative principles is being damaged.
The president maybe just did make a slip of the lip at that point, because he also said last year that Bill Simon would make an outstanding governor. I was there at the fund-raiser where he said that.
(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
Sheldon>
