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Battle for California: Choose Your Campaign Weapons
Aired August 20, 2003 - 14:41 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Time now for another dose of California politics. I hope you're ready for that. The governor is taking his cue from Bill Clinton. Peter Ueberroth is singing "Take me out to the Mansion." Arnold Schwarzenegger has been holding an economic summit that -- what is what it is being called -- I don't know. He was saying he's in favor of a positive business climate. Leave it at that.
And the ACLU -- well, they're chasing chads.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is just the correspondent for this story. We couldn't think of anybody better to try to run this one down. And there he is in la-la land.
Hello, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you have writers?
O'BRIEN: We have great writers. We really do.
FRANKEN: I guess.
At any case, I'm trying to remember now this long litany.
First of all, regarding the lawsuit. The judge is expected to rule within the next hour or so on whether the election should be delayed beyond October 7. The issue is the continued use of the punch card ballots, hence the hanging chad comment. The ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, is arguing that the continued use of those disenfranchises up to 40,000 voters whose votes would not be properly counted.
The judge in the hearing the other day said that in order for this to be something to reverse, in order for it to be discrimination, it would have to be intentional. That was his line of reasoning during the court hearing. But of course he could change his mind. We're waiting for that ruling. And if there would be a delay, it would be a delay probably until March.
Assuming there is not going to be a delay, the candidates surge ahead. Among them Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor, aspiring governor who, of course, has been criticized up until now for saying little of substance. Well, he's conducting a meeting with his top financing advisers, including Warren Buffett, the investment guru, and former Secretary of State George Shultz. And thus far, in the opening remarks, he did he not change. The criticism continues to be valid. There has been little of substance yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: If all the people that have lost the jobs in the United States -- half of them were lost right here in California. We are talking about nearly 22,000 people have not only lost their jobs here in California, but they also experiencing firsthand the American dream slipping away from them. And that is unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: So what is an aspiring governor to do? We're waiting to hear Schwarzenegger after he's through with this closed meeting to see if he has come up with any sort of plan.
Now, many of the other candidates are doing that very thing. Among them, Peter Ueberroth, who's in the "he'll only win if it's a miracle" category. But nevertheless, he today has presented his plan. Probably the most notable feature of it, a tax amnesty allowing people who owe taxes to pay them without penalty. He figures that would collect 5 to $6 billion,, contributing to at the relief of a deficit that could be as high as $8 billion.
So the story is literally all over the map. But right now the main focus is on the courtroom to see if the story goes on -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk Peter Ueberroth for just a moment. Is it me or is he just about 19 years too late?
FRANKEN: Well, we're going to find out. What he's doing is running the counterintuitive campaign. Politics has become an issue that is really clouded in name recognition these days. By clouded, I mean oftentimes the substantive issues get lost in the fog of stardom. We're going to find out if, in fact, Peter Ueberroth's strategy of coming across as the real serious candidate -- if it works.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken out there in Hollywood. 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 20, 2003 - 14:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Time now for another dose of California politics. I hope you're ready for that. The governor is taking his cue from Bill Clinton. Peter Ueberroth is singing "Take me out to the Mansion." Arnold Schwarzenegger has been holding an economic summit that -- what is what it is being called -- I don't know. He was saying he's in favor of a positive business climate. Leave it at that.
And the ACLU -- well, they're chasing chads.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is just the correspondent for this story. We couldn't think of anybody better to try to run this one down. And there he is in la-la land.
Hello, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you have writers?
O'BRIEN: We have great writers. We really do.
FRANKEN: I guess.
At any case, I'm trying to remember now this long litany.
First of all, regarding the lawsuit. The judge is expected to rule within the next hour or so on whether the election should be delayed beyond October 7. The issue is the continued use of the punch card ballots, hence the hanging chad comment. The ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, is arguing that the continued use of those disenfranchises up to 40,000 voters whose votes would not be properly counted.
The judge in the hearing the other day said that in order for this to be something to reverse, in order for it to be discrimination, it would have to be intentional. That was his line of reasoning during the court hearing. But of course he could change his mind. We're waiting for that ruling. And if there would be a delay, it would be a delay probably until March.
Assuming there is not going to be a delay, the candidates surge ahead. Among them Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor, aspiring governor who, of course, has been criticized up until now for saying little of substance. Well, he's conducting a meeting with his top financing advisers, including Warren Buffett, the investment guru, and former Secretary of State George Shultz. And thus far, in the opening remarks, he did he not change. The criticism continues to be valid. There has been little of substance yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: If all the people that have lost the jobs in the United States -- half of them were lost right here in California. We are talking about nearly 22,000 people have not only lost their jobs here in California, but they also experiencing firsthand the American dream slipping away from them. And that is unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: So what is an aspiring governor to do? We're waiting to hear Schwarzenegger after he's through with this closed meeting to see if he has come up with any sort of plan.
Now, many of the other candidates are doing that very thing. Among them, Peter Ueberroth, who's in the "he'll only win if it's a miracle" category. But nevertheless, he today has presented his plan. Probably the most notable feature of it, a tax amnesty allowing people who owe taxes to pay them without penalty. He figures that would collect 5 to $6 billion,, contributing to at the relief of a deficit that could be as high as $8 billion.
So the story is literally all over the map. But right now the main focus is on the courtroom to see if the story goes on -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk Peter Ueberroth for just a moment. Is it me or is he just about 19 years too late?
FRANKEN: Well, we're going to find out. What he's doing is running the counterintuitive campaign. Politics has become an issue that is really clouded in name recognition these days. By clouded, I mean oftentimes the substantive issues get lost in the fog of stardom. We're going to find out if, in fact, Peter Ueberroth's strategy of coming across as the real serious candidate -- if it works.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken out there in Hollywood. 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
