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Gray Davis Reaches out to Latino Community

Aired August 22, 2003 - 15:00   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.


JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, California Governor Gray Davis is reaching out to Latinos, who could be the ticket to defeating the recall, or at least to keeping his office in Democratic hands. Latinos figure prominently in the no to the recall, yes to Bustamante strategy newly embraced by House Democrats from California. It's a strategy even Governor Davis seems to be warming up to, at least publicly.
CNN's Dan Lothian is covering a Davis event this hour in San Diego and joins us with the latest -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the governor has been out campaigning in an attempt to save his job.

And, as you mentioned, he will be addressing the -- his California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce members here in San Diego this afternoon, the governor, of course, as I mentioned, trying to get supporters behind him as he tries to defeat this recall effort. He will be focusing here on a number of issues specific to the Latino community, including Prop 54. This is the measure that will be on the ballot in October, essentially limiting the state's ability to gather information on individuals on ethnicity and race.

Those who support this measure see this as being a way to having a colorblind society. Those who oppose it see this as breaking down anti-discrimination efforts. Now, the governor does face an uphill battle. According to the most recent polls of likely voters, 58 percent of them do support the recall, essentially would kick the governor out of his job. And, also, as you mentioned earlier, what the governor is also facing is that the Democratic state congressional delegation, led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have gotten behind endorsing now Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante.

Democrats see him as an insurance policy if, indeed, there is a yes vote on the recall. The governor, as you mentioned, as well also seems to be embracing this notion. But it is less of an endorsement and more of a strategic move, the governor seeing Bustamante as possibly bringing out voters to the polls, the very voters who could help him beat this recall -- John.

KING: And, Dan, you mentioned the arguments for and against Prop 54. I assume, from Governor Davis' perspective, the most important thing for him is that it be a turnout mechanism, that it generates a very high Latino turnout. Is that a fair statement?

LOTHIAN: That is correct, Latino turnout. And those are the very people the governor needs in order to defeat this recall. And, as I mentioned as well, he thinks that, if Bustamante can do the job of energizing Democrats -- these are the people he needs, he says, to defeat this recall.

KING: Dan Lothian live for us in San Diego, we may return to that event a bit later. Thank you, Dan.

Now, the decision by California House Democrats to endorse Lieutenant Governor Bustamante may ultimately be seen as a turning point in this recall campaign. Representative Zoe Lofgren is the chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation. She joins us live now from San Jose.

Congresswoman, the congressional delegation is saying this gives you a backup plan. Many are saying privately that this is proof that none of you believe Governor Davis will survive the first question.

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, it's not correct that we believe that the recall will be successful.

In fact, the delegation is saying this to our fellow Californians: no on the recall and yes on Bustamante. There's a part A and a part B to this ballot. And there's a lot of confusion around the state on whether, if you vote no on the recall, you're allowed to vote for one of the candidates. And in fact, you can. So we certainly don't want to have the only people voting on part B of the ballot to be those who voted for the recall, the Republicans.

We want Democrats who vote against the recall to also vote for the lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante.

KING: Now, that is a position that puts you at odds with the state's senior senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein. Let's listen to what she said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I am not going to vote on the second part of the ballot. I am going to vote on the first part of the ballot. And my vote is going to be to vote no on the recall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Senator Feinstein seems to think that by talking -- even talking about the second part of the ballot, you're adding to the confusion. You disagree, obviously.

LOFGREN: I do. I think very highly of Senator Feinstein. But I think, in this case, I disagree.

We've never asked voters not to vote on an election. And there are two parts to this election, no on the recall and then yes on Bustamante. So I think that the position that the California delegation has taken unanimously will help unify our party and clear up a lot of confusion in the minds of voters. KING: Congresswoman, a lot of Democrats say this is a recall campaign financed by the Republicans, financed by the right wing. But if you look at the polling, nearly six in 10 Californians and a good number of Democrats say they'll vote to recall Governor Davis.

Why are people so unhappy with him? Where has he failed?

LOFGREN: Well, he's never been a real popular guy, in all honesty. And I think he's the first to admit that he's not Mr. Charisma.

Also, the state of California, like other states, is experiencing an economic downturn. And there's problems here. The truth is, however, that recalling the governor is not going to reverse the dot- com collapse. It won't solve the war in Iraq. I mean, many of these things were certainly not of the governor's making or any governor's making.

And I guess the other thing Californians will be thinking about as we consider this recall election is whether we want to have a permanent state of campaigning in California. We live in a republican form of government -- that's small r -- where we have elections at regular intervals. The recall reminds me of a parliamentary form of government, where we have elections whenever we want to.

And I think, when we think about it, we don't want to have elections every year. That's what the recall is a first step towards doing. And I think, in the end, Californians may decide that's not the future they want.

KING: There's been a great deal of talk among the Republicans about perhaps asking one or two of the candidates to get out as the election gets closer. Can you foresee circumstances, if the polling stays like this, 58 percent roughly of Californians who say they will recall their governor, can you foresee a circumstance in which the delegation goes to Governor Davis and says: Please step down; let the lieutenant governor become acting governor?

LOFGREN: I can't imagine that happening.

The governor was elected fair and square by millions of Californians less than a year ago. I think he has a right to fight this recall. And we're going to fight it with him. In the end, however, Cruz Bustamante was also elected by millions of Californians to serve as the lieutenant governor. And the major job of the lieutenant governor is to assume the office if there is a vacancy in the governor's office.

So if Californians make a decision to recall, which I hope they do not, it is totally appropriate that it would be the lieutenant governor, who was selected 10 months ago, that would fill that job.

KING: One of the governor's arguments in his big speech earlier this week was that this was all part of some Republican conspiracy to steal elections that they lose. Do you buy into that argument? Should Governor Davis be making that case or should he be talking about his record?

LOFGREN: Well, clearly, this whole effort was funded by Republicans, who lost the election.

But I think that the governor is probably best served by talking about the job that he wants to do for Californians. And the fact that the Republicans and the Bush administration are lurking behind the scenes doing this will become apparent to Californians. But it's really about California's future, not President Bush.

KING: Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California, thank you very much for joining us today.

LOFGREN: Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

Governor Davis isn't the only candidate wooing the Hispanic vote today. Fresh off his endorsement by California House Democrats, Cruz Bustamante appears this evening at a Latino Leadership Awards ceremony in San Diego. Arianna Huffington will meet with Latino women in the L.A. area to discuss their views on key issues.

Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger is aiming his campaign energy at the business community. This hour, he meets with small-business owners in Huntington Beach. Peter Ueberroth is stumping in Northern California. In an unusual remark for a Republican, Ueberroth told "The San Francisco Chronicle" that the failed national economy is mostly to blame for the state's fiscal crisis, not Governor Gray Davis.

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 22, 2003 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, California Governor Gray Davis is reaching out to Latinos, who could be the ticket to defeating the recall, or at least to keeping his office in Democratic hands. Latinos figure prominently in the no to the recall, yes to Bustamante strategy newly embraced by House Democrats from California. It's a strategy even Governor Davis seems to be warming up to, at least publicly.
CNN's Dan Lothian is covering a Davis event this hour in San Diego and joins us with the latest -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the governor has been out campaigning in an attempt to save his job.

And, as you mentioned, he will be addressing the -- his California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce members here in San Diego this afternoon, the governor, of course, as I mentioned, trying to get supporters behind him as he tries to defeat this recall effort. He will be focusing here on a number of issues specific to the Latino community, including Prop 54. This is the measure that will be on the ballot in October, essentially limiting the state's ability to gather information on individuals on ethnicity and race.

Those who support this measure see this as being a way to having a colorblind society. Those who oppose it see this as breaking down anti-discrimination efforts. Now, the governor does face an uphill battle. According to the most recent polls of likely voters, 58 percent of them do support the recall, essentially would kick the governor out of his job. And, also, as you mentioned earlier, what the governor is also facing is that the Democratic state congressional delegation, led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have gotten behind endorsing now Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante.

Democrats see him as an insurance policy if, indeed, there is a yes vote on the recall. The governor, as you mentioned, as well also seems to be embracing this notion. But it is less of an endorsement and more of a strategic move, the governor seeing Bustamante as possibly bringing out voters to the polls, the very voters who could help him beat this recall -- John.

KING: And, Dan, you mentioned the arguments for and against Prop 54. I assume, from Governor Davis' perspective, the most important thing for him is that it be a turnout mechanism, that it generates a very high Latino turnout. Is that a fair statement?

LOTHIAN: That is correct, Latino turnout. And those are the very people the governor needs in order to defeat this recall. And, as I mentioned as well, he thinks that, if Bustamante can do the job of energizing Democrats -- these are the people he needs, he says, to defeat this recall.

KING: Dan Lothian live for us in San Diego, we may return to that event a bit later. Thank you, Dan.

Now, the decision by California House Democrats to endorse Lieutenant Governor Bustamante may ultimately be seen as a turning point in this recall campaign. Representative Zoe Lofgren is the chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation. She joins us live now from San Jose.

Congresswoman, the congressional delegation is saying this gives you a backup plan. Many are saying privately that this is proof that none of you believe Governor Davis will survive the first question.

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, it's not correct that we believe that the recall will be successful.

In fact, the delegation is saying this to our fellow Californians: no on the recall and yes on Bustamante. There's a part A and a part B to this ballot. And there's a lot of confusion around the state on whether, if you vote no on the recall, you're allowed to vote for one of the candidates. And in fact, you can. So we certainly don't want to have the only people voting on part B of the ballot to be those who voted for the recall, the Republicans.

We want Democrats who vote against the recall to also vote for the lieutenant governor, Cruz Bustamante.

KING: Now, that is a position that puts you at odds with the state's senior senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein. Let's listen to what she said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I am not going to vote on the second part of the ballot. I am going to vote on the first part of the ballot. And my vote is going to be to vote no on the recall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Senator Feinstein seems to think that by talking -- even talking about the second part of the ballot, you're adding to the confusion. You disagree, obviously.

LOFGREN: I do. I think very highly of Senator Feinstein. But I think, in this case, I disagree.

We've never asked voters not to vote on an election. And there are two parts to this election, no on the recall and then yes on Bustamante. So I think that the position that the California delegation has taken unanimously will help unify our party and clear up a lot of confusion in the minds of voters. KING: Congresswoman, a lot of Democrats say this is a recall campaign financed by the Republicans, financed by the right wing. But if you look at the polling, nearly six in 10 Californians and a good number of Democrats say they'll vote to recall Governor Davis.

Why are people so unhappy with him? Where has he failed?

LOFGREN: Well, he's never been a real popular guy, in all honesty. And I think he's the first to admit that he's not Mr. Charisma.

Also, the state of California, like other states, is experiencing an economic downturn. And there's problems here. The truth is, however, that recalling the governor is not going to reverse the dot- com collapse. It won't solve the war in Iraq. I mean, many of these things were certainly not of the governor's making or any governor's making.

And I guess the other thing Californians will be thinking about as we consider this recall election is whether we want to have a permanent state of campaigning in California. We live in a republican form of government -- that's small r -- where we have elections at regular intervals. The recall reminds me of a parliamentary form of government, where we have elections whenever we want to.

And I think, when we think about it, we don't want to have elections every year. That's what the recall is a first step towards doing. And I think, in the end, Californians may decide that's not the future they want.

KING: There's been a great deal of talk among the Republicans about perhaps asking one or two of the candidates to get out as the election gets closer. Can you foresee circumstances, if the polling stays like this, 58 percent roughly of Californians who say they will recall their governor, can you foresee a circumstance in which the delegation goes to Governor Davis and says: Please step down; let the lieutenant governor become acting governor?

LOFGREN: I can't imagine that happening.

The governor was elected fair and square by millions of Californians less than a year ago. I think he has a right to fight this recall. And we're going to fight it with him. In the end, however, Cruz Bustamante was also elected by millions of Californians to serve as the lieutenant governor. And the major job of the lieutenant governor is to assume the office if there is a vacancy in the governor's office.

So if Californians make a decision to recall, which I hope they do not, it is totally appropriate that it would be the lieutenant governor, who was selected 10 months ago, that would fill that job.

KING: One of the governor's arguments in his big speech earlier this week was that this was all part of some Republican conspiracy to steal elections that they lose. Do you buy into that argument? Should Governor Davis be making that case or should he be talking about his record?

LOFGREN: Well, clearly, this whole effort was funded by Republicans, who lost the election.

But I think that the governor is probably best served by talking about the job that he wants to do for Californians. And the fact that the Republicans and the Bush administration are lurking behind the scenes doing this will become apparent to Californians. But it's really about California's future, not President Bush.

KING: Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California, thank you very much for joining us today.

LOFGREN: Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

Governor Davis isn't the only candidate wooing the Hispanic vote today. Fresh off his endorsement by California House Democrats, Cruz Bustamante appears this evening at a Latino Leadership Awards ceremony in San Diego. Arianna Huffington will meet with Latino women in the L.A. area to discuss their views on key issues.

Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger is aiming his campaign energy at the business community. This hour, he meets with small-business owners in Huntington Beach. Peter Ueberroth is stumping in Northern California. In an unusual remark for a Republican, Ueberroth told "The San Francisco Chronicle" that the failed national economy is mostly to blame for the state's fiscal crisis, not Governor Gray Davis.

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