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From Native American Chief to California Governor?
Aired August 29, 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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, he may not be a Schwarzenegger, but David Laughing Horse Robinson certainly has a memorable name, even if most California voters have never heard of him.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez introduces us to Robinson, one of the scores of little-known candidates on the recall ballot.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID LAUGHING HORSE ROBINSON (I), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm David Laughing Horse Robinson, chair of the Kawaiisu Tribe. If I'm elected governor, I'll rebuild the communities and the schools of California.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Tehachapi Mountains of south central California is Kawaiisu Sioux Indian country.
ROBINSON: My ancestor's dust is in this dirt that I walk through.
GUTIERREZ: It's here that we met up with 48-year-old David Laughing Horse Robinson.
ROBINSON: 2003, I'm the first California Native American to ever run for a statewide office.
GUTIERREZ: Robinson believes in protecting the environment and historical sites. He points out astrological pictographs on Indian land thousands of years old.
ROBINSON: These calendars are the matter-of-fact written history of my tribe.
GUTIERREZ: He says he can bring a fresh perspective to the governor's office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To our speaker today, Horse Robinson.
(APPLAUSE)
GUTIERREZ: Robinson takes his campaign to the Nueva High School (ph) and talks of struggles as a young Native American.
ROBINSON: There was no running water and no electricity, no opportunities for education. The roads were too rough to go to school most of the time. Education is the key to bridging the gap between poor and rich.
GUTIERREZ: He supports a 10 percent flat tax to raise revenues and says his experience as a tribal chairman has prepared him to be governor.
ROBINSON: It's not that complicated. It's like running the tribe with no funding. You have to be creative.
GUTIERREZ: This local candidate has already made his international media debut.
ROBINSON: Belgium to Denmark to the BBC, Canadian TV.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.
GUTIERREZ: And now Robinson can add one more media outlet to his list.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, near Bakersfield, California.
(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 29, 2003 - 15:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, he may not be a Schwarzenegger, but David Laughing Horse Robinson certainly has a memorable name, even if most California voters have never heard of him.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez introduces us to Robinson, one of the scores of little-known candidates on the recall ballot.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID LAUGHING HORSE ROBINSON (I), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm David Laughing Horse Robinson, chair of the Kawaiisu Tribe. If I'm elected governor, I'll rebuild the communities and the schools of California.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Tehachapi Mountains of south central California is Kawaiisu Sioux Indian country.
ROBINSON: My ancestor's dust is in this dirt that I walk through.
GUTIERREZ: It's here that we met up with 48-year-old David Laughing Horse Robinson.
ROBINSON: 2003, I'm the first California Native American to ever run for a statewide office.
GUTIERREZ: Robinson believes in protecting the environment and historical sites. He points out astrological pictographs on Indian land thousands of years old.
ROBINSON: These calendars are the matter-of-fact written history of my tribe.
GUTIERREZ: He says he can bring a fresh perspective to the governor's office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To our speaker today, Horse Robinson.
(APPLAUSE)
GUTIERREZ: Robinson takes his campaign to the Nueva High School (ph) and talks of struggles as a young Native American.
ROBINSON: There was no running water and no electricity, no opportunities for education. The roads were too rough to go to school most of the time. Education is the key to bridging the gap between poor and rich.
GUTIERREZ: He supports a 10 percent flat tax to raise revenues and says his experience as a tribal chairman has prepared him to be governor.
ROBINSON: It's not that complicated. It's like running the tribe with no funding. You have to be creative.
GUTIERREZ: This local candidate has already made his international media debut.
ROBINSON: Belgium to Denmark to the BBC, Canadian TV.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.
GUTIERREZ: And now Robinson can add one more media outlet to his list.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, near Bakersfield, California.
(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
