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Race to California Picking Up Steam

Aired September 03, 2003 - 13:32   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, so left coast, the race to California picking up steam. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein goes to bat for Governor Gray Davis. New campaign ads begin airing across the state today, which depicted. Senator Feinstein, one of California's most popular politicians. In the ad, she urges Californians to vote no on the October 7 recall.
Meanwhile, actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiling new campaign ads today. In them, he asked voters to join in the fight against special interests. But Arnold is leading another fight to his competitors. He says he will not appear in the first debate of the campaign.

National correspondent Bob Franken joining us now with details. And we should tell you that we did not give Bob the questions in advance. Right, Bob?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's okay. I still wouldn't know the answers. But there will be no questions at the debate, in any case, for Arnold Schwarzenegger. His name will be missing, as the preparations go forward to the first of two debates minus Arnold Schwarzenegger.

There is a debate this evening, however. It's going to in Contra Costa. And as you can see, they've made their preparations. It will include a half hour with Governor Gray Davis, taking questions from reporters about his efforts to make the rest of this all irrelevant. But just in case he is recalled, the other candidates who will be there will the ones who have been fighting it out most prominently to be the replacement for Governor Davis.

Of course, the most prominent one of all is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's dressing room you see here, will be empty tonight. As a matter of fact, the debate organizer was talking about putting an empty chair there, to represent Schwarzenegger, but his campaign raised such as ruckus that they decided it wasn't worth the fight.

Well, in any case, the people who organized for Schwarzenegger are saying that they will get their chance later at a debate where the questions will be submitted in advance - Miles?

O'BRIEN: Bob Franken, that's going to be difficult one for Arnold Schwarzenegger to defend. Most candidates don't ask for questions in advance that way, do they?

FRANKEN: Well, I find what's interesting is the fact that with the tradition in the United States, journalistic tradition, of never submitting questions in advance, the person to whom the questions are directed. California Broadcasters, for whatever reason, decided ahead of time, long before the Schwarzenegger event participation was a question, they decided they would do that.

And so there are a number of people who are raising critical questions about the conduct of the broadcasters in coming up with this format.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. Okay, so just to be clear then, he's not asking for special treatment in the debate. That was the rules of that debate. And that's the debate he will do. All right.

FRANKEN: That was the one that apparently they decided was most favorable to the way he wanted to do the campaign, you know.

O'BRIEN: Got you. All right, Bob Franken, who seems to be permanently in California these days, get a voter registration card, you might as well join in on the fun October 7th. All right, Kyra.

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 September 3, 2003 - 13:32   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, so left coast, the race to California picking up steam. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein goes to bat for Governor Gray Davis. New campaign ads begin airing across the state today, which depicted. Senator Feinstein, one of California's most popular politicians. In the ad, she urges Californians to vote no on the October 7 recall.
Meanwhile, actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiling new campaign ads today. In them, he asked voters to join in the fight against special interests. But Arnold is leading another fight to his competitors. He says he will not appear in the first debate of the campaign.

National correspondent Bob Franken joining us now with details. And we should tell you that we did not give Bob the questions in advance. Right, Bob?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's okay. I still wouldn't know the answers. But there will be no questions at the debate, in any case, for Arnold Schwarzenegger. His name will be missing, as the preparations go forward to the first of two debates minus Arnold Schwarzenegger.

There is a debate this evening, however. It's going to in Contra Costa. And as you can see, they've made their preparations. It will include a half hour with Governor Gray Davis, taking questions from reporters about his efforts to make the rest of this all irrelevant. But just in case he is recalled, the other candidates who will be there will the ones who have been fighting it out most prominently to be the replacement for Governor Davis.

Of course, the most prominent one of all is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's dressing room you see here, will be empty tonight. As a matter of fact, the debate organizer was talking about putting an empty chair there, to represent Schwarzenegger, but his campaign raised such as ruckus that they decided it wasn't worth the fight.

Well, in any case, the people who organized for Schwarzenegger are saying that they will get their chance later at a debate where the questions will be submitted in advance - Miles?

O'BRIEN: Bob Franken, that's going to be difficult one for Arnold Schwarzenegger to defend. Most candidates don't ask for questions in advance that way, do they?

FRANKEN: Well, I find what's interesting is the fact that with the tradition in the United States, journalistic tradition, of never submitting questions in advance, the person to whom the questions are directed. California Broadcasters, for whatever reason, decided ahead of time, long before the Schwarzenegger event participation was a question, they decided they would do that.

And so there are a number of people who are raising critical questions about the conduct of the broadcasters in coming up with this format.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. Okay, so just to be clear then, he's not asking for special treatment in the debate. That was the rules of that debate. And that's the debate he will do. All right.

FRANKEN: That was the one that apparently they decided was most favorable to the way he wanted to do the campaign, you know.

O'BRIEN: Got you. All right, Bob Franken, who seems to be permanently in California these days, get a voter registration card, you might as well join in on the fun October 7th. All right, Kyra.

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