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California Recall: The Democratic Dance

Aired September 08, 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: We want to tell you also now playing on television across the state of California Republican candidate Peter Ueberroth's first ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: ... to a $200 million surplus and helped lead California out of its last recession.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: The spots drive home the main selling point of Ueberroth's campaign, that his experience leading the 1984 Olympics shows that he has the leadership skills to run the state.

Well, there is plenty of sniping going on in the recall among the GOP candidates and between the two Democrats whose political futures are riding on the October 7th vote. Our Bill Schneider has been watching that part of the awkward Democratic dance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Californians will cast two votes next month. But there will only be one winner. So even though they claim they're on the same side, Gray Davis and Cruz Bustamante have different interests. And it's beginning to show up in the campaign.

At a rally on Sunday, Bustamante seemed to abandon Davis.

LT. GOVE CRUZ BUSTAMANTE (D-CA), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Because of all the publicity, everybody thinks that the recall is the most important thing on the ballot. Well, it isn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No recall.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No recall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No recall.

SCHNEIDER: It certainly isn't for Bustamante. If Davis beats the recall, he wins. And a vote for Bustamante becomes meaningless. Bustamante doesn't want to embrace Davis.

BUSTAMANTE: As you know, there was a little bit of a falling out with me and Governor Gray Davis on the issue. SCHNEIDER: If the voters throw Davis out, Bustamante doesn't want his fate tied to the governor's. Meanwhile, Davis doesn't want to urge Californians to vote for Bustamante because that would make the recall look legitimate.

What's changed is that the Schwarzenegger and Bustamante campaigns have stumbled. Suddenly, it looks like Davis might actually survive. So national Democrats have begun to embrace Davis, or at least denounce the recall as illegitimate.

HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's going on in California, the nation's biggest state, is nothing less than an attempt by the right wing to undo what this country is all about.

SCHNEIDER: The idea is to make the election a referendum on the recall, not on Davis.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: On the recall, just say no.

SCHNEIDER: But it's not in Bustamante's interest to challenge the legitimacy of the recall.

BUSTAMANTE: The people who signed those petitions aren't a part of some right wing conspiracy.

SCHNEIDER: The Bustamante campaign argues that Davis doesn't need Bustamante's help to defeat the recall. Bustamante is running his own campaign.

BUSTAMANTE: My competition actually is these folks here on stage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: It's an awkward dance. Two Democrats pretending to be partners dancing to different tunes. Because you know, Judy, this is a dance contest only one of them can win.

WOODRUFF: Very true. Bill Schneider, thank you very much. Joining us from California.

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 8, 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: We want to tell you also now playing on television across the state of California Republican candidate Peter Ueberroth's first ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: ... to a $200 million surplus and helped lead California out of its last recession.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: The spots drive home the main selling point of Ueberroth's campaign, that his experience leading the 1984 Olympics shows that he has the leadership skills to run the state.

Well, there is plenty of sniping going on in the recall among the GOP candidates and between the two Democrats whose political futures are riding on the October 7th vote. Our Bill Schneider has been watching that part of the awkward Democratic dance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Californians will cast two votes next month. But there will only be one winner. So even though they claim they're on the same side, Gray Davis and Cruz Bustamante have different interests. And it's beginning to show up in the campaign.

At a rally on Sunday, Bustamante seemed to abandon Davis.

LT. GOVE CRUZ BUSTAMANTE (D-CA), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Because of all the publicity, everybody thinks that the recall is the most important thing on the ballot. Well, it isn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No recall.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No recall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No recall.

SCHNEIDER: It certainly isn't for Bustamante. If Davis beats the recall, he wins. And a vote for Bustamante becomes meaningless. Bustamante doesn't want to embrace Davis.

BUSTAMANTE: As you know, there was a little bit of a falling out with me and Governor Gray Davis on the issue. SCHNEIDER: If the voters throw Davis out, Bustamante doesn't want his fate tied to the governor's. Meanwhile, Davis doesn't want to urge Californians to vote for Bustamante because that would make the recall look legitimate.

What's changed is that the Schwarzenegger and Bustamante campaigns have stumbled. Suddenly, it looks like Davis might actually survive. So national Democrats have begun to embrace Davis, or at least denounce the recall as illegitimate.

HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's going on in California, the nation's biggest state, is nothing less than an attempt by the right wing to undo what this country is all about.

SCHNEIDER: The idea is to make the election a referendum on the recall, not on Davis.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: On the recall, just say no.

SCHNEIDER: But it's not in Bustamante's interest to challenge the legitimacy of the recall.

BUSTAMANTE: The people who signed those petitions aren't a part of some right wing conspiracy.

SCHNEIDER: The Bustamante campaign argues that Davis doesn't need Bustamante's help to defeat the recall. Bustamante is running his own campaign.

BUSTAMANTE: My competition actually is these folks here on stage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: It's an awkward dance. Two Democrats pretending to be partners dancing to different tunes. Because you know, Judy, this is a dance contest only one of them can win.

WOODRUFF: Very true. Bill Schneider, thank you very much. Joining us from California.

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