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Schwarzenegger Promises to Stay Focused on Campaign
Aired October 03, 2003 - 15:01 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, Arnold Schwarzenegger is promising to stay focused on his fight to become California's next governor, even if others would rather dwell on what he calls "trash politics." Now that may be easier said than done. After a one-two punch of allegations that he groped women and admired Adolph Hitler. The Hitler flap emerged last night in news reporters quoted an unpublished 1970s book proposal by the producer of the film "Pumping Iron."
Schwarzenegger reportedly was quoted as saying, "I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education up to power. I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for what he did with it" -- endquote.
Schwarzenegger says he doesn't remember saying that
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOV. CANDIDATE: I cannot imagine, because from the time I was a kid on, I always disliked everything that this regime stood for. When I came to America, it was the same thing. You know, I think that Hitler was a disgusting villain, dictator, and he has caused so much harm in the world and we have to make sure that it never happens again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: Well, so far today, Schwarzenegger has not said anything further about that, or about his acknowledgement yesterday that he had -- quote -- "behaved badly toward women."
But protesters plan to have their say.
Let's go to CNN's Bob Franken, who's in Los Angeles still, on this Friday before the recall.
Bob, how are all these allegation playing right now?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Schwarzenegger is hoping he can put it behind him. But of course, the groups who want to keep it very much out front including an organization known as Code Pink, including Arianna Huffington, who is a recently departed candidate who's said she's go to make a crusade of trying to block Schwarzenegger from becoming governor. And they produced at a news conference today a woman named Elaine Stockton, who is one of those who claimed that she was molested, hers back in 1975, in a gym. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELAINE STOCKTON, SCHWARZENEGGER ACCUSER: In 1975, I was 19 years old. I was a newlywed to bodybuilder Robbie Robinson (ph). And he was training in Gold's Gym in Venice, California, on Pacific Avenue. I was just there watching him work out. The gym was rather full and Arnold passed me by and he groped my breast. It completely caught me off-guard. I was just shocked. And it took me a while to come to my senses. And after doing so, I got up, interrupted Robbie's workout and told him that Arnold had groped my breast. And from that moment on, Robbie did not allow me back into Gold's Gym.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Now, the group said that (ph) began their protests yesterday are going to continue today with six simultaneous demonstrations in various California cities. While they're doing that, the group that's organizing them, moveon.org, has bought some TV time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: If you're a woman or your mother is a woman, or your wife, or your daughter, or your sister or there's a woman at work, you cannot vote for this man because Arnold Schwarzenegger has a serious problem with women. Here's what he said just three months ago.
How many times do you get away this? To take a woman, grab her upside down and bury her face in a toilet bowl? Every woman and every man should vote no on the recall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: And so, Judy, the question, as the election comes to a close is will Arnold Schwarzenegger be able to recapture his momentum -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Bob, completely separately from this, we understand that a supporter of Arnold Schwarzenegger is urging people to vote no on the recall.
FRANKEN: Well, a little more complicated than that. In a little bit of time, Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, will be appearing with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Gray Davis camp, of course, representing the governor trying to avoid the recall, saw to it everybody that was made aware of an interview on August 8 with Rudy Giuliani had done with WCBS TV in New York, in which he said -- he said that "It doesn't seem like it's good for government," talking about the recall. "No, I think the provision is a provision that probably never -- nobody ever thought would be used this way. It shouldn't be there. The idea of a very, very small number of people being able to recall a governor is a very big mistake."
Well, now, Giuliani's advisers are saying he was only speaking conceptually, that now that the recall is a done deal, as far as the election is concerned, he believes that Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good man. So there is, he says, no inconsistency. Figure it out, Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. We'll spend some time figuring it out. OK. Bob Franken, in Los Angeles, where he's been. Thank you, Bob.
Well, Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, says her husband is showing -- quote -- "great courage by apologizing to any women he may have offended in the past." In the next hour or so, Shriver is scheduled to give a speech in Newport Beach, California.
CNN's Frank Buckley is there. Frank, how is Maria Shriver dealing with all this?
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, she has appeared at a news conference with her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been supporting him publicly. She will be appearing here, as she has throughout the campaign, to support Arnold Schwarzenegger, to urge women to come out and vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger. It isn't clear if she'll address the allegations and apology by Arnold Schwarzenegger, regarding his treatment of women over the years.
It also isn't clear, Judy, what, if any, impact, all of this is going to have on Election Day, just a few days away from Election Day. We talked about Maria Shriver appearing at that news conference last night. Here's a portion of what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA SHRIVER, SCHWARZENEGGER'S WIFE: I have great faith in the California people, that they will recognize that Arnold is an extraordinary human being, who has taken great courage to jump into this race, to risk his reputation, his family, to get involved in this. And everybody that I've met today has said that they admire the way he has handled this. They admire his strength for getting into this race, as do I. And that they want to see change in this state and they're disgusted by the way politics is run by both parties in this country today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Meanwhile, as you heard Bob Franken say, there is a coordinated effort on a number of women's groups to have protests today, to urge Arnold Schwarzenegger to pull out of the race, to urge women to vote against the recall, to vote in effect, against Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Here in Orange County, no sign of those protesters. Maria Shriver here can expect a very warm welcome from a largely Republican group of women -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Pretty clear they want Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife out there front and center today after this is -- is out there. All right. Frank, thank you 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 October 3, 2003 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Arnold Schwarzenegger is promising to stay focused on his fight to become California's next governor, even if others would rather dwell on what he calls "trash politics." Now that may be easier said than done. After a one-two punch of allegations that he groped women and admired Adolph Hitler. The Hitler flap emerged last night in news reporters quoted an unpublished 1970s book proposal by the producer of the film "Pumping Iron."
Schwarzenegger reportedly was quoted as saying, "I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education up to power. I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for what he did with it" -- endquote.
Schwarzenegger says he doesn't remember saying that
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOV. CANDIDATE: I cannot imagine, because from the time I was a kid on, I always disliked everything that this regime stood for. When I came to America, it was the same thing. You know, I think that Hitler was a disgusting villain, dictator, and he has caused so much harm in the world and we have to make sure that it never happens again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: Well, so far today, Schwarzenegger has not said anything further about that, or about his acknowledgement yesterday that he had -- quote -- "behaved badly toward women."
But protesters plan to have their say.
Let's go to CNN's Bob Franken, who's in Los Angeles still, on this Friday before the recall.
Bob, how are all these allegation playing right now?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Schwarzenegger is hoping he can put it behind him. But of course, the groups who want to keep it very much out front including an organization known as Code Pink, including Arianna Huffington, who is a recently departed candidate who's said she's go to make a crusade of trying to block Schwarzenegger from becoming governor. And they produced at a news conference today a woman named Elaine Stockton, who is one of those who claimed that she was molested, hers back in 1975, in a gym. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELAINE STOCKTON, SCHWARZENEGGER ACCUSER: In 1975, I was 19 years old. I was a newlywed to bodybuilder Robbie Robinson (ph). And he was training in Gold's Gym in Venice, California, on Pacific Avenue. I was just there watching him work out. The gym was rather full and Arnold passed me by and he groped my breast. It completely caught me off-guard. I was just shocked. And it took me a while to come to my senses. And after doing so, I got up, interrupted Robbie's workout and told him that Arnold had groped my breast. And from that moment on, Robbie did not allow me back into Gold's Gym.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Now, the group said that (ph) began their protests yesterday are going to continue today with six simultaneous demonstrations in various California cities. While they're doing that, the group that's organizing them, moveon.org, has bought some TV time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: If you're a woman or your mother is a woman, or your wife, or your daughter, or your sister or there's a woman at work, you cannot vote for this man because Arnold Schwarzenegger has a serious problem with women. Here's what he said just three months ago.
How many times do you get away this? To take a woman, grab her upside down and bury her face in a toilet bowl? Every woman and every man should vote no on the recall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: And so, Judy, the question, as the election comes to a close is will Arnold Schwarzenegger be able to recapture his momentum -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Bob, completely separately from this, we understand that a supporter of Arnold Schwarzenegger is urging people to vote no on the recall.
FRANKEN: Well, a little more complicated than that. In a little bit of time, Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, will be appearing with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Gray Davis camp, of course, representing the governor trying to avoid the recall, saw to it everybody that was made aware of an interview on August 8 with Rudy Giuliani had done with WCBS TV in New York, in which he said -- he said that "It doesn't seem like it's good for government," talking about the recall. "No, I think the provision is a provision that probably never -- nobody ever thought would be used this way. It shouldn't be there. The idea of a very, very small number of people being able to recall a governor is a very big mistake."
Well, now, Giuliani's advisers are saying he was only speaking conceptually, that now that the recall is a done deal, as far as the election is concerned, he believes that Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good man. So there is, he says, no inconsistency. Figure it out, Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. We'll spend some time figuring it out. OK. Bob Franken, in Los Angeles, where he's been. Thank you, Bob.
Well, Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, says her husband is showing -- quote -- "great courage by apologizing to any women he may have offended in the past." In the next hour or so, Shriver is scheduled to give a speech in Newport Beach, California.
CNN's Frank Buckley is there. Frank, how is Maria Shriver dealing with all this?
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, she has appeared at a news conference with her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been supporting him publicly. She will be appearing here, as she has throughout the campaign, to support Arnold Schwarzenegger, to urge women to come out and vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger. It isn't clear if she'll address the allegations and apology by Arnold Schwarzenegger, regarding his treatment of women over the years.
It also isn't clear, Judy, what, if any, impact, all of this is going to have on Election Day, just a few days away from Election Day. We talked about Maria Shriver appearing at that news conference last night. Here's a portion of what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA SHRIVER, SCHWARZENEGGER'S WIFE: I have great faith in the California people, that they will recognize that Arnold is an extraordinary human being, who has taken great courage to jump into this race, to risk his reputation, his family, to get involved in this. And everybody that I've met today has said that they admire the way he has handled this. They admire his strength for getting into this race, as do I. And that they want to see change in this state and they're disgusted by the way politics is run by both parties in this country today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Meanwhile, as you heard Bob Franken say, there is a coordinated effort on a number of women's groups to have protests today, to urge Arnold Schwarzenegger to pull out of the race, to urge women to vote against the recall, to vote in effect, against Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Here in Orange County, no sign of those protesters. Maria Shriver here can expect a very warm welcome from a largely Republican group of women -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Pretty clear they want Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife out there front and center today after this is -- is out there. All right. Frank, thank you 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
