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American Morning

Schwarzenegger Won't Participate in Debate Among Leading Candidates

Aired September 01, 2003 - 9:08   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the California recall election. The first debate among the major candidates is set for this week, but it will not include Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bob Franken is live for us in Los Angeles this morning. Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. First of all, this is Labor Day, of course, and the candidates are going to be going out. There's no tradition here, but Labor Day oftentimes was really the jumping off point for a campaign.

But in any case, the Democrat governor, Gray Davis, who is fighting to avoid being recalled, is going to appear at a variety of Labor Day events beginning here in Los Angeles and then on to the more northern part of the state. Cruz Bustamante, the Democratic alternative recall candidate, the lieutenant governor, also has some Labor Day events in other parts of the state. Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be outside the fairgrounds in Sacramento.

Now, we can tell you where he's not going to be later on this week, as you pointed out. Schwarzenegger has decided to opt out of the first couple of debates that are being set up among the candidates. Of course, the way they couched it is that they came out with an announcement that he would be participating in a debate -- the third week of September, for the California Broadcast Association.

Of course, did not mention there would be no appearances in the first couple of them. Not only that, but the announcement was made not by Schwarzenegger, but by one of his main surrogates, Congressman David Dreier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAVID DREIER, SCHWARZENEGGER CAMPAIGN: I've been asked by Arnold to be involved in the negotiations of the debate, and I'm working with the California Broadcasters Association. And I think we finalized a debate. It won't be this one that's coming up because we've received about a dozen requests for debates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And now, of course, the campaign workers will have to see how Schwarzenegger's refusal to participate in the first debates plays with the voters. As far as the other candidates are concerned, the two Democrats used the talk shows yesterday to tee off on Schwarzenegger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. CRUZ BUSTAMANTE (D-CA), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: As far as I'm concerned, Arnold is going back to the same wedge issue politics that his mentor Pete Wilson suggested to the state of California. It was a time of division in California. He's wrong in doing this, and he's not going to get a pass from me. We're going to take him on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: Until he sits in those shoes -- and I don't think he's going to have a chance to -- he's really in no position to criticize what we've done until he tells us how would he have solved the $38 billion problem? How would he have kept the lights on in California?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Again, this is Labor Day and the state AFL-CIO, Soledad, is beginning a campaign to say that a Republican in the statehouse would undermine some of their work rules and possibly jeopardize their jobs -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Bob Franken for us in Los Angeles this morning. And Bob, as always, thanks for getting up early for us. We certainly appreciate it.

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




Candidates>


Aired September 1, 2003 - 9:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the California recall election. The first debate among the major candidates is set for this week, but it will not include Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bob Franken is live for us in Los Angeles this morning. Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. First of all, this is Labor Day, of course, and the candidates are going to be going out. There's no tradition here, but Labor Day oftentimes was really the jumping off point for a campaign.

But in any case, the Democrat governor, Gray Davis, who is fighting to avoid being recalled, is going to appear at a variety of Labor Day events beginning here in Los Angeles and then on to the more northern part of the state. Cruz Bustamante, the Democratic alternative recall candidate, the lieutenant governor, also has some Labor Day events in other parts of the state. Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be outside the fairgrounds in Sacramento.

Now, we can tell you where he's not going to be later on this week, as you pointed out. Schwarzenegger has decided to opt out of the first couple of debates that are being set up among the candidates. Of course, the way they couched it is that they came out with an announcement that he would be participating in a debate -- the third week of September, for the California Broadcast Association.

Of course, did not mention there would be no appearances in the first couple of them. Not only that, but the announcement was made not by Schwarzenegger, but by one of his main surrogates, Congressman David Dreier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAVID DREIER, SCHWARZENEGGER CAMPAIGN: I've been asked by Arnold to be involved in the negotiations of the debate, and I'm working with the California Broadcasters Association. And I think we finalized a debate. It won't be this one that's coming up because we've received about a dozen requests for debates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And now, of course, the campaign workers will have to see how Schwarzenegger's refusal to participate in the first debates plays with the voters. As far as the other candidates are concerned, the two Democrats used the talk shows yesterday to tee off on Schwarzenegger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GOV. CRUZ BUSTAMANTE (D-CA), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: As far as I'm concerned, Arnold is going back to the same wedge issue politics that his mentor Pete Wilson suggested to the state of California. It was a time of division in California. He's wrong in doing this, and he's not going to get a pass from me. We're going to take him on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: Until he sits in those shoes -- and I don't think he's going to have a chance to -- he's really in no position to criticize what we've done until he tells us how would he have solved the $38 billion problem? How would he have kept the lights on in California?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Again, this is Labor Day and the state AFL-CIO, Soledad, is beginning a campaign to say that a Republican in the statehouse would undermine some of their work rules and possibly jeopardize their jobs -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Bob Franken for us in Los Angeles this morning. And Bob, as always, thanks for getting up early for us. We certainly appreciate it.

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




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