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American Morning
Arnold to be a No-Show at Tonight's Debate
Aired September 03, 2003 - 09:07 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: Arnold Schwarzenegger denies that he's ducking any debates in the California recall election. Still, he will only take part in one debate, and that one, in that one, the candidates will get the questions a week ahead of time.
Bob Franken joins us live from Los Angeles.
Good morning once again, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But Soledad, there's a debate tonight. And the candidate...
O'BRIEN: That's the one he's missing, right? Yes.
FRANKEN: Well, let's see now, the candidate list includes Davis, Governor Gray Davis and Bustamante, McClintock, Huffington, Camejo, Ueberroth and no Schwarzenegger. That's right.
As a matter of fact, the debate organizers were going to have an empty chair, but the Schwarzenegger campaign bitterly, bitterly complained. So they pulled away the empty chair.
Schwarzenegger, of course, has agreed to appear in one debate from the California Broadcasters Association, now moved to September 24. And now we're finding out that in that debate, the broadcasters are violating the long-standing U.S. tradition of not submitting questions in advance by submitting questions in advance, leaving some of the critics of Schwarzenegger to say that he is an actor, long experienced in rehearsing his lines.
Of course, in some very short, very controlled interviews with local media yesterday, Schwarzenegger had a different take on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: It is very important to know for everyone in California that I will listen to everybody. No matter if they are paying or if they're not paying, if they're contributing or not contributing, I will be the governor for the people. No matter what the problem is, I will listen to it, because I am an inclusive person that listens to everyone. I want everyone at the table and put everything on the table. That's my philosophy with everything. Inclusion.
(END VIDEO CLI)
FRANKEN: His point being that he wants to listen, rather than just present ideas so much. Of course, the critics say what he doesn't want to do get to get involved in some challenge of whatever his ideas are.
He's making a speech today, by the way, at Long Beach State College, Schwarzenegger is. It's called by his campaign a tone- setting speech.
As for the man who wants to make all of this irrelevant, Governor Gray Davis, his participation in tonight's debate will be pretty much just him, and the reporters. For 30 minutes, he'll take questions from reporters, and then the other candidates duke it out for the rest of the debate.
Davis, of course, is trying very hard to avoid the recall and he has a strong ally in the most popular Democrat in the state, Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has done some commercials that feature everything but the name Gray Davis.
Here is Senator Feinstein with her campaign commercial on his behalf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: This governor was reelected just last November. Within three months, this recall effort began. It was started by people who are unhappy...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Dianne Feinstein, the senator from California, campaigning on behalf of Gray Davis against the recall. No mention of his name at all, leading many to believe what this is, is an effort to disassociate the anti-recall campaign with the target of the recall, Gray Davis, because he is unpopular. They're trying to make the recall unpopular. It's becoming quite a free-for-all, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks so much for that update. Appreciate it, Bob.
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 - 09:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Arnold Schwarzenegger denies that he's ducking any debates in the California recall election. Still, he will only take part in one debate, and that one, in that one, the candidates will get the questions a week ahead of time.
Bob Franken joins us live from Los Angeles.
Good morning once again, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But Soledad, there's a debate tonight. And the candidate...
O'BRIEN: That's the one he's missing, right? Yes.
FRANKEN: Well, let's see now, the candidate list includes Davis, Governor Gray Davis and Bustamante, McClintock, Huffington, Camejo, Ueberroth and no Schwarzenegger. That's right.
As a matter of fact, the debate organizers were going to have an empty chair, but the Schwarzenegger campaign bitterly, bitterly complained. So they pulled away the empty chair.
Schwarzenegger, of course, has agreed to appear in one debate from the California Broadcasters Association, now moved to September 24. And now we're finding out that in that debate, the broadcasters are violating the long-standing U.S. tradition of not submitting questions in advance by submitting questions in advance, leaving some of the critics of Schwarzenegger to say that he is an actor, long experienced in rehearsing his lines.
Of course, in some very short, very controlled interviews with local media yesterday, Schwarzenegger had a different take on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: It is very important to know for everyone in California that I will listen to everybody. No matter if they are paying or if they're not paying, if they're contributing or not contributing, I will be the governor for the people. No matter what the problem is, I will listen to it, because I am an inclusive person that listens to everyone. I want everyone at the table and put everything on the table. That's my philosophy with everything. Inclusion.
(END VIDEO CLI)
FRANKEN: His point being that he wants to listen, rather than just present ideas so much. Of course, the critics say what he doesn't want to do get to get involved in some challenge of whatever his ideas are.
He's making a speech today, by the way, at Long Beach State College, Schwarzenegger is. It's called by his campaign a tone- setting speech.
As for the man who wants to make all of this irrelevant, Governor Gray Davis, his participation in tonight's debate will be pretty much just him, and the reporters. For 30 minutes, he'll take questions from reporters, and then the other candidates duke it out for the rest of the debate.
Davis, of course, is trying very hard to avoid the recall and he has a strong ally in the most popular Democrat in the state, Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has done some commercials that feature everything but the name Gray Davis.
Here is Senator Feinstein with her campaign commercial on his behalf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: This governor was reelected just last November. Within three months, this recall effort began. It was started by people who are unhappy...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Dianne Feinstein, the senator from California, campaigning on behalf of Gray Davis against the recall. No mention of his name at all, leading many to believe what this is, is an effort to disassociate the anti-recall campaign with the target of the recall, Gray Davis, because he is unpopular. They're trying to make the recall unpopular. It's becoming quite a free-for-all, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks so much for that update. Appreciate it, Bob.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
