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American Morning
Transition Team in California
Aired October 09, 2003 - 07:33 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to California right now and the politics there we all watched yesterday, which has the most electoral votes, 54, in fact. President Bush lost a bruising and expensive battle in 2000, lost by 11 points, in fact, to Al Gore that year. Now, the new Republican governor might be able to offer the president his coattails. There will certainly be a price, though.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to ask the president for more financial help when the two meet next week. This is a phone call picture released from the White House yesterday with the president calling and congratulating Arnold Schwarzenegger after winning that recall election against the governor, Gray Davis.
Kelly Wallace now with more on the transition team in California and what's ahead for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was a first, Arnold Schwarzenegger going before the press not as a candidate, but as governor elect.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ELECT: There will be no time for movies or anything else. I will pay full attention to this job. I take this job very seriously.
WALLACE: You could tell the campaign was over. There were questions on policy, not politics, such as how Schwarzenegger would balance the budget.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I campaigned that I will not raise taxes and I say this again, I will not raise taxes.
WALLACE: Now comes the hard part for the moderate Republican, trying to deliver on those promises, especially with a Democratically controlled legislature.
SCHWARZENEGGER: The legislators up there have gotten that message last night, that the people of California want change.
WALLACE: The honeymoon won't last long. Schwarzenegger knows that. But he showed some political savvy, calling the state's most popular Democrat before she called him.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: Mr. Schwarzenegger has to be able to take office, he's got to be able to do what he said he would do, and everybody, we all ought to help that job get done. WALLACE: There will be distractions, including allegations of sexual misconduct, which the superstar said he would discuss in detail after the election. But perhaps the biggest challenge, analysts say, not letting the people of California down.
ELIZABETH GARRETT, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: When it comes time to make budget trade-offs, some people are going to lose and some people are going to win, and those are going to be very difficult problems for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
WALLACE (on camera): Schwarzenegger could be sworn in as early as a few weeks from now. First, though, the transition. His team will be announced Thursday. It will be led by Republican Congressman David Dreier, who turned into one of Schwarzenegger's fiercest defenders during the campaign.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And our team of correspondents, along with Kelly and others, will be reporting throughout the day in California. More news on that transition team throughout the day here on CNN.
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 9, 2003 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to California right now and the politics there we all watched yesterday, which has the most electoral votes, 54, in fact. President Bush lost a bruising and expensive battle in 2000, lost by 11 points, in fact, to Al Gore that year. Now, the new Republican governor might be able to offer the president his coattails. There will certainly be a price, though.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to ask the president for more financial help when the two meet next week. This is a phone call picture released from the White House yesterday with the president calling and congratulating Arnold Schwarzenegger after winning that recall election against the governor, Gray Davis.
Kelly Wallace now with more on the transition team in California and what's ahead for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was a first, Arnold Schwarzenegger going before the press not as a candidate, but as governor elect.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ELECT: There will be no time for movies or anything else. I will pay full attention to this job. I take this job very seriously.
WALLACE: You could tell the campaign was over. There were questions on policy, not politics, such as how Schwarzenegger would balance the budget.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I campaigned that I will not raise taxes and I say this again, I will not raise taxes.
WALLACE: Now comes the hard part for the moderate Republican, trying to deliver on those promises, especially with a Democratically controlled legislature.
SCHWARZENEGGER: The legislators up there have gotten that message last night, that the people of California want change.
WALLACE: The honeymoon won't last long. Schwarzenegger knows that. But he showed some political savvy, calling the state's most popular Democrat before she called him.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: Mr. Schwarzenegger has to be able to take office, he's got to be able to do what he said he would do, and everybody, we all ought to help that job get done. WALLACE: There will be distractions, including allegations of sexual misconduct, which the superstar said he would discuss in detail after the election. But perhaps the biggest challenge, analysts say, not letting the people of California down.
ELIZABETH GARRETT, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: When it comes time to make budget trade-offs, some people are going to lose and some people are going to win, and those are going to be very difficult problems for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
WALLACE (on camera): Schwarzenegger could be sworn in as early as a few weeks from now. First, though, the transition. His team will be announced Thursday. It will be led by Republican Congressman David Dreier, who turned into one of Schwarzenegger's fiercest defenders during the campaign.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And our team of correspondents, along with Kelly and others, will be reporting throughout the day in California. More news on that transition team throughout the day here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
