From:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/ ... 866055.htm
Pressure forced Arnold into forum
By John Simerman
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
DANA POINT - A day after the spectacle of his first and only recall candidates' forum, Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that he never wanted to debate in the first place, but succumbed to heavy pressure.
His comments came as Gov. Gray Davis said he may challenge the Republican actor to a one-on-one debate in the coming days. Schwarzenegger aides quickly dismissed that idea.
In an interview with the Times, Schwarzenegger said events like Wednesday's free-wheeling forum, in which he and political commentator Arianna Huffington repeatedly veered from policy issues to trade personal insults, could undermine the campaign to recall Davis on Oct. 7
"I said to my guys, when they said we should have debates, I said, 'No, I think it's the wrong way to go,'" he said, "because the more we debate, the more it puts the spotlight on that, rather than the spotlight on the big picture.
"As we have seen yesterday, the light goes on 'Who won this, what happened, who says what to whom,' and in the meantime, we are losing focus on the real issue."
Schwarzenegger's comments marked a change from his earlier public explanation for debating only once, in the face of criticism from rival candidates and media suggesting he was not ready to face off on the issues.
Before Wednesday's widely televised event at Sacramento State University, the actor had labeled it the "Super Bowl of debates" and likened it to the kind of world bodybuilding championships he once dominated.
"To be honest with you, it was because of the pressure," he said Thursday of his decision to go forward. "I just didn't want for people to say, 'Oh, he didn't want to debate,' because that has nothing to do with that."
His statements came as polls show that anti-recall forces appear to have gained momentum in the absence of a well-funded recall campaign. Recall opponents now believe they are within three percentage points of defeating it at the polls in 11 days.
Davis clearly appeared buoyed by his chances and took aim at Schwarzenegger.
"I'm getting sick and tired of his distortions," Davis, a Democrat, said at an event with law enforcement officials in Los Angeles. "And if he doesn't set the record straight himself, I may just have to debate him."
A spokesman for the actor scoffed at the governor's suggestion.
"There are no plans to debate the governor," said Todd Harris. "Eleventh-hour debate challenges from incumbent governors tend to be desperate Hail Marys from losing campaigns trying to shake things up."
Joe Tuman, political speech professor at San Francisco State University, said the actor's comments about debating were "disingenuous."
"If he's really concerned about not detracting from the recall, then you have to wonder why was he going on 'Oprah' or 'The Howard Stern Show,'" Tuman said. "You have to wonder how did that help people stay focused on the recall. That was completely about promoting himself."
Jack Pitney, government professor at Claremont McKenna College, said that, indeed, Schwarzenegger's appearance at the forum might have distracted voters.
"There is a certain logic to it because when you had five candidates on stage going after one another, it did feed into the Davis line that the recall is a circus."
Schwarzenegger has said he would only seek to raise taxes in a disaster. But in his 15-minute interview Thursday with the Times, he offered two specific ways he plans to raise revenue: By selling off some state property and siphoning off a large slice of Indian gaming revenues.
Schwarzenegger has attacked his main rivals, Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, for accepting hefty campaign contributions from the tribes, drawing the tribes into a bitter war of words and campaign ads.
On Thursday, he said he would seek a share of Indian gaming revenues similar to the 25 percent that Connecticut receives in agreements with gaming tribes there. That plan mirrors a call by Davis early this year to draw $1.5 billion in Indian gaming revenues. Davis has since retreated from the $1.5 billion goal.
"I want to help (gaming tribes) build it from a $5 billion industry to a $10 billion industry ... Let them increase the amount of slot machines. Boom, let their business go crazy. But let them participate and help us," he said. "It's not even an extra tax. It's just, be fair about this and just come in and give the state some money."
Schwarzenegger said he could not say what state property might be worth selling, or how much revenue he would expect it to produce.
Though several polls show him slightly trailing Bustamante among likely voters, and rising little from an initial burst, Schwarzenegger said he was "ecstatic" about his poll numbers, considering there is another GOP candidate, McClintock, in the race.
While McClintock has pledged to stay in the race until the end, Schwarzenegger said he remained optimistic.
"It is important now to move forward, and be positive, and to think that it is just one (GOP) candidate left."
Who seriously thinks Arnie would make a good politician? He's giving out the impression that:
- He can't handle pressure. If he can't hold back the pressure of a bloody TV debate, how's he meant to handle the pressures that come with the day to day governance of California?
- He's a blatant backflipper. First liking the debate to a Mr. Olympia, the ultimate debate, he later backflips [one must assume because he didn't go as well as he would have liked] and whines how "they made me!" Waaaa go eat a protien bar, you wuss.
- Getting policies from him is like ripping a concession out of Axis Kast; next to impossible.
I don't see potential here. Clint Eastwood on the other hand
