Posted on 08/07/2003 1:18:28 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
Journalists normally fret about negative campaigning and condemn attacks that dig out personal baggage in a candidate's background. Just as long as the candidate doesn't threaten a Democrat, apparently, since on this morning's Today Katie Couric didn't hesitate to beat Democratic operatives to the bunch and remind viewers that Schwarzenegger's father was a Nazi.
She began a question to a California Democratic strategist Darry Sragow: "Let me ask you about his, his baggage, if you will. He's admitted smoking marijuana, using steroids during his body- building career. He's the son of a Nazi Party member..."
Quite the morning greeting from NBC News.
Couric proceeded to prod Sragow: "Through his publicist he's denied allegations published in Premiere magazine, in March 2001, that he sexually harassed women and committed infidelity. All those things, are they gonna be front and center, Darry, if you, do you think in this campaign?"
They are now!
MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens alerted me to Couric's Nazi take and transcribed all of her questions.
Couric introduced the segment: "On Close Up this morning, Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to terminate the competition. He's boffo at the box office but how will he do at the ballot box. Darry Sragow is a Democratic strategist and Sheri Annis worked as a press secretary for Schwarzenegger on a ballot initiative in California last year. Good morning to both of you."
Couric's questions:
-- "Alright Darry and Sheri. Darry let me start with you right now. Is, is Arnold Schwarzenegger, in your view, Gray Davis' worst nightmare?"
Sragow: "No..."
-- Couric: "Yeah but what else, what other hurdles do you think does he face primarily?"
Sragow: "Credibility hurdle...."
Couric: "Is that doable though, in your view?"
-- Couric: "Well let's talk about Gray Davis and the Democrats strategy Darry, because I know you have felt strongly all along that it's very important that Democrats do field a candidate. Even though the strategy, I guess, until yesterday was not to field a candidate so people would keep Gray Davis in office. But now his Lieutenant Governor, Cruz Bustamante, announced that he was going to put his name on the ballot. So how does this change the equation?"
-- "Alright Sheri Annis I haven't forgotten about you. Apparently this announcement took everybody by surprise. What was your reaction?"
-- "And he does seem to have quite a, quite a sense of humor. On the Tonight Show last night he had several funny one-liners. Let's take a look at one of them right now."
Clip of Schwarzenegger on Wednesday's Tonight Show: "Most difficult decision that I've made in my entire life, except the one in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax."
Couric: "Alright. So, so Darry I mean maybe you didn't find that, that amusing. But does Arnold Schwarzenegger make Gray Davis look well, rather gray."
-- Couric to Sragow: "Let me ask you about his, his baggage, if you will. He's admitted smoking marijuana, using steroids during his body-building career. He's the son of a Nazi Party member. He said he was prejudiced before overcoming those feelings by working with the Simon Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles and the Dean of the Center said an investigation of Schwarzenegger's late father, conducted at the actor's request, found no evidence of war crimes. Through his publicist he's denied allegations published in Premiere magazine in March 2001, that he sexually harassed women and committed infidelity. All those things, are they gonna be front and center, Darry, if you, do you think in this campaign?"
Sragow: "I have to assume that those things are going to be brought up, not by Gray Davis, but by others and he's prepared to defend himself because he's going to have to do that..."
-- "And, and Sherri, Arnold himself said on the Tonight Show that he expected a dirty campaign. How do you think he's going to handle that?"
As Diane Sawyer said to George Stephanopoulos this morning ,August 7 Good Morning America, further reported by MRC: "Okay, George, you've been working the phones all night, I know you. What are the Democrats saying? Do they think this is a stunt? Are they scared?"
George:"They are stunned, they are scared. I guess the word I would use to describe them, Diane, is punch drunk. They've been through so much in this recall election so far. They know that Arnold is going to be an 800-pound gorilla....that since Schwarzenegger announced "on the same day that Gary Coleman of Diff'rent Strokes got into the race as well, just points up the whole freak show nature" of the race. And second, Democrats "did some focus groups over the last few weeks and they found out when they presented the idea of Arnold to voters, they laughed."
"He's generally thought to be a moderate Republican, which could help him in California, but Democrats are hoping that they're going to be able to go at some weaknesses. For example, they point out last night at his press conference, Arnold said that California was in junk bond status. That's not true. They said if a Governor said that, the state would be in chaos."
The Graystopo have been busy.
She makes him sound like the second coming of bill clinton (except for that body-building part).
Besides, these allegations have been refuted already. Bottom line - Couric is a partisan female dog.
Repeat that each and every day!
A very poisonous, partisan bitch!
I just got an amusing mental picture of Arnold behind the desk in Sacramento, a name plate with "Governor" written on it, looking into the camera saying "To-naight, I wish to tolk to youse about our Junk boooonds..."
Switch scene to an L.A. street corner, people screaming in panic, large explosions, and looting....
And he's a liberal Republican.... I can't even imagine how bad the smear campaign would be if he were conservative
Isn't that a winning platform in Cali?
Just watch and see.
"All I can say to Arnold, Hasta la vista, baby, you're not going to be around on Election Day ... This campaign is just beginning."
-- California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres
"As governor, Mr. Schwarzenegger would be a darker villain than any he has faced in his movies. And when it comes to the moral issues that Californians really care about -- he gives us inaction, not action. ... It's hard to imagine a worse governor than Gray Davis but Mr. Schwarzenegger would be it.''
-- Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition.
"If Jesse Ventura can be governor, so can Arnold.'' -- 18-year-old Adi Cosic of Irvine, who said he would vote for the first time in the recall election.
Katie Couric is a DemocRAT operative...
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