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Schwarzenegger egged as he opts speech { September 3 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/recall/story/7345120p-8289192c.htmlhttp://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/recall/story/7345120p-8289192c.html
Schwarzenegger egged as he opts for speech instead of debate
Published 2:02 p.m. PDT Wednesday, September 3, 2003
LONG BEACH -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, skipping the first debate of California's recall election, was egged Wednesday on a university campus but went ahead with a speech in which he said he is running for governor to give back to a state that is responsible for all his success.
A thrown egg splattered on the back of his left shoulder as he waded through the crowd at California State University, Long Beach. An aide tried to wipe it off, but he simply peeled off his coat and went ahead with his speech.
"You have such a fantastic life, Arnold, you make millions of dollars to do movies and all those kinds of things, why do you want to do this?" Schwarzenegger asked rhetorically in his address.
"And you know something, because everything that I've gotten -- my career, my money, my family -- everything that I've gotten and achieved is because of California," he said to cheers.
Hundreds of students crammed the university quad for the speech under the hot afternoon sun. Some were Young Republicans invited from other schools, according to the actor's campaign.
A knot of opponents from La Raza Student Association heckled him for his past support of Proposition 187, which sought to deny services to illegal immigrants. They held a sign saying "Hasta la vista Latinos." Supporters drowned out the hecklers with chants of "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold."
Schwarzenegger delivered his 15-minute talk as five other candidates prepared to take part in the first recall campaign debate later Wednesday in Walnut Creek.
His campaign also released three new television ads, one 15 seconds long and two lasting 30 seconds, showing Schwarzenegger sitting at a table with people and promising to fight special interests and clean up the state.
"Now, here is my plan: audit everything, open the books, and then we end the crazy deficit spending," he says in one ad. The campaign also launched a 60-second radio ad featuring the president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which has endorsed Schwarzenegger.
The ads began airing on the same day as a new ad from Democratic Gov. Gray Davis which features Sen. Dianne Feinstein speaking against the recall.
Schwarzenegger's aides defended his decision to opt out of the Walnut Creek debate, noting he will participate in a prime-time debate with the other candidates Sept. 24. Organizers of that debate, arranged by the California Broadcasters Association, will allow candidates to see questions in advance.
Rep. David Dreier, co-chair of the actor's campaign, sent a letter to the CBA on Wednesday asking that it reconsider the decision to give candidates the questions in advance.
"We prefer a more traditional format where the candidates hear the questions for the first time at the debate," the letter said.
Schwarzenegger's absence from the debate fit into his campaign strategy of appearing in public in controlled settings where he avoids protracted questioning from reporters.
One of his Republican opponents, former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, held a press conference over the weekend urging Schwarzenegger to attend, and he also faced criticism from aides to the leading Democrat in the race, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante.
"He's going to get beaten up for a while" over his absence from the debate, said GOP strategist Allan Hoffenblum.
"It's not that he's not going to debate, but he's going to do it at his own time," Hoffenblum added. "But he needs to get out there and talk to more reporters."
Also Wednesday, Schwarzenegger picked up the endorsement of the Lincoln Club of Northern California which urged other Republicans to unite behind him.
-- Associated Press
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