Buchanan & Press - Transcript

BUCHANAN & PRESS

TOM MCCLINTOCK ®, CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Pat, that's exactly what I'm committing. The election is still a month away, by the way, and all the momentum is on our side. If we continue to show that momentum in the second half of the race as we have in the first half of the race, I expect to be in the winner's circle. That's why we call it a race. You have to let it play out.

BUCHANAN: You expect to be in the winner's circle, and you clearly have been gaining ground, Senator. There's no doubt about it. Are you also expecting a call from the president of the United States or the vice president asking you to pull out? And have you been under pressure to step out of this race?

MCCLINTOCK: Well, I keep reading in the newspapers that the pressure on me is growing and I have to assume if the pressure is growing, then we must be gaining. But I haven't had any direct phone calls save one and that one we still haven't been able to get in contact with.

PRESS: Well Senator McClintock, I hear what you say today. I hear it loud and clear, but I also heard Bill Simon, Peter Ueberroth and Darrell Issa say the very same thing on this show and then they dropped out. So, why should we believe you?

MCCLINTOCK: Well, I don't know how I can put it more unequivocally. I'm in this race to the finish line. If you can come up with a more unequivocal statement, I'll be glad to borrow it.

PRESS: Well, here's what I would say, if I were the Republican state chair of California, which I'll never be, is that if you look at the polls today, Bustamante is five points ahead of Arnold. Your take you out of the race and Arnold is 33 and Bustamante is 31. You, by staying in, could cost the governorship for the Republican Party of California. Do you want to pay that price?

MCCLINTOCK: But, Bill, the election is not today. The election is a full month from now. And the only guy that's been showing solid momentum in this race has been me. I want to see this campaign play out. I'm in the race to the finish line. I would challenge Arnold Schwarzenegger to debate me at the Republican State Convention this weekend. I mean, there is a perfect opportunity for the two Republican candidates to face each other squarely and forthrightly discuss the issues of the campaign and talk about the future of the state of California as well as the future of the California Republican Party. That's the time to do it. I challenge him to that debate.

PRESS: All right. I hope he does it.

BUCHANAN: All right. Tom McClintock, all right let's say we're about four weeks, I think, almost to the day out from this election.

MCCLINTOCK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

BUCHANAN: Let's say we're running down there and we're about a week out from the election and you're still holding in there at 13 or 15 percent and it is 35-35 Bustamante and it is Schwarzenegger. You would rule out even at that late date, taking a final step, if you knew for sure or felt you could not win, you would not step out and help the Republicans take over the state of California?

MCCLINTOCK: Well, Pat, first of all, that's not the way a campaign works, as you know it. As we get close to the election, voters make their decisions based upon a number of factors—the candidate's qualifications, his philosophy, his positions on the issues, his credibility, his character, as well as his electability. I think that you'll find naturally that support will be migrating from one column to the other in the closing days of the campaign.

I believe it will be migrating to my side. The departure of Peter Ueberroth, for example, a very serious candidate, very well schooled in public policy, very credible individual, his supporters are all very serious candidates were backing a serious—serious supporters backing a serious candidate. I think that they'll probably be migrating to my side too. It wouldn't surprise me—we'll watch our momentum continue to grow over the next several weeks and then we'll be having an entirely different discussion.

BUCHANAN: OK, you could be having a different discussion. No question about it. There's a possibility that a lot of the support from Ueberroth will come to you, you'll start rising, Arnold Schwarzenegger is under attack and you could be moving up level with him and ahead of him, and people would be arguing that, you know, maybe Arnold ought to get out, that McClintock's got the best shot at it. But...

(CROSSTALK)

BUCHANAN: ... I've got to ask you - OK. We're going to see, but one week out if you're down say at 10 percent, under no circumstances Tom McClintock will take any kind of calls from anybody, he's going right up to Election Day in this race and he's going right to the vote?

MCCLINTOCK: I'm going right up to Election Day. I can't think...

BUCHANAN: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

MCCLINTOCK: ... of any more clear way to say it than that.

PRESS: You made it very clear. Senator, I want to ask you about your statement today when Peter Ueberroth pulled out, you issued a statement in which you said, among other things, "it's essential that the people of California have a candidate who knows and understands the complexities of state government and who has the determination to deal with the spending lobby that now controls it." You're saying, Senator, that Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't know state government, doesn't understand it, can't do the job. Isn't that what you're saying?

MCCLINTOCK: What I'm saying is that Peter Ueberroth certainly understood it, I certainly understand it, and again, one of the major factors I think people will be using to make their decision is what are this man's qualifications to lead California in a period of supreme fiscal crisis?

PRESS: Peter Ueberroth understood it. You understand it. Does Arnold understand it?

MCCLINTOCK: Well, I don't know because he won't debate me. That's one good reason why he should be standing up at the Republican State Convention and debating me one-on-one on the issues that are confronting our state.

PRESS: All right. Let's hope he takes up the challenge. Senator McClintock...

(CROSSTALK)

PRESS: ... thank you for joining us.

BUCHANAN: Thank you, Senator. Always a pleasure.

PRESS: And we want you to hang in there, Tom.

(CROSSTALK)

PRESS: Hang in there.

BUCHANAN: Hang in there Tom...

PRESS: Don't give up.

MCCLINTOCK: Thank you Bill.