California Voters Waiting for Candidate's Platform
Wednesday, August 13, 2003; Page A01
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12 -- Someday, maybe soon, the new prince of California politics surely will come out to talk about issues -- right?
Alas, not today. "There are no scheduled public events," his campaign e-mailed to the horde of reporters here trailing his every move, "and no media interviews will be granted."
And so California waits, with so many questions.
It has been nearly a week since actor Arnold Schwarzenegger jolted the Golden State by declaring that he is running for governor in the Oct. 7 recall election captivating the nation, but in some ways, he is still a candidate in hiding.
In a few brief public appearances and one round of five-minute chats on the morning shows of national television networks, he has invoked his most famous movie lines and told voters only that he is a strong leader determined to repair California's economy, improve public schools and curb the influence of special interests in state government. Schwarzenegger, who is running as a Republican, has taken a specific position on one issue: If elected, he said, he would repeal the car taxes Gov. Gray Davis (D) tripled this year -- a step that inflamed the movement to throw Davis out of office.
Schwarzenegger has given one interview to a newspaper -- from his native Austria. "I would describe myself as a moderate conservative with the strongest social conscience," he told the Kronen Zeitung. He also said that he has no plans to move his family to Sacramento if elected and that he is forsaking movie deals worth $60 million in order to make his first run for public office.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52085-2003Aug12.html