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N E W Y O R K, June 10, 2004 —<br> -- A product of Noted Now and The Note
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The morning shows all led with Reagan.
Schwarzenegger remembers another actor turned California governor on ABC & NBC
ABC's Kate Snow sat down with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to chat about former President Ronald Reagan and Schwarzenegger's (stated lack of) presidential ambitions.
Walking in the "horseshoe," the inner circle of offices belonging to the governor, Schwarzenegger pointed to pictures of Reagan as California governor and recalled a memorabilia shop in his native Austria "where they sold posters of Ronald Reagan standing like this looking with the cowboy hat on… It was like we saw his movies. As time went on, I learned more about his politics and what a great leader he was." Schwarzenegger later called Reagan "my hero. He inspired the whole country. He inspired the whole world."
Schwarzenegger repeated his support of unrestricted stem cell research, saying "I support stem cell research. I think it is very, very important that the whole nation pulls together on a federal and a state level," although Schwarzenegger did not say whether he would support the stem cell research initiative on California's November's ballot.
When asked about his disagreement with President Bush on the topic, Schwarzenegger mused, "This is the great thing about the Republican party. That we have -- it is this wonderful party with different opinions."
When pressed by Snow about his own presidential ambitions, Schwarzenegger quipped, "I know where you're going with this… You want me to say, 'Yes, I want to be president.'" "Sure, if that's the case," Snow responded. "No, that is not the case."
During Campbell Brown's interview with Schwarzenegger on NBC's "Today Show," the governor's advance team conspicuously arranged for Reagan's portrait to appear over Schwarzenegger's shoulder and for Reagan's bust to appear behind Brown.
Schwarzenegger praised Reagan for being able to "cross over the Democrats and the Republicans" which Schwarzenegger called "the only way you can get things done." Schwarzenegger said he is not trying to be Reagan because Reagan is alone on a pedestal. "I will be Arnold," he said. "I will always be Arnold. But I can draw from the experience and the inspiration." When Brown asked Schwarzenegger about how Reagan, contrary to his popular image, raised taxes when he was governor of California to help the state cope with financial crisis, Schwarzenegger laughed and reiterated his earlier comments that they are two different people.
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