Pumping Arnold On His Policies

As state election officials unveiled a complicated system Monday for ranking the scores of candidates expected on California's recall ballot, some opponents pressed movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger to make his policy positions known.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports, more Democrats adopted the strategy of denouncing the recall on one hand, and campaigning for Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante — the leading Democrat in the race to replace Gov. Gray Davis — on the other. For his part, Davis slammed the recall election as an insult to voters.

Visiting New York City, Schwarzenegger refused to take questions, fueling criticism that his campaign lacks specific policy positions.

His aides deny that. And CBS News Early Show political contributor Craig Crawford say it might not matter.

"Abraham Lincoln said it best: 'Better to remain silent and thought a fool than speak up and remove all doubt,'" he said. "When you get specific, you become a target."

"If he had to win a majority of the vote, maybe he should be more specific. He doesn't. He has core supporters. People who go to his movies can elect him governor," Crawford said.

A spokesman, Rob Stutzman, said Schwarzenegger would release policy plans, but did not say when.

"There's been no intention to avoid specifics, but in due time and in his time and in the manner that he wants to he will lay that vision out," said Stutzman.

So far, the only policy on which Schwarzenegger's position has become an issue is his support for Proposition 187, a ballot measure that restricted access by illegal immigrants to social services.

But according to Crawford, Schwarzenegger can count on immigrant support because he is one. His main worry is a revolt from conservatives who dislike what is believed to be his support for abortion and gay rights. That also might not matter.

"He is definitely the Republican pick," Crawford said. "And the conservatives may not like it, but they're going to have to live with it."

Part of the reason Schwarzenegger may withstand questions about his qualifications or conservative credentials is that, with such a large field, he can win the statehouse with a relatively small portion of the vote.

On Monday night, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley's office reported that 247 people, up from 195 tallied earlier, had submitted candidacy papers. Of those, the office had certified 115 and was reviewing the rest, according to the secretary of state's Web site.

Some of the more colorful candidates in the diverse field include former child actor Gary Coleman, melon-smashing comedian Gallagher, smut peddler Larry Flynt and the porn star known as Mary Carey.

California held a lottery Monday to award ballot positions. The six-minute process set the order for candidates' names to appear on the Oct. 7 ballot. The first letter chosen by state election officials was "R" (as in "recall"), followed by W and Q.

Candidates whose last names start with those letters will appear high on some ballots, but the order will be rotated among the 80 state Assembly districts. In L.A. County alone, for example, there will be 26 different ballots.

The letters H, B and S, were drawn as eighth, ninth and tenth, meaning that some high-profile candidates – commentator Arianna Huffington, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and Schwarzenegger – will be relatively near each other on most ballots.

The long list of challengers could cause delays in vote counting and boost election costs, already estimated at $66 million. According to the Times, the wide field means it could take several weeks — perhaps until Nov. 15 — to certify election results.

"Let me be candid: There are going to be problems," said Shelley. "You play with the cards you're dealt."

The types of ballots used might complicate counting. Orange County, among others, will use paper ballots because its new electronic system isn't ready, and it may delay announcing results.

And because some counties will use the old punch card system, the American Civil Liberties Union is asking a federal judge to delay the election, arguing the machines are unreliable and disenfranchise minority voters, reports CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen.

Davis said in an interview broadcast Monday that the whole effort to recall him was an insult to voters.

"I don't like this but I am trying to suppress those negative feelings and channel my energies into doing something positive for the people I work for, the people of this great state," Davis said in a television interview.

Davis said he has "gotten the message. I understand a lot of people signed a recall." But he also called it "an insult to the 8 million people who went to the polls last November and decided I should be governor."

The ballot itself is in two parts. In part one, voters say "yes" or "no" to the recall. Davis will lose if he gets less than 50 percent.

In part two, they choose the candidate they'd like to replace Davis if he's recalled.