Democrats Helped on Sanctions Bill : GOP Fear of Racist Image on S. Africa Stand Grows

President Reagan’s policy on South Africa is causing alarm among many Republican politicians, who fear that his opposition to punitive sanctions may create a racist image for the party and undermine efforts to appeal to young, idealistic voters.

In fact, according to sources, the President was responding to panicky pleas from a number of influential Republican senators Thursday when he tried to soften his opposition to sanctions by saying, “We haven’t closed any doors.”

Republicans in Congress also have succeeded in limiting the partisan impact of the issue by joining forces with Democrats to draft a sanctions bill over the President’s objections.

Yet many Republicans believe that the President and White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan have seriously mishandled the matter--not only by taking a tough stand against sanctions, but also by creating the appearance of “tokenism” in deciding to appoint a black ambassador.

“It has been badly handled,” said a well-known GOP political strategist, who declined to be quoted by name. He added that the decision to appoint a black ambassador was an example of “Don Regan trying to think politically--something he doesn’t know how to do.”

Regan got additional criticism for suggesting that sanctions might deprive American women of South African diamonds--a remark that some analysts believe has reinforced the stereotype that Republicans have been trying to shed as the party of the rich.

The South African controversy arises at a time when the Republican Party is also trying to widen its appeal to black voters and compete for the long-term political loyalty of young independents--white and black. In addition, some GOP contenders in next November’s senatorial elections such as Sen. James T. Broyhill (N.C.) are actively seeking black support.

Although Reagan frequently has voiced his opposition to apartheid, Republicans such as Sen. Richard G. Lugar (Ind.) fear that the Administration’s policy of “constructive engagement” is increasingly being seen by Americans as tacit acceptance of South Africa’s apartheid system of racial segregation.

Ignoring Catch Phrase

At Lugar’s suggestion, officials are no longer using the term “constructive engagement,” which had referred to the policy of seeking change through diplomatic means, rather than confrontation.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), another critic of Reagan’s policy, argued that, while Republicans hold little hope of disrupting the traditional alliance between black voters and the Democratic Party in the near future, they should not run the risk of offending the majority of white voters who are “appalled” by South Africa’s racial system.

“This is one of the few issues where you see a clear distinction between what’s right and what’s wrong,” McConnell said. “I think the President is getting bad advice. I think he’s behind the curve on this issue. What is not clear yet is whether some white voters might be affected.”

So far, GOP polls indicate that Americans are not particularly interested in U.S. policy toward South Africa. Nevertheless, Republicans fear that it could be a wild card issue in the coming election--particularly if there is increased violence in South Africa.

‘A Real Gut Feeling’

“My sense is that it is not a hot issue today,” a prominent GOP consultant said. “But I have a real gut feeling that it’s something that could get very big, especially if there is more bloodshed. I sense that it is still developing as an issue. It could be a very big political problem for the Administration.”

Democrats acknowledged that Senate Republicans are doing their best to defuse the issue by fashioning their own sanctions legislation. “There are no points for Senate Democrats to score against Senate Republicans on this,” said Jerry Warburg, an aide to Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.).

But California Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Merced), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, asserted that the President’s stand tarnishes his “nice guy” image and thereby could hurt Republicans who are running as Reagan loyalists. One such candidate is Rep. Ed Zschau (Los Altos), who is challenging Cranston.

‘Their Biggest Ace’

“With his position on South Africa, we are seeing a different Ronald Reagan than we’ve seen for the past 5 1/2 years,” Coelho said. “It hurts the Republican Party because Ronald Reagan is their biggest ace, and now their ace looks like he’s being insincere.”

Coelho added that Chief of Staff Regan’s remark about diamonds “fits into the image that they are trying to get away from--it sets them back a few years.”

While acknowledging these difficulties, Lugar insisted that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would be drafting sanctions legislation for reasons beyond partisan politics.

“I think the domestic political considerations are considerable,” said Lugar, who chairs the committee. “But I also think the political interests of all persons on this committee will be served by doing the right thing.”