Reagan Sees Second Boom for Economy

President Reagan, saying the nation’s economy is headed for its second boom since his election, urged voters today to reelect the “cleanup crew” of Republican senators swept into office with him in 1980.

Reagan said the alternative on Nov. 4 is Democrats “who in 1980 weakened our nation and nearly brought our economy to its knees.”

Reagan toured three Southern states in a whirlwind one-day effort to help Republican Sens. Mack Mattingly of Georgia, Jeremiah Denton of Alabama and James T. Broyhill of North Carolina, all three of them in tough races.

Asked whether his efforts will keep the Senate in Republican hands, Reagan said, “I’m too superstitious to talk about that.”

Reagan ended his Georgia speech by telling the audience that by voting for Mattingly, “you’ll be winning one for yourselves, for Georgia and for America.”

‘And for the Gipper’

When someone in the audience called out, “And for the Gipper,” Reagan replied, “Yup.”

The President depicted Mattingly as “part of the 1980 cleanup crew for the worst economic mess since the Great Depression.”

As a result of Administration policies supported by congressional Republicans, he said, “we’re enjoying one of the longest economic expansions in history.”

Government figures show that six months after Reagan took office in 1981, the national economy plunged into a 17-month recession, with the number of people out of work rising to the highest level since the end of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Recovery from that recession began taking hold at the end of 1982, and the economy grew in robust fashion during the second half of 1983 and during 1984 before slackening to a lesser growth rate in 1985 and so far this year.

‘Gathering Momentum’

He said today that recent figures on the gross national product and other economic indicators “show our economy gathering momentum for even more growth, higher take-home pay, and more new jobs.”

“In short, we’re headed for a second boom,” the President said.

The Commerce Department has reported that the gross national product increased at an annual rate of 2.4% in the third quarter and 0.6% in the second quarter of 1986. Despite optimistic Administration statements, some economists have described this as a sluggish rate of growth that could prefigure a recession in the next couple of years.

Reagan’s swing through Dixie today was a repeat performance on behalf of all three Southern senators. He was last in Georgia and North Carolina less than three weeks ago.

Public opinion polls indicate that Mattingly and Denton hold slim leads over their Democratic challengers, Reps. Wyche Fowler Jr. and Richard C. Shelby, going into the final week of campaigning.