7 in Democratic Debate Target Reagan Policies

Seven Democratic presidential contenders took turns lambasting the Reagan Administration for scandals, budget deficits, the trade imbalance and a flawed foreign policy Wednesday night, but their televised encounter turned up few differences among themselves on major issues.

Appearing before about 2,200 people in Wortham Center Theater here and watched by several million more on the Public Broadcasting System, the presidential hopefuls spared each other harsh words, focusing their fire instead on President Reagan and his policies.

Gephardt Leads Attack

Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, the second candidate to speak, led the attack, declaring that the Administration had virtually put the Constitution “in the shredder” and that he would see that “the President and all Cabinet members obey the law.”

Sen. Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee said “a crisis in integrity” is one of the most serious problems facing the country. “I think Americans are shaken by the betrayal of the public trust,” he declared. “The shredding of public documents, stealing of public money, the dishonesty of public officials. I believe the next President must make a pledge, and I make it now: “Any public official who steals from the American people or lies to the United States Congress will be fired immediately.”

Time and again the candidates brought up the Iran/ contra affair and other scandals involving the Reagan Administration and vowed to restore public trust in the White House and Cabinet offices.

But there appeared to be no clear-cut winners or losers in the two-hour program, which failed to live up to its advance billing as a debate. Nor did it appear to make great strides in clearly defining the differences between the candidates, who are in a struggle to differentiate themselves from each other.

The program was a special edition of “Firing Line,” a Public Broadcasting System program, co-hosted by conservative journalist William F. Buckley Jr. , the program’s regular host, and Robert S. Strauss, a Texan, Washington lawyer and former Democratic Party chairman.

It was more like a political variety show, featuring brief filmed biographical sketches of the candidates, banter by Buckley and Strauss, and a series of questions posed by the two co-hosts.

Needling of Biden

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, coming as close as anyone to needling an opponent, at one point referred to Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. as “Vice President Biden,” a reference to the senator’s recent statement that he would not consider Jackson as a vice presidential running mate.

Later, Biden came to Jackson’s aid after Buckley had asked Jackson a particularly sharp question about his having raised a toast to Cuban leader Fidel Castro several years ago during a visit to Cuba. Jackson replied that he had returned to the United States with 30 Cuban prisoners that Castro agreed to release to him.

When Biden’s turn came he said Reagan also had toasted foreign leaders with whose policies he disagreed and added that “at least Rev. Jackson brought some people home with him.”

The senator, asked after the program why he had tossed such a bouquet to Jackson, said: “Look, it’s a long, long haul. I don’t feel I’m going to become the nominee by putting another nominee down. That’s not how I campaign.”

Jackson Shows Restraint

Jackson, the only black candidate, generally showed the discipline and restraint that have marked his 1987 candidacy in contrast to 1984, when he accepted the support of Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan.

With strong support among blacks and the greatest name recognition by far, Jackson holds a slim lead over other candidates in public opinion polls, followed closely by Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and Gephardt.

The other contenders--Gore, Biden, Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois and former Gov. Bruce Babbitt of Arizona--all have gotten off to slower starts. And none of them broke out of the pack on their performance here.

Except for Jackson, none of the candidates has much name recognition. And in Houston hardly anyone could identify them if they saw them. A local reporter stopped 10 people at random on the streets of Houston and found that none could recognize a photograph of Dukakis. Nine of 10 identified a photo of Jackson, but hardly anyone identified the others.

Shroeder Excluded

At the beginning of the program, Buckley announced that Rep. Patricia Shroeder of Colorado had applied to participate in the proceedings but that her application had been received too late to accommodate her.

In Washington, Shroeder, who has said she is seriously considering entering the race, described the gathering here as a “stag” event and complained that her fund-raising efforts would be hurt because she was not included.

After the program, Strauss said there had been no losers and “the show was better than I thought it would be. I was frankly concerned when we went in. But to varying degrees, each put his best foot forward.”

Simon, at 58 the oldest of the contenders, proudly pointed out that he was the only contender from Congress who had voted against both Reagan’s 1981 tax overhaul bill and the President’s 1986 tax reduction bill. Both measures were bad bills that gave unfair tax advantages to the wealthy, he said.

Won’t Shed Bow Tie, Glasses

The senator, coming across as a traditional Democratic liberal, said he would not shy away from being called a “Hubert Humphrey Democrat” or a “Harry Truman Democrat.” He said he had rejected political advice to change his views and his bow tie and horn-rimmed glasses, declaring, “If you want a slick-packaged product, I’m not your candidate.”

Dukakis, who said that in nine years as governor he has submitted nine balanced budgets, criticized Reagan for promising in 1980 to balance the budget by 1984 and then turning out to run up huge budget deficits. Hard choices of spending and raising revenue must be made to balance the budget, he said, but Reagan has been unwilling to to do that.

Dukakis said that while there are “lots of ways” to raise revenue, he did not think it would make sense to levy an oil import tax, a proposal that had just been put forward by Gephardt.

The governor also warned that what he called “protectionist” measures backed by Gephardt would hurt 6 million Americans whose jobs depends on exports and who would suffer from trade reprisals.

‘Invitation to Disaster’

Babbitt also opposed an oil import tax, saying it would be unfair to such Third World oil-exporting nations as Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria and would be “an invitation to disaster” for U.S.-Mexican relations.

None of the presidential contenders made any serious blunders during the program, but Gore did muff his lines on an opening question when he mistakenly identified President James K. Polk as James K. Knox.

Each of the candidates was asked which portraits of past presidents they would hang in the Cabinet room of the White House if they were elected.

Gore said he would hang the portraits of two Tennesseans elected President--Andrew Jackson and “James K. Knox, the first dark horse nominee to get the nomination and be elected President.”

Record Set Straight

Babbitt, when his turn came, set the record straight that no one named Knox has ever been elected President: “I think I’d move in Harry Truman, both Roosevelts and a Tennessean named James K. Polk, who would be a reminder to me that a dark horse can be elected President.”

The Democratic contenders also attacked Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative for a space-based missile defense system--with Jackson declaring: “We cannot afford a trillion-dollar misadventure into space.” Babbitt said it’s “simply gasoline on the arms race.”

They also called for an end to aid to the Nicaragua contras, and Gephardt said he had led the fight to cut off aid to the contras eight times and vowed to lead a successful fight to cut off any more aid to the rebels.

One of the sharpest exchanges of the program came when Dukakis said the Administration’s policy in Nicaragua was illegal and Buckley interjected: “Why did the Congress vote for it?”

“Why is the Administration doing it?” retorted Dukakis. “Because they don’t respect the law, they don’t respect the Constitution.”