Reagan Challenges Critics to Fight Directly on Issues : Presidency Isn’t Personality Over Policy, He Says

President Reagan, his credibility battered by the Iran- contra affair, today challenged the idea that his presidency “is somehow based more on personality than on policy” and invited critics to fight him directly on the issues.

Reagan, for the first time, raised the issue of his personal popularity and struck a combative stance in a speech on his economic policies before the annual convention of the National Assn. of Counties.

He denied anew that his current series of speech-making trips were designed to distract attention from the Iran-contra affair.

He added: “And while I am getting a few things off my chest, something else has been bothering me lately.

‘Unfair Advantage’

“Critics have claimed that in opposing our Administration on the issues, they’re at some kind of an unfair advantage--that this presidency is somehow based more on personality than on policy,” Reagan said.

“The truth is, no President can remain popular unless he retains the fundamental support of the American people on the issues.

“So I invite my critics--I welcome my critics--to go after me on the issues just as hard as they please,” he added. “We’ll let the people decide who’s right and who’s wrong.”

The President’s critics and supporters alike have long believed that Reagan is, indeed, more popular than some of the policies he espouses, and that his public standing transcends his position on individual issues.

Stumbles in Speech

Reagan made two stops in Indiana, holding a private “round-table discussion” with Gov. Robert D. Orr and about 100 other state and county officials in nearby Danville before addressing the convention here.

During his speech to the county officials, Reagan stumbled several times, incorrectly calling Rep. John T. Myers (R-Ind.) “Governor Myer” and mistakenly using the date 1941 instead of 1981 in talking about his tax proposals.

He was applauded when he challenged his critics to fight on the issues, but a number of apparent applause lines got no response.

Reagan also took a slap at the Soviet Union and its allies, saying they offer examples of “economic stagnation, material backwardness of every kind.”

‘Intentionally Staged Chaos’

He acknowledged that the Soviet Union has built its military into a formidable force. But he asked members of his audience when was the last time they bought a car, a videocassette recorder or a good cheese that was labeled “Made in the U.S.S.R.”

The President was unstinting in his criticism of the way Congress handles taxpayers’ money.

He said the budget process in Congress is replete with missed deadlines and “looks like intentionally staged chaos--chaos to provide a cover for those in Congress whose aim is to shift resources from the people’s interest to the special interests.”

Reagan accused Congress of spending money wastefully on numerous projects, including the allocation of $8 million to establish a center for the study of weeds.