Simon TV Ads Attack Gephardt Record

Democratic presidential contender Paul Simon, scrambling to regain momentum after his second-place showing in Iowa, on Thursday directly attacked Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt’s voting record in a new negative television campaign.

The Simon ads charge that Gephardt’s voting record in Congress shows he has sided with the nuclear power industry, and also has voted in favor of expensive and controversial military programs like the B-1 bomber and chemical weapons. By contrast, the ads say that Simon has consistently posted a more liberal voting record.

To Spend $100,000

Simon, who is strapped for campaign funds, will spend about $100,000 to air the ads, far less than the amounts being spent by Gephardt and by the best-funded Democrat in the race, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis.

Simon continues to be uncomfortable with the prospect of directly attacking Gephardt on the stump. However, when asked about the ads Thursday, Simon defended them, saying: “There are differences in our records and I think it is fair to point them out.”

Gephardt ‘Disappointed’

Gephardt, who won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, responded by saying he was “disappointed” by Simon’s attack, and claimed that the Illinois senator was following bad advice from his aides.

“I don’t think this is the Paul Simon that I know,” Gephardt said. “He’s a good person. I don’t think he engages in negative advertising.”

Gephardt, who has surged past Simon into second place in the New Hampshire polls, called on Simon and other Democrats to avoid turning their campaign into a carbon copy of the bitterly negative Republican contest.

“We don’t need to get into a brawl like the Republicans have,” said Gephardt. “Let’s stick with the issues. And I think he knows my position on nuclear energy is sound and strong.”

Gephardt also responded to mounting criticism from both Simon and Dukakis that he has flip-flopped on too many issues over the years in Congress.

Gephardt, who has been forced to answer such charges for weeks, tried a new argument Thursday to support his view that his policy changes show pragmatism, rather than pandering. He recalled the career of Robert F. Kennedy, a New England hero, to prove that flexibility is a virtue.

‘Bobby Kennedy Changed’

“Are there places in my record where I have changed?” Gephardt asked. “You bet. Remember, Bobby Kennedy changed on the Vietnam War.”

He added that “a lot of my opponents have changed on the issues, as well. Mike Dukakis, when he ran for governor back in the 1970s, said he would never raise taxes, and found out he had to do it.

“We need to be practical, we need to do things that work. We can’t be ideologues. We also have to be willing to experiment. You have to be willing to learn from your mistakes.”

Staff writer Keith Love contributed to this story.