Gephardt, Stung by Simon Ads, Seeks Equal TV Time

Democratic presidential candidate Richard A. Gephardt, stung by a new negative advertising campaign mounted here by Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, demanded equal time from all of the major Boston television stations that have aired the ads, Gephardt staff members said Friday.

William Carrick, Gephardt’s campaign manager, said that all the Boston stations, which cover the most populous sections of southern New Hampshire, have agreed to give Gephardt time to respond--if Gephardt pays for it.

“We’re not going to allow somebody to misrepresent Dick Gephardt’s record and go unanswered,” Carrick said. “We’re going to at least have the opportunity to respond to that.”

Voting Record Attacked

The Simon ads, which began airing Thursday, take on Gephardt by name in attacking the Missouri congressman’s voting record on issues thought to be important to Democratic voters in New Hampshire.

Simon charges in the new ads that Gephardt’s voting record in Congress shows that he has sided with the nuclear industry, which is unpopular in New Hampshire because of a controversy over the Seabrook nuclear plant.

The ads charge also that Gephardt voted in favor of expensive and controversial military programs like the B-1 bomber, the neutron bomb and chemical weapons.

By contrast, the ads say Simon has consistently had a more liberal voting record on those issues.

Short of Cash

Simon, short of cash and desperate for attention since his disappointing second-place finish behind Gephardt in Iowa, continued to attack Gephardt on the campaign trail Friday.

He charged that Gephardt’s congressional record shows that he has supported legislation that has fostered the trade deficit, despite Gephardt’s current pledge to get tough on trade.

“His (Gephardt’s) vote in favor of the 1981 tax bill helped create the trade deficit,” Simon charged.

Gephardt responded by saying he was sorry that his friend Simon has resorted to negative campaigning, and he complained that Simon was being swayed by his “pollsters and media advisers” into making ads that go against his genial nature.

Gephardt said Friday that he was upset because the ads strongly hinted that Gephardt should not be trusted because of what Simon’s ads described as his pro-nuclear, pro-defense voting record.

A Matter of Trust

“One of the words in the ads is trust, and that has to do with motives,” Gephardt said. “To say someone is not to be trusted, or someone’s motives are bad, because you voted a certain way on the B-1 bomber is ridiculous.”

Meanwhile, Carrick said that the Boston stations will increase the commercial time they have already alloted for political ads--for which they charge less than they do for non-political commercials--in order to accommodate Gephardt. All of the time available for political ads had already been purchased.

Carri c k and other campaign aides refused to say exactly how they will respond to Simon’s attacks. “You’ll know it when you see it,” Bob Shrum, Gephardt’s media adviser, said.