5 Democratic Rivals Debate Deficit Issues

Five Democratic presidential candidates, debating for two hours here Friday night, got down to a central question facing them: Can they reduce the budget deficit while still attempting new domestic initiatives?

Former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart noted that he was the only candidate who has put out a detailed budget proposal and said to Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis: “Where is your budget, Mike?”

To which Dukakis replied: “I have balanced 10 budgets as governor, Gary, and you have never voted for a balanced budget in the Senate.”

Simon Under Fire

Several of the candidates turned their fire on Illinois Sen. Paul Simon’s support for a balanced budget amendment and for the Gramm-Rudman law’s across-the-board spending cuts, labeling them as gimmicks.

And Simon led the charge against Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, saying that, although Gephardt complains about America’s competitiveness, it was Gephardt’s and others’ support for the 1981 Reagan tax cuts that created the trade deficit and decline in manufacturing.

When Gephardt defended his vote on the tax cuts because of the money he contends they saved lower-income wage earners, the Rev. Jesse Jackson put him on the spot.

“I just want you to answer one question, Dick,” Jackson said. “Are you proud of your vote for the Reagan tax cuts, are you proud of it?”

Cites 1986 Tax Law

Gephardt hemmed a bit, but, when Jackson would not let up, the congressman finally said he was proud of his vote, adding that the 1986 tax revision law had corrected some of the wrongs of Reaganomics.

The debate site focused attention on the contests in Minnesota and South Dakota next week. Gephardt, winner of the Iowa caucuses, and Dukakis, winner of the New Hampshire primary, are looking for more gains, and the other Democrats are scrambling for credibility. Only Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr., who is basing his candidacy on the Southern primaries on Super Tuesday, March 8, did not attend.

The candidates were shown videotapes of average people asking the questions they wanted answered.

Several of the people expressed concern about cutbacks in social programs and in Social Security, and this led Hart to cite the issue that puzzles him the most:

“If you were to poll these people, they would probably tell you that the Democrats will look after them best,” Hart said. “But these same people turned around and voted for Ronald Reagan in droves. Why is that? I think it is because our party has not convinced them that it can govern this nation so that the economy can grow.”

Gephardt Criticized

Gephardt’s tough talk on trade, which has helped galvanize his candidacy, came in for some rough going in the debate.

Dukakis said Gephardt should worry more about making America more competitive than about retaliating against trading partners, and Gephardt shot back:

“Why do you always look at what is wrong in America, Mike? We do some things right here.”

Simon picked up on his new campaign theme, telling the audience that the party was now in a struggle for the soul of the Democratic Party.

“As you vote, look not simply at who wins but at what wins,” Simon said. “Vote your conscience.”