Bitterly Attacks Gore, Dukakis Over TV Ads : Gephardt, Trailing Badly in Texas, Assails Main Rivals

Trailing badly in the latest polls in Texas, the biggest prize in the Super Tuesday sweepstakes, Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt lashed out in an unusually bitter tone Sunday against two of his main rivals in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr.

Gephardt, charging that Gore is lying to Southern voters, demanded that Gore drop a television ad running in Texas and other oil states that implies that Gore supports an oil import fee, which is popular with the oil industry. Gephardt said the ad was “deceitful and shameful” because Gore has voted against an oil import fee in Congress.

“Sen. Gore has voted against an oil import fee in 1980, 1985 and 1986; now he has an ad on the air implying he’s for an oil import fee,” Gephardt said.

“I think Al finally figured out there was an energy crisis when he had a campaign crisis. I want him to take that ad off the air. I think it’s dishonest.”

‘Crossed Over the Line’

Gephardt also said that both Dukakis and Gore had “crossed over the line” of campaign ethics by attacking Gephardt’s motives and integrity in other new negative television ads.

In a voice tinged with anger over the attacks, Gephardt said he is “not going to stand by and have other people impugn my character. I’m not going to stand by and have people make implications that go over the line about my motives, about my integrity.”

Gephardt’s counterattack came just as a new Houston Chronicle poll of likely Democratic voters in Texas showed Dukakis with a big lead over the rest of the field in the state. The newspaper said Dukakis led with the support of 30% of likely primary voters. It put the Rev. Jesse Jackson in second place with 18% and Gephardt in third place with 12%.

Gore was in fourth place with 10%. But Gephardt aides said they still wanted to go on the attack against the Tennessee senator because Gephardt and Gore are vying for support from the same group of moderate white voters here.

Gephardt, who rarely loses his temper, bristled the most while complaining about a Dukakis ad that criticizes him for posing as a populist while accepting funds from political action committees. He said that was a low, personal attack on his integrity.

Expresses His Anger

“He (Dukakis) says political action funds affect the way I represent people, and he’s gone over the line and I’m not going to put up with that. I’m angry at what he has done, and what his campaign has done.”

Gephardt noted that Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who supports Dukakis, also accepts PAC money.

“Does Gov. Dukakis think that Sen. Kennedy doesn’t represent the working people of this country? Does he want to imply that Sen. Kennedy is somehow called into question?”

Later, Gephardt also attacked Dukakis’ trade position and a new Dukakis commercial on the trade issue.

“Gov. Dukakis has an ad on the air in which he basically blames American workers for our trade problems,” Gephardt said. “I have a motto in my campaign, ‘It’s your fight too.’ I wonder if his (campaign) has a motto, ‘It’s your fault too.’ ”

Gephardt refused to discuss the latest polls, however, and insisted that the race remains “very volatile.” His top aides, including Bob Shrum, his media adviser, also insisted that they still have virtually no idea who will win Texas.