Dukakis Is ‘True Liberal’ Who Would Hike Taxes, Reagan Says

President Reagan, sounding themes that he plans to trumpet on campaign battlegrounds this year, branded Michael S. Dukakis, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, a tax-raising “true liberal” Wednesday and asserted that Republicans offer “opportunity and jobs” for entrepreneurs and working people.

Speaking at an $800,000 fund-raiser for GOP candidates, Reagan contended that Vice President “George Bush and I” had produced strong economic recovery. He suggested that Bush as President would continue efforts to reduce government control of the economy.

For his first foray on the campaign trail this year, the President chose a crucial state in the Republicans’ drive to retain the White House and retake control of the Senate.

Luncheon for Congressman

Reagan appeared at a luncheon primarily aimed at boosting the Senate bid of Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), who seeks the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Lawton Chiles.

The fund-raiser was marred by the announcement Monday that Mack would have a surprise rival for the GOP nomination, U.S. Atty. Robert Merkle, nicknamed “Mad Dog” for his aggressive prosecution of drug and white-collar crime. Reagan does not usually take sides in primaries but a spokesman said the President had already been committed to the fund-raiser when Merkle made his move.

Reagan launched his strongest attack yet on Dukakis--without actually uttering his name--by asking what he called “the $64-billion question.”

“Should we expect that if the Democrats’ all-but-certain presidential candidate is elected that he would raise taxes? Yep. In fact, he just did,” Reagan said, referring to Massachusetts Gov. Dukakis’ accession to a tax increase to cover an unexpected revenue shortfall in the Bay State.

Increased Spending Charged

“Not only has he hiked taxes as governor of Massachusetts, but in the last five years he has increased Massachusetts’ state spending at double the rate of federal spending,” Reagan charged.

“So, yes, the man expected to head up the Democratic ticket . . . is a true liberal who, instead of controlling government spending, raises taxes.”

Aside from the blast at Dukakis, Reagan leveled some trademark assaults on big government.

He said voters have the opportunity this year “to continue in the direction of economic freedom, entrepreneurship and individual opportunity. And to move away from the heavy hand of government which seeks to control the people and the economy.”

“We can either have an economy that puts the private citizen at the center . . . or we can put the government at the center of the economy and let bureaucrats and politicians call the balls and strikes, decide who’s out--who’s out of work, who’s out of business--or who will get the big contract and be home free.”

Reagan said Republicans “stand for opportunity and jobs. We represent working people and entrepreneurs. The liberal leadership of the Democratic Party represents big government at the expense of the American worker and taxpayer.”

Meets With Exiles

The President also met with Cuban exile leaders and, in his luncheon speech, sought to allay fears in the Republican-voting exile community here of a growing thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations.

“There cannot and must not be any normalization of relations with Cuba,” he said, so long as Cuba “remains an inhuman communist dungeon,” “exports terrorism and revolution,” props up “brutal communist dictatorships” and “is used as the personal instrument of Fidel Castro’s violent anti-Americanism.”

He said there is “an unbridgeable gulf between the governments of the United States and Cuba . . . the gulf between freedom and tyranny. . . . Freedom for Cuba, liberty for her people, is a non-negotiable demand.”