His ‘Irish Up,’ Reagan Strikes Back at Barbs by Democrats

President Reagan struck back at the Democrats today, saying their criticism of his Administration has gotten “my Irish up.”

Reagan, at the outset of a White House meeting with Republican congressional leaders today, lambasted the Democratic Party.

“To hear the opposition talk, you would think growth in our economy had come to a dead halt,” said Reagan, adding that criticism emanating from the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta got “my Irish up.”

Reagan, reading his statement to reporters, said, “George Bush will cut taxes again. What will their nominee do? I mean, what will he really do?”

“Yes, they’ve come out with their platform but it’s a platform that hides their policies in a brown paper wrapper,” he added. “They talk about jobs, we’ve delivered.

“They talk about opportunities for minorities and I have to admit this especially irks me as though we were hard-hearted. The truth is our economic program has done more for minorities than any big spending program could ever hope to accomplish.”

The President said he will be an active participant in the fall campaign. He gave his own version of a campaign line associated with the late President Harry S. Truman: “I’m going to give the opposition the truth, and they’ll think it’s hell.”