Reagan, in Ohio Speech, Says Democrats Would Endanger Economic Gains of ‘80s

If Ronald Reagan’s message Monday wasn’t clear, the props said it all: Behind the President on a makeshift stage in a warehouse here were nearly two dozen palettes of shipping boxes labeled for their destinations--Japan, China, Korea, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Belgium.

With these symbols of a high-tech company’s growth behind him and the beneficiaries of that expansion--the employees of U.S. Precision Lens Co.--as his audience, Reagan saluted what he called the conversion of the “rust belt” into an economic “boom belt.” All of this is endangered, he implied, by those who would undo his economic policies.

After an address to the National Governors’ Assn. on what was billed as a nonpolitical trip to just the sort of area the Republicans want to capture in the presidential election, Reagan wove into his speech at the factory an undercurrent of his political message:

“Some people are telling you to take for granted the economic growth of today and of the last seven years,” Reagan said. “Their message is ‘you can take prosperity for granted; it’s time for a change, take a chance on us.’

‘Can’t Unplug’ Policies

“That’s sort of like someone telling you that you’ve stored up all the cold beer you could want, so now you can unplug the refrigerator,” he said, aiming a metaphor at the blue-collar voters the Republicans are seeking to cultivate. “But, no more than with a refrigerator, you can’t unplug our pro-growth economic policies and expect things to stay the same.”

Reagan’s visit illustrated the sort of use of the presidential pulpit that his political advisers say he will make during the presidential election campaign this fall, when he will sound the twin themes of peace and prosperity that have traditionally benefited an incumbent party.

Ohio, with 23 electoral votes, is an important battleground in the race between the Democratic presidential nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, and Vice President George Bush, now one week away from the GOP presidential nomination.

Dukakis on Roster

Bush bypassed the governors’ meeting that brought Reagan to Cincinnati, but Dukakis was to address the group today. In his speech Reagan reminded the governors of his efforts to reduce the federal government’s role in state government programs.

Both the Republican and Democratic congressional districts here in the southwestern corner of Ohio voted for Reagan by nearly identical margins in 1984. Both gave him approximately 65% of their votes.

One of those Reagan voters was Howard Hughes, a supervisor on the 3-to-midnight shift at U.S. Precision Lens Co.

“So far, I’m leaning toward Bush, and I’m one of those Democrats who put Reagan in office,” Hughes said. He added that he had not yet heard enough from either candidate about resolving the federal budget deficit to make a final decision.

Reagan’s message was one to which several workers at the plant were receptive, although national public opinion polls show Dukakis ahead of Bush by as much as 18 percentage points.

Opinions From Audience

In brief interviews, some of the employees said they had paid little attention to the presidential race and others expressed uncertainty about both candidates. Jeff Platek, another evening shift supervisor, said that although he was not a “declared Republican, I’d say, based on the fact we’ve had eight years of prosperity and low unemployment, I’d say I’ll be Republican” in November.

“Dukakis is very liberal,” he said while awaiting Reagan’s arrival. “I’d have a hard time handling those liberal policies.”

The plant at which Reagan spoke produces lenses for television projection, calculators and cameras. It has tripled its sales and more than doubled its employment since 1980, and 68% of its sales are to foreign companies, including the huge Japanese video equipment industry.

Reagan, referring to some of those products, suggested the company could “help out some of our critics.”

‘Mud-Colored Glasses’

He continued: “I think they could use a pair of high-quality lenses, because they’ve been looking at the world through mud-colored glasses for much too long.”

Saying the economic policies “that Vice President Bush and I have put into practice” are taking hold around the world, he told the audience of approximately 400 people seated on folding chairs:

“The policies that pulled America out of economic stagnation, rising unemployment, declining family income and double-digit inflation have made America’s economy a global success story.”

An economic program of reduced taxes, fewer regulations and a trimmed role for government, he said, is “sweeping the world, but like hamburgers and baseball, it all began right here in the United States.”