Bumpers Cites Promises That Reagan Broke

Sen. Dale Bumpers (D-Ark.) asked voters Saturday to hold the Reagan Administration accountable for the promises Reagan broke during the last eight years, and he singled out Vice President George Bush for some of his criticism.

“Democracy only works if people demand an accounting of those elected officials in whom they have placed their trust, based on their promises,” Bumpers said in the Democratic response to President Reagan’s weekly radio address.

“You recall Ronald Reagan’s big promise in 1980 that he would double defense spending, cut taxes by 30% and balance the budget--a broken promise,” Bumpers said.

Remember Deficit

“And if you don’t remember anything else I say, remember this: The deficit will be $150 billion this year and $135 billion of that is just for interest on that part of the national debt added by this Administration.

“Now comes George Bush betting he can fool 51% of America’s voters until Election Day,” he said, “that they won’t know or care that today’s prosperity has come at an unbelievable burden to our children.

” . . . When this country was secretly selling arms to the ayatollah and cynically warning every other nation not to; while we were trying to ransom hostages with arms and telling the world we’d never deal with terrorists; George Bush sat in the Oval Office--absolutely mute as far as we know.”

Bush promised to be tough on crime but “he couldn’t even hear the shredders in the basement of the White House that were running at white-hot speed,” Bumpers said.

On the environment, Bumpers said: “For George Bush to pose as an environmentalist is like Bonnie and Clyde posing as bank examiners.”

Can Deal With Problems

America can deal with its problems but “we’ll never make it by continuing to elect those who break their promises. So we Democrats plead with you, America, don’t read their lips--look at their record,” Bumpers said.

In his radio speech, delivered from Camp David, Md., Reagan said his final address Monday to the United Nations will be a “message of hope,” and he said great strides have been made toward world peace because of the strength shown by democratic nations.

He also asserted that America must continue his policy of “peace through strength” and warned against “born-again patriots” who he said serve up the “same old menu of weakness.”

His reference to “born-again patriots” apparently was directed at Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis, whom he called a “born-again (Gen.) George Patton” in a campaign speech Thursday in Texas.