Reagan Lauds Cleveland’s Fighting Spirit

President Reagan, pushing for votes in the Midwest, hailed Americans Wednesday for putting “their nose to the grindstone,” claiming “there’s no greater engine for change and economic growth and prosperity” than hard work.

In delivering this message to crowds across the country as he campaigns for local GOP candidates, Reagan never fails to mention the “malaise” that he associates with the administration of his predecessor, Jimmy Carter.

Addressing a rally at Baldwin Wallace College here in the land of blue-collar Reagan Democrats, the President combined his attack on Carter with an appeal to the crowd’s pride at having brought back the grimy Cleveland suburb from the brink of financial ruin.

‘Physician, Heal Thyself’

“You know, some people in Washington were counting America out in 1980 the way they were counting out the Cleveland area,” he said. “They decided to play doctor,” he went on, “and said the American people were suffering from some kind of malaise. Well, in November, 1980, you gave them a message. You said ‘Physician, heal thyself.’ ”

The President sought to link Cleveland’s economic resurgence to the old-fashioned values of hard work and determination of spirit, crediting Cleveland Mayor George V. Voinovich, underdog candidate for the U.S. Senate, with being “a true miracle worker.” Voinovich, who introduced Reagan at the rally, is running against incumbent Democratic Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum.

Lately, Reagan makes sure that he links the names of state and congressional candidates with Vice President George Bush, a dramatic change from the early days of Reagan’s surrogacy when he hardly mentioned Bush. The new tack reflects both a growing belief that Bush will defeat Democratic presidential nominee Michael S. Dukakis and the GOP’s determination to build a broad base of Republican support for its party leader.

Lauds Voinovich, Bush

Reagan told the crowd here that “America needs the strength, the vision and the true grit” of Voinovich and the vice president.

And, continuing his ridicule of Dukakis for likening himself to former President Harry S. Truman, Reagan said, to hoots and cheers: “If he’s Harry Truman, I’m Roger Rabbit.”

Earlier in Milwaukee, Reagan attended a fund-raiser and brunch for another GOP underdog senatorial candidate, Susan Engeleiter, who is competing with wealthy businessman Herbert H. Kohl. Reagan urged voters to reject “far-out liberalism” in both the White House and Congress. A recent Milwaukee Journal poll, however, showed Engeleiter trailing Kohl, 55% to 37%.

If crowd enthusiasm were the gauge, Reagan’s mission of electing local candidates would be easy. His supporters have been so fervent during this latest crisscrossing of the continent, they sometimes border on the hysterical.

Greeted by Protests

But even Reagan cannot avoid protesters. In Milwaukee, where he spent Tuesday night, two dozen people marched across the street from his downtown hotel, carrying signs, such as: “Thanks for leaving” and “Indict Bush.”

Here, 6,000 screaming fans, mostly students, in a cavernous gymnasium, where a big red-white-and-blue elephant named “Bush/Quayle” and a sign reading “It’s been real Ron,” made him feel at home.

But outside, under the gray afternoon skies, a handful of people sullenly marched, one carrying a sign saying, “Old ideas should leave w/old men.”

After the rally here, Reagan returned to Washington. He will campaign Friday in Chicago and New Jersey and Saturday in Michigan and Texas.