Dole, Gramm Clash Over Balanced Budget : Politics: Senate majority leader says foe’s pledge to achieve goal by the year 2000 cannot be fulfilled. Texan insists it can be done.

Republican presidential hopefuls Bob Dole and Phil Gramm on Sunday clashed over one of the chief issues on the GOP agenda--a balanced federal budget--with Dole saying his opponent’s promise to balance the budget by the year 2000 is impossible and was made only to “attract a few votes.”

The issue of a balanced budget is likely to become one of several major focal points for GOP contenders in the coming months as they begin positioning for the campaign ahead, trying to distinguish themselves from one another. Senate Majority Leader Dole of Kansas, who is regarded as the front-runner in the growing list of GOP presidential candidates, has pledged a balanced budget by 2002.

“We have to be realistic,” said Dole, speaking on NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press.”

“We can’t go out and make statements that may attract a few votes. You’ve got to tell the people the truth. It’s going to be tough enough to do it in seven years.”

But Gramm, appearing separately on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation,” said balancing the budget by the year 2000 would be impossible only for Dole, and reiterated his pledge that he would not seek reelection if he failed to accomplish this goal.

The Texas senator insisted he would achieve a balanced budget within his first presidential term and would do it through strict spending cuts. He refused to rule out reductions in Medicare benefits and other programs.

“I’m not fooling around,” Gramm said. “If I become President, I am going to cut government spending, I am going to terminate agencies, I’m going to set priorities and, where no is the right answer, I’m going to say no.”

Asked specifically about the federal health program for the elderly, Gramm refused to be specific but said some kind of action is needed to control the program’s spiraling costs.

“We will make dramatic changes in Medicare no matter who is elected President,” he said. “Last year Medicare went up by 10 1/2%. That’s not sustainable.”

Dole acknowledged that “we’re going to make tough, tough cuts,” but he appeared to take a softer stance than his GOP rival, noting that resistance exists against cutting many popular domestic social problems.

“You see what’s happened on the House side when you get into food stamps and nutrition programs and Medicaid,” Dole said. “You’ve got to be very careful, because the American people want to get things done, but we’re still a sensitive, caring nation and a sensitive, caring party, and there are some obligations the government has to people who can’t help themselves.”

Of Gramm’s five-year plan, he said: “I don’t think it’d be possible.”

Both GOP candidates promised that Americans’ tax burdens would be lower. Gramm said he intends to fight hard for the tax cut legislation that is part of the House GOP “contract with America,” calling it “an excellent bill.” Gramm also said he wants to replace the current tax system with a flat tax.

Both candidates said it is unlikely either would push for a constitutional amendment to ban abortions, although both described themselves as staunchly anti-abortion.

In other remarks, Dole indicated he would not seek the repeal of the Brady bill--the law that requires a waiting period before purchasing a handgun--although he supported legislation that would repeal the ban on semiautomatic assault weapons. Dole said he supports a nationwide instant background check for all gun sales that would prevent criminals from obtaining guns. “The assault weapons thing sounds good, but in reality it doesn’t work,” Dole said.

President Clinton has vowed to veto any attempts to weaken the crime bill Congress approved last year.

Dole again called on the public to shame Hollywood into cleaning up entertainment programming--an increasingly popular issue for both Republican and Democratic candidates seeking to respond to popular concern about declining moral standards.

“In talking about family values, this is certainly one that strikes a chord,” Dole said. “If I’m the President of the United States, I’m going to urge consumers to turn off their TV sets and not patronize these movies.”

But he said the real pressure must come from the public.

“If the American people understand some of these issues, it’ll take care of itself,” he said. “We don’t need censorship. I don’t think I need to be a (censor). . . . ‘Well, Bob Dole doesn’t want you to watch this movie or that movie.’ The American people will decide.”