Wilson Shows Dole No Charity on Welfare, Accuses Him of a Flip-Flop : Politics: Governor makes himself at home in New Hampshire. He harshly criticizes senator for his role in vote against ‘family cap.’

California Gov. Pete Wilson lambasted Sen. Bob Dole for “backsliding” on welfare reform Wednesday as Wilson panned for votes here in his new political home away from home.

Wilson accused Dole (R-Kan.) of flip-flopping on a commitment to include a “family cap” in the Senate’s welfare reform bill. A family cap would prohibit women receiving welfare from receiving increased payments if they have additional children.

The Senate on Wednesday voted, 66 to 34, to remove the cap from the pending welfare reform bill as Republican moderates joined Democrats to adopt an amendment proposed by Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.).

Wilson’s criticism was an example both of his increasingly harsh tone toward Dole, a former ally when Wilson was a senator, and also of the degree to which Dole’s position on welfare reform has become a target for other candidates.

In addition to Wilson, Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas has also repeatedly attacked Dole for backing welfare reform proposals that Gramm sees as too moderate.

Gramm repeated those attacks after the Senate vote. Asked whether the failure of the family cap had shown that Dole was not dealing in good faith with conservatives, Gramm said pointedly: “When you look at who voted for the Dominici amendment, they weren’t people heavily influenced by me.”

Bill Lacy, Dole’s deputy campaign chairman, said Wilson “would be better off tending to his own state’s problems and keeping his promises to the people of California than attacking Bob Dole for fighting for real welfare reform.”

Dole has hoped to make his mastery of the Senate a key part of his campaign claim that he can offer the country “tested leadership.” But, as the welfare debate shows, his immersion in Senate business can cut both ways--giving rivals a series of targets at which to shoot.

On welfare, both Wilson and Gramm have been trying to appeal to conservative voters by accusing Dole of taking moderate positions. Wilson accused Dole of executing a triple flip-flop on the family cap issue. Dole “said it would not be an ‘autumn of compromise,’ ” Wilson said, “but his own positions in the Senate seem to be changing far more rapidly than the changing of the leaves.”

During a stop at a state welfare office in Nashua, near New Hampshire’s southern border with Massachusetts, Wilson patiently heard state officials describe their attempts to change welfare rules to wean people from dependence on government assistance. Once outside, Wilson began his harangue against Dole, releasing a letter criticizing the Senate majority leader for his shifting positions on the family cap.

“I’m pleased to tell you I’m not pleased,” Wilson said. “The Senate is seriously defaulting on its responsibility. This is a terrible mistake, a real tragedy.”

As he campaigned here, Wilson faced questions about his decision, announced Monday, to close down his campaign’s operations in Iowa. He insisted that the withdrawal was a strategic decision based on available campaign time, not dictated by shrinking campaign contributions. But he conceded that he was far behind where he wanted to be at this point in the campaign.

“When I had my throat surgery, we did experience a drop in fund raising, which we will make up with my voice having returned,” Wilson said.

The pullback from Iowa has greatly increased the stakes for Wilson in New Hampshire. Realistically, however, the governor even here may be fighting for something less than victory.

Campaign aides say Wilson now plans to visit New Hampshire every week. A brief tour of downtown Nashua indicated that may be necessary. Wilson still has a way to go to become a household name here.

At Burque Jewellers, for example, Claudia Boudreau had heard of Wilson, but hadn’t known until Sunday that he was governor of California. Likewise, the guys at Wilfrid’s Barber Shop had no clear image of Wilson the presidential candidate. But Leo Holland, a retired bar owner, had a tenuous grasp of the Wilson campaign quest.

“From what I’ve heard of him, he seems all right,” Holland said. “He has some pretty good ideas. But it’s way too early to be decided. [GOP candidate Patrick J.] Buchanan speaks a lot of sense at times, but he doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance,” Holland added.

Times staff writer Elizabeth Shogren in Washington contributed to this story.