Republicans adopt hard-Right policy

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 6

Republicans adopt hard-Right policy

NZPA-Reuter Detroit The American Republican Party has adopted an election manifesto which was virtually dictated by Rightwingers, Ronald Reagan’s hard-core supporters. The party’s presidential candidate- will not be bound by the platform and nominees frequently ignore party pledges which prove unpopular or impractical. But the Republican manifesto seemed to be specially scripted for Mr Reagan. Some highlights are: Defence: Hie platform says the United States faces “the most serious challenge to its survival in the two centuries of its existence” mostly because of a weakened “defence posture.” It says the United States must recapture military superiority over the Soviet Union through such i measures as deployment of the controversial mobile missile, the Bl bomber cancelled by

President Carter, and all types of Cruise missiles. Soviet relations: The platform repudiates the pending United States-Soviet Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (S.A.LX .II) and says the United States must negotiate such treaties in future from a position of strength. Economy: It endorses a controversial conservative plan to cut taxes by about 10 per cent per year for three years and pledges to balance the Federal budget by a combination of reduced spending and higher growth rates. It says business activity and economic productivity would be stimulated through tax breaks and drastic reductions in Government regulation of industry..! Yesterday’s session of the Republican convention provided striking evidence of the harmony now prevailing in the party. Speakers ranged from Dr Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State, who is

viewed as a liberal elitist by Right-wingers, but was greeted warmly yesterday; a black civil-rights leader, Benjamin Hooks, pleading the cause of racial minorities; . and Senator Barry Goldwater, the last presidential nominee of the Republican Right in 1964. Mr Goldwater’s appearance provoked several minutes of cheering and applause, the wildest ovation granted anyone yet to appear at the two-day-old convention.

Party leaders had feared that, he crowd might boo Mr Kissinger, but delegates applauded him: instead and the architect of United States-Soviet detente produced a ringing endorsement of Mr Reagan in return. “It is hot political oratory to assert that ’ another four years like the last four will make, disaster irretrievable,? he said. “We have now turned to Ronald Reagan as the’trustee of our hopes.”