Democrat rivals enter battle of words

Press, 16 July 1983, Page 10

Democrat rivals enter battle of words

NZPA-Reuter Detroit The former Vice-Presi-dent, Walter Mondale, and the space hero, John Glenn, each presented himself yesterday as the best man to lead the opposition Democrats to victory in next year’s United States Presidential election.

The two rivals, locked in a battle for top billing in the Democratic nomination race, made separate speeches to their party’s governing body, the 374member Democratic National Committee. Mr Mandate, his frontrunning status under threat from Mr Glenn according to recent public opinion polls, portrayed President Ronald Reagan as a radical and simple-minded leader who may still be hard to beat, and said that his own vast experience best qualified him to “slug it out” with Mr Reagan in a campaign debate. “This time we have a President who is not a conservative but a radical,” Mr Mondale said. “His view of the role of the Presidency

and the United States Government at home and abroad is both simpleminded and radical at the same time.”

He called Mr Reagan’s programme of tax cuts and defence spending boosts “monstrously wrong,” and his approach to foreign affairs “a simple one, an ideological one and, I believe, a view that leads 'Us to a more dangerous world.”

He made no reference in his speech to the investigation into how Mr Reagan’s 1980 campaign obtained President Jimmy Carter’s campaign debate briefing papers, although he told reporters earlier, “It’s a dirty piece of business,” Appearing later, Mr Glenn, a Senator from Ohio, said: “I’m not one to carry a sheaf of polls around in my pocket, but I’ll point out that I’m the one that has consistently run better against Reagan than any other candidate.” Mr Mondale’s rousing partisan speech was punctuated by more applause, but Mr Glenn’s more sober discussion of issues seemed to get a bigger ovation at the end. To the consternation of some Mondale backers, the D.N.C. also invited the civil rights leader, Jesse Jackson, to speak. Mr Jackson, a black, is considering joining the Democratic contest in a move that could pull black support away from Mr Mondale.