His ‘Irish Up,’ Reagan Strikes Back at Barbs by Democrats
WASHINGTON — President Reagan struck back at the Democrats today, saying their criticism of his Administration has gotten “my Irish up.â€
Reagan, at the outset of a White House meeting with Republican congressional leaders today, lambasted the Democratic Party.
“To hear the opposition talk, you would think growth in our economy had come to a dead halt,†said Reagan, adding that criticism emanating from the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta got “my Irish up.â€
Reagan, reading his statement to reporters, said, “George Bush will cut taxes again. What will their nominee do? I mean, what will he really do?â€
“Yes, they’ve come out with their platform but it’s a platform that hides their policies in a brown paper wrapper,†he added. “They talk about jobs, we’ve delivered.
“They talk about opportunities for minorities and I have to admit this especially irks me as though we were hard-hearted. The truth is our economic program has done more for minorities than any big spending program could ever hope to accomplish.â€
The President said he will be an active participant in the fall campaign. He gave his own version of a campaign line associated with the late President Harry S. Truman: “I’m going to give the opposition the truth, and they’ll think it’s hell.â€
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