The Michigan Daily-Saturday, July 12, 1980-Page 5 Carter, Dems leading U.S. adrift, say Republicans From AP and UPI DETROIT - Republican platform writers delivered a wilting criticism of President Carter and the Democrats who control Congress, saying "America is adrift" under their leader- ship. It was part of the preamble of the GOP's 1980 campaign document, ap- proved unanimously in committee yesterday. At the same time, Republican strategists looked beyond rhetoric to the fall campaign and openly courted the labor vote that traditionally goes lopsidedly Democratic. THE GOP platform committee was preparing an entirely new plank to be added early next week, calling for tax breaks for Americans who buy U.S.- built, fuel-economical cars -and for foreign automakers who construct assembly lines in the United States. Thatiproposal, designed to battle the high level of unemployment in the U.S. automobile industry, came after top GOP leaders met yesterday for break- fast with United Auto Workers president Douglas Fraser. The committee completed work on the 1980 platform by adopting a pream- ble harshly critical of foreign and defense policy under the Carter ad- ministration and the Democratic congressional leadership. "NEVER BEFORE in modern history has the United States endured as many humiliations, insults and defeats as it has during the past four years - our ambassadors murdered, our embassy burned, our warnings ignored, our diplomacy scorned, our diplomats kidnapped," said the in- troductory section. The platform preamble cited "un- paralleld unity within our ranks" and said the Republican party, under Ronald Reagan, could "make America great again." Meanwhile, speculation at the con- vention centered on reports Reagan has narrowed his vice presidential list to three finalists - former ambassador George Bush and Sens. Paul Laxalt of Nevada and Richard Lugar of Nevada. "BUSH IS way up there," said a key Reagan aide at the convention. "But none of the eight has been ruled out," he added, referring to earlier lists that also included Reps. Guy Vander Jagt of Michigan and Jack Kemp of JNew York, former .Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, former Treasury Secretary William Simon and Sen. Howard Baker. Laxalt, who served as Reagan's campaign chairman, was the first of the vice presidential contenders to arrive in Detroit. He told reporters at the airport: "So far as I know, no one has indicated to me that the list has been narrowed. With conservatives holding over- whelming voting strength in the com- mittee and at the convention, it ap- peared the platform would be presented with no minority planks and therefore no floor fights on any controversial issues. Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment, who earlier lost the par- ty's 40-year support of their cause, said they do not have the 27 votes on the 106 member committee to get their issues on the floor. Instead, they asked for a meeting with Reagan next week to discuss ERA, which Reagan has long opposed. The platform reflects, and in some cases goes beyond, Reagan's conser- vative line. BETTY HEITMAN, NEW chairwoman of the GOP National Committee, spoke yesterday at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Heitman, president of the National Federation of Republican Women since 1978, has been chosen by Ronald Reagan to succeed outspoken ERA advocate Mary Crisp. Crisp resigned her post on Wednesday. s N ewchair says GOP supportive of womeni (Continued from Page 3) statement of her personal feelings on tee of the National Federation of the ERA or abortion issues because she Republican Women wrote the plank, spoke today as if she were chairwoman, she explained, this organizationis but continued to say "these are composed of a great a "cross-section" emotional issues and the proper place of differing views and a compromise was to express them is on the state level necessary to please everyone. rather than a constitutional amen- Heitman said she could not make a dment." Bargainers optiniistic about Detroit strike DETROIT (UPI)-Bargainers for the NEGOTIATORS REMAINED hud- city and 9,000 striking employees met died around the main bargaining table yesterday amid hope they were in the into the afternoon, however, discussing "home stretch" toward settlement of various supplemental issues, sources an 11-day strike threatening to mar said. next week's Republican National Con- Although expectations remained~iigh vention. a settlement was fairly close, haggling Marathon talks between the two sides over minor issues could cause the talks intensified early in the day with an ex- to drag on-perhaps into the evening, change of contract proposals, and city mediators said. s bargainers said at the time tentative "I think we're in the home stretch," agreement in the dispute could be just said Robert Pisarski of the Michigan "hours" away. mplo'yment Relations Commission.