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With mid-term elections near.. Dark cloud over Reagan

October 18, 1982

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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.

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WASHINGTON, CANA-REUTER-President Reagan has acknowledged that his handling of the economy could be a perilous issue for his Republican Party in next month's congressional elections. Without referring directly to the elections on November 2, Mr. Reagan conceded in a television speech Wednesday night that U.S. unemployment was intolerably high. He said he was troubled by "the dark cloud of unemployment that hangs over the lives of 11 million of our friends, neighbours and family," a reference to the 10.1 per cent jobless rate, the highest since 1941.

Public opinion polls have shown that the elections for congressmen and some state governors could turn into a partisan referendum on the President's policies. An ABC News/Washington Post poll published Thursday said 64 per cent of U.S. voters disapprove of Mr. Reagan's handling of unemployment.

But Mr. Reagan appealed to Americans to back his economic programme, saying it had already brought improvements by reducing inflation, interest rates, government spending and taxes. "America is recovery bound and the world knows it," Mr. Reagan declared.