Congressional Fight Heats Up, Local Races Benefit

Pledging to "empower the people" and to "convert a budget for bombs into a budget for life," former Boston mayoral candidate Melvin H. King has become the latest politician formally to enter the packed Eighth Congressional District race.

King joins a large field of Democrats vying for the party's nomination to run for the seat being vacated by Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill (D-Mass).

Since O'Neill announced his intention to retire more than a year ago, up to 50 local politicians have considered running for the seat. But during the past month the field has firmed up as candidates have formally announced or dropped out.

King is the only Black to enter the race and has consistently finished second in name recognition polls behind frontrunner Joseph Kennedy II, son of the late Robert F. Kennedy '48. But King may also spend the least money in the race that political observers say will cost nearly $1 million.

Speaking at East Cambridge's Dante Alighieri Center, King, a former state representative, called for a "progressive social agenda" in a speech frequently interrupted by applause from a capacity crowd of about 500.

Against Budget Cuts

King's wife, Joyce, four of his six children, and a five-month-old granddaughter joined the South Boston community activist on the platform as he marked the start of a national petition campaign against the Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction bill, which he called "unconstitutional."

King called Gramm-Rudman "taxation without representation," adding that the automatic budget cuts the act mandates would shift power from Congress and the judiciary to the executive branch of the Federal government. He also said the bill would cut social programs, including student aid, to dangerously low levels while protecting excessive military spending.

King pledged immediately to push for a 30 percent cut in the U.S. defense budget if elected.

Asked about other specific cuts, King said, "I don't get into the issue of the tactical, technical mess," adding that the Chiefs of Staff would choose what to eliminate based on their greater expertise.

Advocates Peace

He criticized heavy military spending as an irresponsible use of tax dollars and said that each $1 billion spent on defense created 6,400 fewer jobs than the same amount spent on public works and social services.

He added, "It is time for Americans...to demand that our government set out on a detailed path to end the arms race forever."

King pledged to work for affirmative action employment policies, improved public health programs, farm relief, affordable housing, and efficient public transportation.

He also proposed that much of the capital and technology now employed in the defense industry be used to expand human services, create jobs, and produce higher-quality consumer goods that could more effectively compete with imports.

Departing from his prepared text, King said that if elected he would initiate a program requiring high school graduates to perform two years of public service, and guaranteeing them four years of college education afterwards. He did not elaborate on this proposal, but repeatedly praised as a model the "G.I. Bill," which sent World War II veterans to college at government expense.

On foreign policy, King said the United States's goals in the Middle East should be "safeguarding the right of Israel to exist, ensuring the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people, and normalizing mutually beneficial relations with all Arab states."