Perot Draws Heat From GOP, Democrats : Politics: Brown assails the Texan’s stand on gays, while Cuomo links him to ‘ineffective government.’ Buchanan sees a loss of support.

Ross Perot’s likely presidential candidacy drew fire from Democrats and Republicans alike Sunday as the primary season headed toward its conclusion with both major parties confronting the strong chance of a three-way race.

Democratic candidate Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. criticized Perot’s vow to keep gays out of sensitive jobs in his Administration and not hire adulterers at all, and accused Perot of trying to buy the election. Democratic Gov. Mario M. Cuomo of New York asserted that Perot could not assemble an effective government.

From the Republican side, presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan also decried any personal litmus test for public service. But Buchanan suggested that the November vote could turn out to be a referendum on Perot and his outsider’s message.

“What the country is saying is that it . . . wants to overturn the Establishment of both political parties in Washington D.C.,” Buchanan said. “Perot is coming to represent that to the American people.”

Buchanan, whose own maverick candidacy has slowed to a crawl, predicted that many of his supporters will write in Perot’s name on the Republican ballot in Tuesday’s California primary, rather than vote for President Bush. (If they do so, however, their vote will not be counted. Secretary of State March Fong Eu has said that because Perot has not filed the necessary paperwork to be considered a write-in candidate, votes for him will not be tabulated.)

“I think that some of our folks are clearly going to go to Mr. Bush and many, many of them are going to go to Perot,” Buchanan said on NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press.”

Perot may have increased his appeal to Buchanan’s conservative followers last week with his statement on gays and adulterers, but he also opened himself to some sharp attacks.

Former California Gov. Brown rejected Perot’s stance in strong terms and predicted it was the type of gaffe that may leave voters disillusioned with Perot by November.

“He looks good right now (but) we’ve got a long way to go,” Brown said on “Meet the Press.” “What he said about gays the other day indicates he is going to stumble a lot more before we get to November.”

Asked if he himself would appoint homosexuals and adulterers to high posts, Brown said: “I wouldn’t discriminate. I think arbitrary distinctions that have no relationship to merit are just plain wrong.”

Brown--who has campaigned against the influence of money in politics and does not take donations exceeding $100--also blasted Perot for suggesting that he might spend $100 million “or whatever it takes” of his own fortune to pursue the presidency.

“I have to say that a billionaire buying the election is not my idea of what a democracy ought to be,” Brown said. “Jefferson and the Founders feared most of all the joining together of economic and political power.”

Cuomo, who is not a candidate, said that Perot has benefited from a message of rejecting the existing political system without being forced to describe specific plans for his alternative.

“Everybody cheers. That’s terrific. Throw them all out,” Cuomo said. “That also leaves you with ineffective government and everybody knows it.”

He said his fellow governor, Bill Clinton of Arkansas--the likely Democratic nominee--must work with congressional leaders to provide voters with specific proposals that contrast his vision of government to that of Bush and Perot.

Cuomo said he has recommended to Clinton that he get together with House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.) and Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) to develop legislation addressing such key issues as health care, inner cities, investment growth, drugs and violence.

“He will be distinguished from the other two (Bush and Perot) because neither of the other two can do that,” Cuomo said on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation.” “They cannot make the deal with Congress.”

Cuomo was not asked about the difficulties of forging a consensus among fractious Democrats.