“ReGo,” as insiders call it, will debut first. On Sept. 7, Al Gore will present the plan, which would force government agencies to compete with private businesses to provide many services.
A week later Bill Clinton begins his push for passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NEWSWEEK has learned that the White House hopes to assemble the five living ex-presidents for Clinton’s announcement. All are agreeable, White House sources say, but schedule conflicts may scotch the plan.
Last, Clinton will unveil the big one–health-care reform– before a joint session of Congress, most likely on Sept. 22. White House counselor David Gergen has been twisting arms to get TV networks to agree to air the speech live.
White House aides admit to worries that the September showcase strategy could overwhelm Congress. Some fear that members upset by ReGowhich would divest Congress of some oversight authority-will take their anger out on NAFTA and the health-care plan. But the administration plans to cast those two latter initiatives as a package, hoping to convince labor- and liberal-interest groups they’ll make up in health care what they’ll lose from free trade.
