Politics and Policy Are the November 2006 Congressional Elections over already? These recent news items seem relevant. 1. Karl Rove’s Potential Impact - After reading about the history of Karl Rove’s campaign tactics, and knowing the Karl Rove had been relieved of his “domestic policy” portfolio so he could focus on the November 2006 congressional elections, I have been expecting the worst. Rove has plenty of time before November to level the playing field by using his usual tactics of defaming the opposition, cutting the knees out from under the critics, generally throwing lots of mud, and including a “November Surprise” in his portfolio of tools. 2. Karl Rove on the Bench? But is Robe about to be removed from the game? Some have speculated that Rove’s recent testimony before the Plame grand jury (was this his fourth or fifth time? Its difficult to keep count) signals that the prosecutor is preparing to indict Rove in that case. The recent “leak” that blames Plame’s husband, of all people, for the “outing” of Plame’s employment by the CIA sounds a lot like a Rove tactic. If Rove is indicted, this could put him out of play in the November elections, and that would indeed put the Republicans in a very difficult position, with their designated hitter benched for the season. 3. Gen. Hayden at C.I.A. - Normally this (Rove on the sidelines) would just be wishful thinking. But recent moves indicate that even George Bush is acting like a lame duck. His recent appointment of Gen. Hayden to the CIA, despite the opposition of the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, indicates that he really doesn’t care what anybody thinks anymore – even those from his own party. Could this mean that Bush’s internal numbers indicate that he believes these Congressional leaders won’t be in charge after January? 4. Insurance Legislation? - Radio news reports this morning indicated an effort by the White House, large businesses, and the insurance industry to allow insurance companies to offer policies which do not pay for Mammograms and other preventative care, regardless of state laws to the contrary. It was being billed by the Republicans as an “insurance reform” bill, designed to lower insurance rates and health care costs. However, I can’t find anything online about it now, so I can’t report any details. Regardless of how you sell it, such legislation would only push the cost of preventative care onto the employee or self-insured, creating short-term savings for the companies, but risking long-term disaster for the individual. If there is something to this story, it really shows that business interests and the insurance industry think its time to cash in their chips before the casino goes under. This is the type of legislation that the politicians would only try to push through in a lame-duck session, because the potential backlash is so large. The only beneficiaries are the companies who *might* have lower insurance costs, the insurance companies which will certainly have lower costs, and the outgoing Congressmen who are looking for a soft landing on the corporate boards of the insurance companies. I'm not celebrating yet - it's far to soon for that. But it certainly seems that the Republicans are in for a tough November, and they believe that themselves. Posted by RHP6033        Copyright 2006-2007 - Brookridge Associates Inc. All rights reserved.