Conservative groups are declaring war on President Clinton's health-care reform plan - and on Republicans in Congress who back any part of it.
Six conservative leaders sent letters Tuesday to Senate Minority Leader Robert Dole, R-Kan., and House GOP Whip Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.
The letters put the health-care debate in starkly political terms, warning the GOP leaders that any "willingness to compromise on behalf of big government" would make it "almost impossible" for them to find conservative grass-roots support in 1996.
"I agree with the spirit of the letter," Gingrich said, "and I oppose any health reforms that calls for new taxes, mandates of any kind and price controls."
On June 8, the groups will announce formation of an anti-Clinton health reform coalition in New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary.
"Any Republican who wants to be seriously considered on the ticket in 1996 should not be on the wrong side of this issue," says GOP pollster Richard Viguerie, who signed the letter. The conservative assault signals the increasingly partisan debate over Clinton's plan.
It's also an early sign of how the potent conservative Republican bloc plans to flex its muscles in the 1996 presidential race - and a warning shot at Dole and other GOP presidential hopefuls.
"They're pushing Republicans to remember that it's not in their political interests to give the Democrats a great victory, particularly if it goes against purist Republican principles," said Gail Wilensky, a health adviser to former president George Bush.
Dole has shown willingness to compromise on parts of Clinton's plan - not including its mandate that employers pay for most of workers' coverage.
"They obviously have influence," says Dole chief of staff Sheila Burke of the conservative groups. "Dole will take it seriously, and certainly he would oppose many of the same things."
Still, Wilensky says, the effect of the threat is debatable because conservatives in Congress "who might take notice don't need reminding."
The conservatives, like Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly and United Seniors Association President Sandra Butler, decry as "socialism" most elements of Clinton's plan: spending caps, a national health board and a comprehensive minimum benefits package.
Compromise on any of those elements, their letter says, "would be the death knell of the Republican Party."
Butler, whose group represents 400,000 seniors, says Republicans will need their support on Election Day.
"We don't want any running hot and cold on this, making deals," she says. "This is a life-or-death struggle for us."
