Despite the brave talk, the White House is bracing for a GOP surge at the polls. “It could be devastating,” says a Clinton adviser. “Even if thing do go badly, there’s still time to salvage them for ‘96,” says another. The post-November White House strategy: a sharp move to the right. Clinton plans to push welfare reform and smaller government. Health care will also be on the agenda, aides say, but in a scaled-down version. “Rather than build a house in one gulp, we’ll build a foundation to support gradual construction,” says an aide.
