A President Gore could benefit by being aggressive in cutting taxes, Mr. Ornstein says, especially that Republican favorite, the marriage-penalty tax. A President Bush could seek compromise, for instance, on HMOs. He could make a similar deal in Washington, though it would go against Republican orthodoxy. So far, there's talk, especially on the Bush side, of putting at least one opposite-party member in the Cabinet. But former Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn recently squelched rumors that he was a top candidate to be Bush's Defense secretary, indicating that recruiting opposite-party members may be tough for the new president.
Some observers see pitfalls, too.
Bush, especially, by making his transition planning more public, may hurt efforts to build goodwill down the road. The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved.