On Nov. 2, Seattle neurosurgeon and lifelong Democratic supporter Steve Klein will do something he has never done before: Vote Republican. He's not driven by terrorism, taxes, or even the cost of health care. "I've never pulled the lever for a Republican candidate in my life," Klein says. "But this time, I'm voting for who will vote for reform."
That would be President George W. Bush. Klein is going against Democrat John Kerry because he's hopping mad about "lawsuit abuse" that has jacked up the cost of medical malpractice premiums and forced some physicians to flee states where rates are particularly onerous.
As the race for the White House shifts into high gear, Republicans and their business allies are aiming to win over some Democrats by demonizing trial lawyers as litigious leeches who hurt average consumers as well as corporations and doctors. They are giddy that Kerry picked as his running mate John Edwards, a well-heeled, well-coiffed millionaire lawyer. "The Democratic Party is the party of trial lawyers," says Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman. "People...have less access to
because a few people are getting very rich."
That strategy is sure to win Bush the votes of some doctors who might have considered voting Democratic in retaliation for the GOP's close ties to the insurance companies that have been squeezing them. And it will rally Bush's base, especially small-biz owners and corporate execs who have made legal reform a top priority. Although it is not endorsing either candidate, on Aug. 24 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gave $500,000 in seed money to The November Fund, a group dedicated to warning voters about the dangers of putting the trial bar's favorite son in the White House. A group of former Edwards staffers is planning a counterattack funded by plaintiff lawyers.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5931300/
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