…is the title of this insightful NPR story yesterday from political correspondent Don Gonyea, who investigates a salient divide — highlighted by the current government-shutdown debate — between the populist/tea party wing and the business wing of the Republican Party.
Which wing of the GOP should consumers root for in the shutdown debate? The tea partiers make some appealing points about the importance of focusing on Main St rather than Wall St, and take issue (as consumer advocates often do) with the positions of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But is the outcome the tea partiers seem to be pushing for — a federal government shutdown, with its implications for federal workers, its disruption to the work of federal regulators, and its overall effect on the economy — in the best interest of consumers?
The NPR piece is worth a listen.