Many Reps opposed the TARP bailout - that wasn't big business speaking.
>
Without arguing strongly against this corrective, I'm not sure opposition to the TARP was primarily rooted in supporting "small" business... my sense was that it was primarily tied to hating deficits, government spending and big gov't.
>
> An important part of the Rep base is also the extractive industries, and
> other purveyors of pollutants. That's one of the major business differences
> between the parties - many/most Dems support cap & trade, because Wall
> Street likes it and because they're not denialist loons, but most Reps
> oppose anything that would hurt the energy industry.
>
> More than agreed, and I'm sure you'll agree (since I said this,
differently, first ;-) ), the energy industry is not small business.