“When to Hold ‘Em; When to Fold ‘Em”: Choosing Consumer Protection Battles

On April 25, 2005, the University of Utah hosted a symposium on consumer policy in honor of the retirement of Dr. John R. Burton. All seven of the papers presented addressed, either directly or indirectly, the nature of the consumer interest. In the companion piece to this article, Dr. Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), describes how a major consumer advocacy organization like CFA decides what public policy positions are in the consumer interest. In this article, Michael Burton, an assistant professor of political science at Ohio University and the son of the symposium's honoree, draws on his experience on the staffs of Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (1991–93) and Vice President Al Gore (1993–98) to describe and defend the art of compromise in advancing the consumer interest.–Robert N. Mayer, University of Utah