John Boehner has thrown it out, the dirty thing!
Kevin Drum praised Obama's efforts -- with a kicker.
Keying it to inflation is also interesting, but for a subtle reason: Obama is putting good policy ahead of good politics. Indexing the minimum wage to inflation will help the working poor, but it comes at the cost of allowing Democrats a cheap and easy issue to bang on every few years. Typical Obama. ...Drum, MoJo
Greg Sargent reports that, of course, Boehner isn't having any because it will push up unemployment figures. Sargent gulped and then asked for proof. Boehner's staff sent along a couple of statements from pro-Republican outfits. Sargent finds plenty of info from the other side refuting the popular Republican talking point.
He concludes:
The substance of the issue aside, this is a good fight for Democrats to have. It highlights one of the most important questions about our economy right now: With corporate profits at record highs, why are wages and other compensation falling, and why are workers being left behind? And it shifts the argument on to good political terrain for Dems, too — this is an important issue for core Dem constituencies, such as Latinos and women.
The debate also provides an opening for Dems to ask a question: If Republicans oppose raising the minimum wage, what specific actions by government do they support to improve social mobility? In other words, what, if anything, do Republicans think government should do to help struggling Americans climb that “ladder” that Boehner referred to — or to access the lowest rung of that ladder in the first place? This argument could help highlight the GOP’s ongoing struggle to articulate a positive role for government to play in improving people’s lives. ...Sargent, WaPo
Damn straight!
2014 and 2016 could be hellish years for Republicans, particularly if the Democratic party uses this stuff the way they should -- as a way to poison the campaigns of Republicans running for whatever office in those years.
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