more on the minimum wage

WASHINGTON — With the Republican-led filibuster of a Senate proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 on Wednesday, Democrats moved swiftly to frame the vote as an example of the gulf that exists between the two parties on matters of economic fairness and upward mobility. The question is not just one of money, they said, but of morality. And in doing so the Democrats returned to the themes that were successful for their party and President Obama in 2012 when they convinced swing voters that Democrats were mindful of the best interests of all Americans — not just those who are powerful and wealthy. Continue reading the main story Speaking from the White House shortly after the measure was defeated 54 to 42, with 60 votes needed to advance, Mr. Obama admonished Republicans and called on voters to punish them at the polls in November. “If there’s any good news here, it’s that Republicans in Congress don’t get the last word on this issue, or any issue,” Mr. Obama said. “You do, the American people, the voters.” Photo At the White House on Wednesday, President Obama said it was important to pass the measure to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10. After the measure was defeated, he called on voters to punish Republicans at the polls in November. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times “If your member of Congress doesn’t support raising the minimum wage,” he added, “you have to let them know they’re out of step, and that if they keep putting politics ahead of working Americans, you’ll put them out of office.” But if Democrats thought that the defeat of the minimum wage increase gave them the opportunity to remind voters why they should remain in control of the Senate, Republicans felt just as strongly that Wednesday’s vote was the latest sign that Democratic policies and politics are failing. Senator John Cornyn, the Republican whip from Texas, argued from the Senate floor that raising the minimum wage would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and damage the fragile economy, which is going through such a slow recovery that it grew at only 0.1 percent from January through March, new figures released Wednesday showed. “Let’s talk about the 800-pound gorilla here in the Senate chamber,” Mr. Cornyn said. “This is all about politics. This is all about trying to make this side of the aisle look bad and hardhearted.” A Republican-led filibuster prevented the minimum wage bill from moving forward to a full debate in the Senate. Just one Republican voted with the Democrats who supported the measure. Democrats said Wednesday that it was their intent to bring up the bill again when they had the Republican support to break a filibuster. But they added that they had no qualms about forcing a vote again even if Republicans seemed likely to reject it. That, they believe, would further underscore the Republican resistance to increasing the minimum wage from $7.25, a rate that has been unchanged since 2009. “We’ll be back again and again, and we’ll keep trying until we get this to the president’s desk,” said Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, whose retirement this year has left an open seat that Republicans hope to capture. “I’m confident that if we don’t raise the minimum wage in Congress before the election,” he added, “the American people are going to speak about this at the ballot box in November.” Continue reading the main story Video Play Video|1:22 Times Minute | Minimum Wage Politics Times Minute | Minimum Wage Politics Harry Reid, the majority leader, said after the vote: “This is a moral issue. It’s not who’s going to vote for whom. It’s about whether or not it is right that people who are working 40 hours a week get a fair shot at being able to provide for their families.” Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story Advertisement The minimum wage plan is an underpinning of both the president’s economic agenda and the plan drawn up by Senate Democrats to force Republicans to take votes on a variety of pocketbook issues. One of those, a bill that Democrats said would help close the pay gap between men and women, was defeated in a Republican filibuster a few weeks ago. Continue reading the main story Recent Comments Gary 21 days ago I am a small business owner who has conservative values. The Republicans have repeatedly let me down because they truly are in lock step... koonie 21 days ago This is not a Federal government issue, this is a state by state issue and the BIG GOVERMENT HAND'S should keep out! Each state has it's own... FastGuy 21 days ago It seems to me that due to the great joy the Republicans derive from keeping money from the poor, they are blinded to the obvious next step... The Democrats’ plan, called “A Fair Shot for Everyone,” also includes a bill to help make college more affordable, the next one that is likely to come to a vote, and other measures that would close tax loopholes that benefit corporations with business overseas and provide family and medical leave for workers. Polling shows that Americans overwhelmingly agree that the minimum wage should go up; 62 percent favor an increase to $10.10, a New York Times/CBS News poll found in February. Yet it is unclear whether this will become a voting issue for most Americans in November. The Times/CBS News poll tested the impact that six issues would have on voting, and the minimum wage provoked the least reaction. A majority of registered voters, 52 percent, said they were willing to vote for someone who disagreed with them on raising the minimum wage. The hot-button issue was health care. Some Democrats from more conservative, rural states have expressed reservations about going as high as $10.10. Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, a Democrat who is locked in one of the tightest re-election fights, has said he does not support the plan voted on Wednesday. But he was not present for the vote. The one Republican who voted to allow the bill to move forward, Bob Corker of Tennessee, said that he disagreed with the policy but favored having a robust debate. But most Republicans said they felt boxed in by Democrats who would not consider a smaller increase. “There’s no interest, apparently, on their side in having that conversation,” said Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio. “This is more of a political exercise.” Correction: April 30, 2014 An earlier version of this article misstated when voters in Alaska will address raising the minimum wage. It will be in November, not August