GOP Stalls On Minimum Wage To Avoid Iraq Votes

[Bob Geiger]

The majority of Senate Republicans filibustering and delaying the passage of a new minimum wage law may be heartless, but they're not dumb. They know that bumping the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour is enormously popular with the American people and they're also aware that it passed by huge numbers in the House of Representatives, with 80 Republicans voting in favor of helping the working poor.

So why the stalling? Why put off the inevitable with over 100 nonsensical amendments, while already voting once against ending debate on a clean minimum wage bill?

Well, folks, it's kind of like the Seinfeld episode, where George Costanza knows his girlfriend is about to break up with him so he just ducks her -- breaks dates, pretends he's not home, doesn’t answer the phone, reasoning that if he can stall her by not being available, she can’t break up with him.

Except in this case, the Republicans figure that if they can keep the Senate occupied indefinitely with an open-and-shut thing like a minimum wage increase, they can avoid the thing they fear most -- having to vote on any of the myriad Iraq-war resolutions waiting in the wings.

"Tuesday, we'll have a vote and, you know, they may defeat cloture just like they did on the ethics thing," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), at a joint press conference with Ted Kennedy (D-MA) on Friday. "They know that they're on the wrong side on this issue. And we're going to not let them forget it."

"If they defeat cloture on minimum wage, they think we're going to bring this right back? Oh, no we're not. We're going to move to another subject they don't like to talk about: escalation of the war in Iraq… they know when minimum wage is finished, we're going to Iraq."

Reid has the bipartisan Biden-Hagel-Levin resolution against the escalation of the Iraq war waiting in the wings and my bet is that, if Republicans filibuster -- vote against cloture -- on the minimum wage legislation on Tuesday, Reid will temporarily table that legislation, call the Republicans on their game and move on to the Iraq war.

Senate Democrats can then bring the minimum wage -- which now contains $8 billion in new tax breaks for small businesses -- right back after Iraq resolutions and ongoing funding for troops (already in Iraq) are handled.

"It took the House of Representatives four hours to increase the minimum wage with 80 Republicans supporting it," said Kennedy at the Friday news conference with Reid. "Why, Mr. Republican, will you not permit the Senate of the United States to increase the minimum wage, which has not been increased for 10 years for men and women who are at the lower end of the economic ladder, men and women of dignity who take a pride in their work, who are trying to provide for their family?"

And Kennedy, who has fought for years to get the minimum wage increased, agrees with Reid that stalling from the Republican side of the aisle has nothing to do with the wage bill itself and everything to do with their fear of having to take a stand on the war. According to Kennedy , any Republicans voting against the minimum wage increase on Tuesday will effectively be telling Americans that they don’t want to move on to Iraq votes, meaning that they want to stay in Iraq indefinitely.

"The vote will be, effectively, the vote on the war. And the American people will understand it. And there is nothing that Mitch McConnell can do about that," said Kennedy. "So make no mistake about it, Mr. Republicans, we're going to get -- under the leadership of Harry Reid, we're going to get a vote, one way or the other. The American people are entitled to it. Under the cloture, that'll be the vote. It'll be the vote on the war."

I believe what will take place is that the minimum wage vote will occur as scheduled and, if the Republicans block it again, Reid will set it aside, bring it back in a few weeks and jump immediately to Iraq. He said as much on Friday.

"I'll tell you one thing: There are 21 Republicans up for reelection this time. If they think this is going to be a soft vote for them, they've got another thing coming," said Reid. " So let them defeat cloture. I'll take that bill off the floor in five seconds and we'll get to debating Iraq."

Meanwhile, Kennedy keeps plugging away while getting angry enough, as he did on Thursday night, to ask just what the hell Republicans have against working Americans.

"I've said on the floor of the United States Senate, and I still question our Republican leadership," said Kennedy. "What is it about hard-working people that the Republicans don't like? What is it, Mr. Republican, that you cannot stand about hard- working Americans at the lower end of the economic ladder?"

You can read more from Bob at BobGeiger.com.

[sutz12]

1. It's so easy to see through their posturing...

Hold their feet to the fire. We'll be saying for 2 years, "The Republicans blocked the minimum wage to duck debate on the Iraq war." And quite a few of those 21 senators won't be coming back in 2008. :)

[Ilsa]

2. They are such cowards! Like Hagel said, they

are avoiding making their beliefs known to their constituents by going on record.

[SaveElmer]

7. Yet Hagel voted to continue debate on minimum wage...

And voted for an amendment which would have effectively killed the minimum wage altogether!!!

[Ilsa]

30. Yeah. he's a Rethug when it comes down to it. nt.

[vkobaya]

3. Pelosi is a Corporatist

The minimum wage increase to $7.25 is meaningless. That is far, far below poverty wages. If Pelosi were really on our side, the minimum wage would be twice that. She is only making gestures to sucker us, no different than the Republicans. The truth is studies have shown that a higher minimum wage supports greater prosperity overall and more profits for the corporations. And, furthermore, the Australian minimum wage is well over twice that of the current minimum, maybe 3 times as much. By the logic of the Republicans (and Damnocrats), the Austrailian economy should have collapsed and the country should be poverty stricken, ripe for a Communisty revolt. Pelosi is no more on the people's side than Bush, simply a tool to distract our attention.

[Strawman]

4. So you think that is politically doable right now? $14/hr?

Nancy Pelosi has the political capital to more than double the minimum wage, eh? What makes you think that?

Who's distracting who here? If we reject Nancy Pelosi as you suggest, do you think the masses will take to the streets and overthrow their corporate masters? Or will they just get screwed even worse by the Mitch McConnels of the world?

I think people who actually try to get by in the real world on the minimum wage will take a $2/hr raise, however imperfect it is. In fact I know they will because I pooh-poohed it to one of them myself and they set me straight. I won't begrudge them that just to indulge my personal horseshit revolutionary fantasies.

[TygrBright]

26. The minimum wage here in Santa Fe is $9.50 an hour.

It just went up to that (from $9--part of a big fat stepped increase passed three years ago) last winter. All the Usual Suspects were trotting around with "The End Is Nigh" sandwich boards and yammering about how it would drive every business in Santa Fe right outta town and we'd all be sorry and the town would die, DIE, they tell us, DIE!!!

We're still here. Several new businesses have opened up in town this past year. Lots, as a matter of fact. Some locally-based small business ventures by Santa Fe residents, some openings of local outlets by national chains. Some high-end, high-margin stuff, lots of low-end, low-margin stuff. All seem to be doing okay, including those businesses who were already established, and who howled in agony over the increase.

The only ones that have closed down are a few national chains whose profits fell below whatever the national corporate headquarters targets were for too many quarters/months in a row, and there are way too many other factors involved to pin that solely on the OUTRAGEOUS! OUTRAGEOUS, they told us!!! $9.50 an hour minimum wage.

No one cried when they left.

patiently,
Bright

[Strawman]

29. What is politically doable in Santa Fe isn't the same

as what is politically doable 30 days into a Democratic takeover of the US Congress. Is $7.50 perfect? Nope. But I'll be damned if I'm going to say it's worthless and piss and moan about Nancy Pelosi being a no good corporate shill for giving minumum wage workers a raise.

How do you think raise in the minimum wage to $9.50 (or as the OP I replied to suggested $14) would fare when it hit Chimpy's desk? Do you think there are 2/3 majorities in favor of those kinds of increases in the House and Senate today to override a Presidential veto? I don't.

I agree with your statement that the doom scenarios from an increase in the minumum wage are mostly bullshit. That wasn't my point. My point involves making the perfect the enemy of the good. A $2/hr raise isn't perfect, maybe it doesn't even clear the threshold worthy of being called good, but an extra $80/week certainly doesn't suck for people trying to make ends meet.

[Scooter24]

10. Austrailia minimum wage is US $10.50/hr.

for employees over age 21.

This isn't the place for fallacies.

[KingFlorez]

15. $7.25 is an improvement

Some families will benefit from this increase. It might not seem like a lot, but it's a start. If not for people like Nancy Pelosi, an increase wouldn't have even gotten a vote.

[fuzzyball]

21. Yeah Right

:sarcasm:

[whistle]

5. Let Reid remove the minimum wage bill then and settle the Iraq situation

...the house can bring the bill back and pass it when there are no longer any reThuglicans left

[gasperc]

17. can't Reid simply change the order of which bills to vote on

is the minimum wage bill stuck on the docket? Aren't the NON-BINDING resolution supposed to be voted on by Thursday?

[marmar]

6. I hate these soulless Republican jackasses, I really do.

:argh:

[soswolf]

8. They're stalling on minimum wage to stall on minimum wage,

Stalling on Iraq is just an added bonus.

[IWantAChange]

9. A tidal wave needs to sweep the country soon - I'm hoping Senate Repugs can't swim good enough

The American public, especially the middle class takes a long time to react - but when they do - as I'm sure they will in this case - it will be something to behold.

[GOTV]

11. Do I read this correctly? There will be another min wage cloture vote tomorrow?

How can I find out for sure. My Senator voted against cloture last week (Voinovich). I want to call and ask him to reconsider if there will be another vote.

[ooglymoogly]

12. what a revoltin' developement this is

by revolting people...its just swell that the pukes can use the filibuster but the dems can't...what a great move for the dems to cave on this issue when the pukes were threatening to end the possibility of filibuster. so the dems let them have their shit cake and eat it. if the dems had let them kill the filibuster this would not be an issue. now the pukes will just filibuster everything that is not for their privilege of cheating, lying, stealing, pillaging and the general fattening of themselves while everybody else has to fend for themselves. one more tightening of the puke boa, squeezing the life out of the democratic party. pukes must think we are a bunch of fools who just fell of the turnip truck...and rant infinitum.

[flgeorge]

13. Hard to believe

I am glad Reid is taking a hard-line stance on this rather than caving on the tax-break package, as was previously reported to have been his stance. This is an issue that should not be muddled by amendments and conditions. This issue is important enough to the American people to deserve a straight up and down vote. Any tax-break package originating within the Senate is unconsitutional anyway, HAS to originate in the House and then be sent to the Senate. Rangle needs to set Baucus straight on that.

It looks to me that the Dems are looking at this as a MAJOR winner for the Democrats if they can demonstrate clearly that the Republicans are blocking a vote on this highly popular issue. The country is clearly behind an increase of the minimum wage. Even most Republicans feel that it is high time for an increase, as it has been allowed to go without an inflation adjustment for way too long, even in their minds. Imagine how this issue would resonate in 2008, 2 years further down the road without any increase in the minimum wage while cost of living increased.

$7.25 is a good starting point for the minimum wage, with many states already at a higher level than that on their own, particularly states with high cost of living. This increase serves to bring the "dead-beat" states closer to the 25 states which already have passed minimum wage laws on the state level because they felt the federal minimum wage levels were not sufficient.

[ooglymoogly]

14. glad to be the 5th kr

[louis-t]

16. It must really suck to be a Repug senator right now n/t

[The Wizard]

18. Anyone expecting

Republicans to bargain in good faith must be high on dope.

[McCamy Taylor]

19. The GOP is shooting itself in the foot with this one.

[progressoid]

20. "21 Republicans up for re-election this time"

Lets hope Amuricans will remember the crap they are pulling in a year and a half.

[nealmhughes]

22. The "debate" ongoing right now at 4:45 EST is disgusting.

Mushmouth Jeffie Sessions has just invoked Milton Friedman's ghost and telling everyone how rosy things are with EIC's to "fix" people's poverty, then shifting the "low wages" onto "illegals".

How people continue to vote for mushmouth nonentities like him amazes me.
Evidently, we should all be happy and get our EIC checks back weekly or monthly, then invest!

Invest?! I am reminded of the person who asked Harry Connick, Jr why the people trapped in NOLA didn't simply drive away: "Cars, hell! Them folks don't even got Air Conditioners!"

Invest, hell! Them folks don't even got bank accounts or insurance!

[The Majority]

23. What Iraq Bills?

They aren't taking action. Non-binding resolutions are pathetic. Either write a real bill and put your name on it or shut the hell up!

I wonder what most employers would do if we provided simulated work.

[Randy Ranger]

24. HEY CONGRESS THE MAJORITY HAS SPOKEN11

I couldn't agree with you more and welcome to DU.  

[TheMadMonk]

27. Non-binding resolutions serve to telegraph which way the wind is blowing,...

...without touching off a full blown constitutional crisis.

We all know that it's a pointless effort, but the effort still needs to be made, so as to get George et al on record as saying "Fuck you Charlie."

One can only hope that having secured that foregone response, the Democratic leadership has the guts to move to the next level.

[Randy Ranger]

28. I'm sorry but if the congress can't tell which way the wind

is blowing by now there is little hope of them finding out in
time.  In case you haven't noticed George has already said
"Fuck you Charlie" to the people of this country.

[TheMadMonk]

31. Congress knows.

However, it's a case of he knows that I know that he knows that I know.

If a newly elected congress just starts hammering at the * administration, then there are just too many openings for it to be spun as obstructionism for the sake of partisan obstructionism. This puts the ball in George's court, and it will be he that kicks the prop out from under the ton of bricks poised over his head.

[MoonRiver]

25. Still covering for *. Oh well,

means we'll get an even bigger majority in 2008. :rofl:

[gratefultobelib]

32. The nonbinding resolution is going to happen, and teeth or not, I'm looking

forward to it immensely as we will see who's doing what and who's where. They're all going to have to stand up and be counted, dammit!

[what now toons]

33. "Minimal progress with the Minimum Wage" ( a cartoon )

The Minimum Wage Increase is the victim of a Republican fillibuster. So much for bi-partisanship, Pelosi's hundred hour pledge gave a minimum wage increase of a lousy $2.15 over TWO years!! And yet these greedy sob's want more and more.
Then when I read that 28 senators voted on a bill they presented to get rid of the Minimum Wage entirely, and that the media had not even reported this disgusting greedy bill and it's votes, I hit the ceiling.
I had to do a cartoon on this topic since people will read a cartoon before they read an article.
to see the cartoon, "Minimal progress with the Minimum Wage" at my website;
www.whatnowtoons.com