Clinton and Obama voted against the first minimum wage increase in 10 years.

[pnwmom]

Today Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both voted against increasing the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour, the first increase in more than a decade.

You can bet that any Democrat who voted to oppose this increase will have their feet held to the fire by Republican candidates who now can trumpet that they voted for it.

I don't think that Clinton and Obama took the "easy way out" in waiting to vote NO on the Iraq war resolution. Now they're both on record as voting against a minimum wage increase. What could have been easy or safe about that?

[Vincardog]

1. They also voted against sending billions MORE to business.

They made the only choice that would allow them to continue their bids for the DEMOCRATIC nomination.

[Atman]

2. I'm torn...what exactly should be the minimum age? Is it zero or one?

I mean, after all...from the day you're born, you're not one...but you're not zero.

It is a perplexing question.

.

[pnwmom]

5. LOL. Guess I just can't stand that letter " W" anymore.

I onder hy?

[Atman]

9. I just thought Clinton tampered with your keyboard.

;)

.

[sandnsea]

10. lol,

that was funny.

:spray:

[Ethelk2044]

40. I blame the House for merging the bills together

They should have thought about this. Especially since 2008 is coming around the corner. They gave the repugs the hand to fan with

[Liberalynn]

3. I was thinking the same thing. That is how the Freepers will spin it

for sure. This assine bill was loose loose for the Dems all the way around. Very few of them come out of it looking good.

The ones who voted yes betrayed their own party because of the okay for the war funding and the ones who voted no are going to get beaten up for other reasons.

All though I am still glad Hillary voted no, whatever her reasons.

It was just stupidly played all the way along.

[Justyce]

4. It still baffles me why they put

something the repubs didn't want and something the dems didn't want both in the same bill. No win situation all the way around. Odd.

[pnwmom]

7. That's how the game of politics is often played.

And that's why most of us would hate being politicians.

[soothsayer]

12. it was a lock that it would pass, plus veto proof. lemonaid out of lemons.

[pnwmom]

20. Maybe so, but it still won't help either of them

to have a record of voting against the first minimum wage increase in more than a decade.

[Colobo]

6. Clinton and Obama showed principle tonight.

[pnwmom]

8. I think it was a tough vote for them.

But I'm glad they did it.

Still, that minimum wage increase is long overdue.

[SaveElmer]

11. Look...

I am not as angry about people voting for this as others...actually I am not angry at all...those that I admire had logical reasons for doing so...but if you think that Hillary and Obama are actually going to be held accountable for voting against the minimum wage, you are dreaming...

[pnwmom]

18. Does that mean you think they should be "held accountable" for

voting against the minimum wage increase? I certainly don't.

It was the only way they could vote against the Iraq war spending measure, since they were packaged together.

But the Republicans will have a field day with this in the next general election.

[SaveElmer]

21. Yeah I think you are way overestimating it...

Both are on record voting for the minimum wage bill that passed earlier this session...I don't see any fallout from it...and in any case...the Republicans themselves voted against it...so they have no leg to stand on

[pnwmom]

22. The Republicans voted FOR it, because it was part of the

Iraq spending bill that they voted for.

And now Bush is going to sign it.

[SaveElmer]

23. I meant earlier...

The original authorization

[pnwmom]

24. Earlier doesn't matter. The Republicans now get to take credit for

a minimum wage increase that Clinton and Obama and others had to vote against.

[SaveElmer]

25. Yeah...

I just don't see it...no one is going to believe Hillary and Obama are against a minimum wage increase...

[pnwmom]

26. A lot of people are easily manipulated. How many times have DUers

said Clinton or Obama wasn't "liberal" enough because of their votes on various issues? Even though there were often good reasons why this would happen.

During the general election when the Republican candidate is crowing about supporting the minimum wage increase that the Democrat opposed, you'll see what a burden this will be. Most of the public thinks in 10 second sound bites. Good luck trying to explain this then.

[howmad1]

32. Oh really?

My, how you overestimate the intelligence of the average voter. As long as the MSM lies and tells everybody that Obama and Hillary voted against the min. wage, they'll believe it as gospel. On the plus side, this may just be the thing to help the Edwards campaign.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

35. Remember Rove's "I voted for it before I voting against" meme?

On balance, at the end of the day they decided to do what the Dem based wanted them to do, but they did open themselves up to a misleading Rovian attack on "voting for it before voting against" it on the minimum wage. This will particularly harm HRC, who is seen as a poll-driven wind sock by many. Obama does not suffer from the same perception so he will essentially be unscathed by this.

[CTLawGuy]

28. the point is

if I read correctly, is that this was a harder vote than the screamers on this board who were pissed they didn't declare against it in ten seconds claimed it was.

[ripple]

42. Agreed, SaveElmer

If the minimum wage had been a part of another, more palatable piece of legislation, Clinton and Obama would have happily voted for it. Anyone who knows anything at all about them realizes that.

[madfloridian]

13. They did what was convenient for them.

Just like everyone else in the Democratic Party has done lately.

They did what was best after finding out the total votes.

[pnwmom]

15. What was convenient for them about having to vote

AGAINST a minimum wage increase, if they wanted to vote
AGAINST the Iraq funding bill?

What kind of Democrat would want to vote against a minimum wage increase?

[madfloridian]

16. What kind of Democrats made the bill that way?

Why did they do that? Think about it. Read some of the blogs today.

[pnwmom]

19. Clinton and Obama didn't write the bill, did they?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

36. No. They were pretty much MIA on this issue ever since Bush's veto

Others filled the void left by our two most prominent senators.

[ripple]

41. What do you want, blood?

They voted no. Perhaps you should give credit where it is due, instead of irrationally trying to pump up your candidate (who co-sponsored the resolution that sent us into Iraq to begin with, BTW) at the expense of others.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

44. Is leadership too much to ask from those who want to become president of the United States?

[ripple]

45. Poll-tested leadership is not leadership

Obama showed sound judgment and leadership on the issue of Iraq at a time when it was highly unpopular to question Bush's fear-driven *war on terra*.

And he has had plenty to say about it since. A couple of examples:

http://obama.senate.gov/speech/051122-moving_forward_in_iraq/index.html

http://obama.senate.gov/speech/061120-a_way_forward_in_iraq/index.html

And he introduced the Iraq War De-escalation Act:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c110:1:./temp/~c110iAJTkp:e0:


Of course, we already know what sort of leadership your candidate has shown with regard to this issue. He certainly helped lead our nation to war, anyway.

Edwards' armchair quarterback criticisms of the candidates who currently hold public office can be likened to someone deliberately setting their own house on fire, and then bitching at the firefighters for not extinguishing it fast enough.

[madfloridian]

17. Dupe delete

[Colobo]

30. Just like Edwards did in 02 when he voted for the war?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

38. Fair point

Edwards, though, has taken the lead on numerous issues during this campaign. It is hard to call someone who is leading consistently on issues and being forthright about what he intends to do as president and how he intends to do it a windsock (as I have said earlier, Obama began running late so he has a legitimate excuse for lacking specifics so far. HRC, though, has been running for president for 7 years). He is also stating his opinions on things, even "minor" things like whether he agrees that homosexuality is immoral, which some couldn't bring themselves to do until mulling it over (with their aides presumably...) for several hours. Edwards responded on the spot with his opinion, instead of dodging the question like some others.

Edwards is not merely reacting to what others have done or reacting after analyzing poll and focus group data like some other candidates.

[DainBramaged]

14. Sometimes, everybody is happy, tomorrow, the bitchin is relentless

Maybe someday the Clinton and Obama supporters will applaud them for voting on a pure bill of dumbness.

Like, proclaiming otter day in Alaska to be a day of merriment!

[1932]

27. Maybe it was a bad bill?

[laugle]

29. I wouldn't worry to much, they will get it through.

I believe there is strong support in both parties.

And remember the dems will be the winners in 2008!

Think positive!

[IndianaGreen]

31. Remember the late Jesus' warning about serving two masters?

You can serve the owners of capital, or you can serve the workers, but not both. By voting against a minimum wage increase, while voting for funding for the war (and the war profiteers that will make money out of it), they have shown on whose side they are.

[dsc]

39. They voted against the funding for the war

which is the whole point. But by doing so they also voted against the minimum wage which was attached to it.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[JI7]

34. forget the Republicans, it will be some dumbass leftist funded by the Right Wing

type assholes who use it against them and other Democrats as an example of how Democrats don't support workers and other crap they make up.

[VoltaireAmericain]

43. WHAT

The move to put the minimum wage increase inside of the bill was great political maneuvering by the Democrats to get it passed. I don't think this will be the problem some of you are predicting. This was a good move.

[Trajan]

37. This is nonsense ....

Write legislation that provides free college education for all, universal health care, fully funded public transportation - but then add a clause that demands you kill all grandmothers before the bill can be enacted .....

NOW what do you do ? ....

Obviously; you hate universal health care .... right ? .... :sarcasm:

There is a word for this crap: the word is 'fallacious' ...

If YOU cannot slap down a rightie for taking that stand, then why even bother ? ...

[nadinbrzezinski]

46. So did Kennedy

this was a a poison pill with candy on it,to make it taste better