Minimum Wage Increase... Another Victim of Election-Year Politics?

For months, Democratic party leaders have been calling for a federal increase in the minimum wage. The minimum wage has not been increased from the low $5.15/hr in nearly 10 years. Democrats have made fighting for this increase a cornerstore of their election year pitch. The Republicans have, of course, fought this every step of the way, partly because of their duel bases of big businesses and wealthy Americans, and also to refocus the election year dialogue toward issues like abortion, religion, and guns. You know, the big issues that affect all our lives (I had blogged/ranted about this contrast a month ago). So imagine my surprise when I came across this last week...

AP: House Republicans plan minimum wage vote

House Republican leaders, giving in to political reality, plan a vote to raise the $5.15 minimum wage before leaving Washington this weekend for a five-week recess.

"Whether people like it or not, we need to go ahead with it," said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., who supports the idea. "There's a general agreement among Republicans (opposing the raise) that "maybe we don't like it much, but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons."...

Wowza! Could it be that the Republicans did indeed give in to political realities and realized that Americans have been calling for a wage increase for several years? Could it be that they decided to take the lead on this issue, so that the Democrats could no longer critique them for ignoring it? Is this interesting turn of events too good to be true?

There has to be a catch, right?

Oop, wait! There is!

Republicans muscled the first minimum wage increase in a decade through the House early Saturday after pairing it with a cut in inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates...

...Still, GOP leaders saw combining the wage and tax issues as their best chance for getting permanent cuts to the estate tax, a top GOP priority fueled by intense lobbying by farmers, small business owners and super-wealthy families such as the Waltons, heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune.

"This is the best shot we've got; we're going to take it," said House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. The unusual packaging also soothed conservatives angry about raising the minimum wage over opposition by GOP business allies...

Pairing it with tax cuts! GOP, you old trickster!

This is, of course, politics at its dirtiest. The article makes clear that conseratives/Republicans are still opposed to a wage increase, but only held a vote to cut off a key Democratic campaign issue at its knees. And by pairing it with more tax cuts for the rich, they assure two things- 1) their base will be appeased, and 2) they have more ammo now for anti-Democrat campaign ads. On the latter note, they will use this against the Democrats either way. If the Democrats vote for it, they will say the Democrats flip-flopped on tax cuts. If the Democrats stand on principle and vote against this, they will say the Democrats aren't serious about the minimum wage increase. As predictable as it is odious.

The Democrats should, however, turn the issue back around and make it clear they will not let the minimum wage be used an electoral ploy. They should let voters know that the GOP is playing politics with their wages and once again putting the interests of the wealthiest Americans ahead of everyone else.

I am not sure if Democrats will push back that strongly, but they aren't keeping silent. Examples-

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., vowed Democrats would kill the hybrid bill, along with its 10-year, $300 billion-plus cost.

"The Senate has rejected fiscally irresponsible estate tax giveaways before and will reject them again," Reid said. "Blackmailing working families will not change that outcome."...

..."Just think of what it is to have a bill that says to minimum wage workers, 'We'll raise your minimum wage but only if we can give an estate tax cut to the 7,500 wealthiest families in America,'" said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif...

...The No. 2 Democrat in the House, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, said the move by GOP leaders — who actually oppose the minimum wage increase — was a cynical exercise to give political cover to GOP moderates while ensuring the wage increase does not become law.

"They want on the one hand to appear to be doing something and on the other make sure that it doesn't happen," Hoyer said.

It does appear likely the Democrats will defeat this...

...Which is, of course, probably what the Republicans wanted all along.

Please America, I am begging you here. Throw these bums out.

[PS- The Democrats are starting to finalize their electoral strategy. An AP article states "Democrats plan to press for a minimum wage increase and 'tough, smart' national security in their final push to wrest power from the Republicans in the November elections... It's a compilation of positions the party has staked out over the past few months on income, national security, energy, education, health care and retirement accounts." To quote Principal Skinner at army camp, 'Sounds real good, but it needs improvement'.]