Politics
Democrats Assail G.O.P. After Filibuster of Proposal to Raise Minimum Wage
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., right, accompanied by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 30, 2014. Corker was the only Republican to cross party lines and vote “yes” in favor of allowing debate on the Minimum Wage Fairness Act to proceed. The measure was stopped in the Senate, handing a defeat to President Barack Obama on a vote that is sure to reverberate in this year’s congressional contests. (AP Photo)
[Washington Post]
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.
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.”
