Boxer to GOP on Minimum Wage: "The Truth Shall Set You Free"

[Bob Geiger]

Before Democrats' ninth attempt at raising the minimum wage was killed once again in the Senate yesterday, Barbara Boxer (D-CA) let her Republican colleagues have it. She blasted them for their lack of true family values, said they were lying in their assertions that raising the minimum wage for the first time in a decade would harm the economy, and told them "the truth shall set you free."

Here's Boxer:

"Senator Enzi says this debate is grating on the Republican side of the aisle. Sorry, that is how it is when you are on the wrong side of the truth. It is grating to have to hear the truth as Senator Kennedy and others have spoken of.

"It has been 9 long years since there has been an increase in the minimum wage. It is a disgrace. While we see our friends on the other side fight for the CEOs of oil companies, in the Committee on Commerce, they would not even swear them in. They are all on that side. When it comes to working families, forget about it.

"Then Senator Enzi implies this does not have anything to do with women. Women make up 59 percent of the workers who would be affected as a result of raising the minimum wage; 1.4 million working mothers would benefit directly, 760,000 single moms would get an immediate raise, and over 3 million kids have parents who would get an immediate raise.

"What has happened to family values on the other side of the aisle? It seems to me it is just so many empty words.

"Then they scare you and say the economy will suffer. All you have to do, again, is look at the facts and look at the truth. In the 4 years after the last minimum wage increase passed, the economy experienced its strongest growth in over three decades. All the talk about how bad a minimum wage increase is for the economy is not true.

"I say to my Republican friends, support the Kennedy increase in the minimum wage. The truth shall set you free."

Democrats running for Senate need to remind their Republican opponents of how they voted on this legislation every single day between now and November 7.

You can reach Bob Geiger at [e-mail] and read more from him at Democrats.com.

[MH1]

1. Help - what happened?

I was out of town and didn't get to see much news. I am confused because the senate website says the Kennedy amendment to raise the minimum wage passed. Yet I heard on NPR it was killed by a "procedural vote" but they didn't go into detail about what that meant.

Can someone explain concisely what happened? Thanks!

[w4rma]

2. Repugs killed it with a poison pill. (nt)

[MH1]

6. Okay, you made me look.

Summarized on S6105 of the CR:

Kennedy amendment No. 4322, to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage.

Frist amendment No. 4323 (to Amendment No. 4322), to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions.

Discussion here (pdf):

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2006_record&page=S6051&position=all

but that only says that they'll figure out later how they will address both provisions - Frist says a cloture vote is needed, but the senate site is not calling the vote on 4322 a cloture vote, and Thomas says it passed and then was withdrawn.

These are the kind of games that confuse people and make them feel congress is a joke.

[Bob Geiger]

3. Senate web site wrong

I'm not sure why but the Senate web site is wrong in saying that the Kennedy amendment passed. I think it's because, under normal circumstances, the amendment would only have required a simple majority (50 votes) but, because of the deal they had to cut to get rid of Frist's poison-pill amendment, this one required 60 to pass.

I hope they correct it soon as it's confusing a lot of people.

Bob

[MH1]

5. Thanks

I agree, I hope they correct it soon.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Cons made them agree to a SUPER MAJORITY vote

Whatever happened to an Up or Down vote like they want for judges? :grr:

[BeFree]

7. It should have been unanimous

The dirty stinking bastard blowhard warpublican fat-cat jerkoffs are going down. They turned away from truth and have knifed the worker in the back one time too often. They are our enemy.