35 million in Poverty (and Dems) just got Royally ScREWED on Min Wage Vote

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Kennedy's amendment to raise min wage to $7.25 over 3 years had enough votes to pass, with help from mod repubs. BUT Frist put in a poison pill - an anti-abortion piece. So there was no way the Dems could let it pass. So they withdrew it, after it passed with 52 votes.

Then Wyoming's R- Enze, introduced a weak version - raising only a measily $1.10 over 18 months. So most Repigs voted for it - Dems against along with a bunch of wingnuts. It failed.

SO NOW _

WAGE EARNERS SCREWED

DEMS HOODWINKED

MOST REPIGS CAN SAY THEY VOTED TO INCREASE THE MIN WAGE AND DEMS VOTED NO (enze's amendment)

[thereismore]

1. Gotta hand it to him. Frist did his job. WTH is abortion to do with it. nt

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. Absolutely nothing that I can see. Something about making it

criminal to transport across state lines for an abortion.

Surely, surely, there is some rule that the amendment has to be germane?

[rock]

7. "Germane" is a characterization

Who would make that call? I'm sure Frist would insist that it's germane.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. Yes, since they were talking about minimum wage earners Frist

was helping them out by saying, "get your abortion locally to save on gas money" Ha - Absolutely insane. And they know, no one will cover this except for maybe Jon Stewart or Colbert. They count on people not being informed. Out biggest enemy to the truth in instant 24 hour news. Poor Kennedy - you would think he would give up, but he keeps on trying.

[BOSSHOG]

2. It didn't take you long to figure it out

Nor will it take millions of sane Americans. Those who vote against their own interests may be pissed to hear that their gop heroes voted for an increase of the minimum wage. While a bogus vote, wouldn't that be an ironic twist.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. Yes, it would - but, since it's only 72 cents - they can probably talk

their way out of it. I think it was mostly the extreme right who voted no on enze. Man, they had it covered from all fucking angles.

Wow, I can't believe Kennedy couldn't figure out a way not to get so screwed. And I am surprise Dems didn't vote for Enze's amendment - just to give the poor people a crumb.

[waiting for hope]

4. Frist is such an asshole....

That's just plain dirty......do we have any poisoned pills? How about making marriage as defined by two loving consenting adults? Or better yet, making is so that no act of congress could ever tell a woman what she can or can not do with her own body, or reaffirming the separation of church and state...geez, I could go on for days but I'm sitting here at work and the big heads are due back from lunch any minute...

[OhioChick]

5. Business as usual.......

Repubs screwing the poor.

[ComerPerro]

8. That's exactly right, and they do that shit all the time. Its sick

[Armstead]

9. This reflects a bigger "process" problem in Congress

Before I get jumped on, let me emphasize that I love Ted Kennedy (he's my Senator), I totally support his relentless efforts to raise the Minimum Wage.

However, in this particular case, his proposal is being tacked onto a Defense Spending Bill. Therefore, in itself it is based on an attempt at parliamentary one-upsmanship with an amendment that has nothing to do with the bill it is tacked onto. So in a sense, the GOP is just one-upping Kennedy's one-upsmanship.

I'd rather see it possible to have a minimum wage bill proposed as a minimum wage bill o its own terms. That'd force the hand of the Repugs in a direct way, and show that they are opposed to workers.

Again, I totally support Kennedy on this. However, this does reflect what's wrong with Congress in a bigger non-partisan sense. Too many amendments that both distract from original legislation and attempt to push through things that have little to do with each other. It's also how so much pork gets through the system.

It confuses issues, and is one reason little actually gets done. Right now, that's a good thing, because it prevents Repugs from ramming through even more.

But it could cut both ways, when Democrats take back control.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. So, is that the only way he could do it? I mean if he actually

raised it the proper way - they would never put it on the calendar, right? Or what would keep Frist from pulling the same stunt no matter what vehicle Kennedy used to get it to a vote???

[Armstead]

15. Unless a lightening bolt of enlightment strikes the GOP...

...as long as they control the agenda, we're stuck with things like this.

My point was that Congress is set up for things like this to be business as usual, with spurious amendments and poison pills.

It'd be a much healthier situation if issues and appropriatiions could be brought up and debated on their own terms.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. Not up on procedure enough - but I thought I heard Kennedy

say last week that he was going to filibuster this issue. Maybe he had to have 60? and only got 52? Or am I way off base?

[Armstead]

17. That I'm not sure of....

Kennedy's long been doing everything possible to get this onto the agenda and passed, or at least voted on.

If he didn't have enough Dems for a filabuster, and they left him hanging out to dry, then it says more about them than anything. But I can't jump to any conclusions not knowing the background on this particular bill.

IMO the Minimum Wage should be a no-brainer for Democrats of all stripes to support, because it has been so stagnant and fallen in value compared to the cost of living. There are no shades of grey at this point, both in practical and symnbolic terms. If you're for an increase you're for the people. If you're against it you're a tool of Big Business. That's the argument every single Democrat should be making and hammering home this election year.

[Warpy]

11. Dems need to hold a big press conference over this one

but they won't.

They need to do mass mailings to constituents over this one, but they won't.

Frist needs to die of shame. But he won't.

[Beelzebud]

12. They can hold all the big press conferences they want. The press doesn't

show up, and if they do, they dont' cover it...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. You're probably right. I think they need to pay someone to put

someone on MTP, Situation Room, Face the Nation, etc. etc.

[Little Star]

18. Dems do need to hold a press conference on this and

if they are really supportive of the increase they need to also school all of the american people on the process. Armstead's posts opened up my eyes and now I want to really understand what went on today. I will be writing my senators to ask for a full explanation. Why tack the minimum wage bill onto a Defense Spending Bill in the first place? Why not make it a stand alone bill if they know the repugs will use this so called poison pill option? Seems to me that if it stood alone and was called what it really is, it would take the ball out of the repug hands.