Thankfully Republicans stood united against the minimum-wage hike, with one RINO exception: Sen. Bob Corker.
WASHINGTON TIMES – Senate Republicans on Wednesday filibustered an increase in the minimum wage, halting yet another key item on President Obama’s 2014 agenda and giving both sides talking points heading into the November elections.
Democrats fell five votes shy of the 60-vote threshold needed to take action, with just a single Republican — Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee — voting to move ahead with the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the GOP was doing the bidding of rich billionaires Charles and David Koch, while Republicans countered that Democrats were pushing a job-killing proposal at a time when the latest data shows the economy still sputtering, more than five years into Mr. Obama’s tenure.
Wednesday’s vote was not in doubt. Even a number of Democrats were reluctant to accept a hike from the current $7.25 an hour rate all the way to $10.10, which is what was called for in the legislation written by Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat.
And when Majority Leader Harry Reid didn’t respond favorably to GOP senators’ requests to allow amendments to change the bill, that left almost every Republican opposed, too.