Democrats’ Minimum Wage Demands Keep Going Up
National Democrats are out of step with their base.
Democrat politicians have been raising their demands on how high to raise the minimum wage. Democrat socialist Bernie Sanders supports hiking the national wage to $15 an hour — double the current minimum wage of $7.50. Hillary Clinton told an audience in Iowa Tuesday, “Twelve [dollars an hour] would give us a good solid increase.” It was just two years ago that Democrats were being “progressive” by seeking to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, with Barack Obama being one of the most vocal supporters. While the inflating policy proposals probably make for great headlines and campaign promises (Democrats will give you free stuff by forcing your employer to pay you more than your job is worth!), even Democrat voters know when enough is enough. Among the notable local elections around the country, voters in Portland, Maine, rejected a proposal to raise the city’s minimum wage from the federal minimum to $15 an hour — over concerns that it would hurt small business, just as it already is in Seattle. The city in the liberal Northeast will still raise its wage — it will go up to $10.10 Jan. 1 — but it shows how some Democrats are out of step with their base. And remember: Democrats are for minimum wages, while Republicans are for maximum wages. People should be paid as much as possible, just not through government mandate.