Romney Joins Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum as Republican Supporters of Minimum Wage Increase

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama went on record as saying that he would support an increase of the nation's minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour. President Obama said that increasing the nation's minimum wage was the "right thing to do" and that it would "boost the economy".

At the time, President Obama said that the "overwhelming majority" of Americans supported a minimum wage increase and that it was time to "give Americans a raise".

In late April, Senate Republicans blocked a minimum wage bill from passing the filibuster threshold, and the bill seems to be even less popular in the Republican-controlled House.

The Democrats smelled the blood in the water over this issue and have pounced aggressively in recent days, accusing the Republicans of not acting in the best interests of the nation. It's clear that the Democrats will be making a minimum wage increase a key issue heading into the midterm elections later this year.

--

A number of prominent Republicans, including 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, have spoken out in favor of a minimum wage increase over recent days and weeks.

Romney said that "we oughta rise it" in a recent interview with MSNBC, while Tim Pawlenty said that "Republicans should support a reasonable increase in the minimum wage". Rick Santorum, who is apparently considering another Presidential run in 2016, also recently stated that the Republicans should not be "against any minimum wage increase ever."

Of course, neither of the three men indicated exactly how much the nation's minimum wage should increase. I find it unlikely that they would support an increase to $10.10/hour, but I might be wrong.

--

It seems as though a number of key Republicans have realized that the national minimum wage is an issue that could end up hurting the Republican party in the midterm elections, and they are actively trying to get other Republicans on board with an increase in order to stop the Democrats from gaining any momentum from the issue.

Source: LATimes.com - Does Romney's Support of Minimum Wage Indicate Shift in GOP?

Filed under: General Knowledge