filibuster

So, Harry Reid just stood up to the Republicans. He basically gave them the choice of going on record as stopping the first minimum wage increase in 10 years, something that may not go down well with working class voters, or to shut up. They shut up. The minimum wage bill will go to a vote soon and should pass.

Problem is, in the process the Republicans did get a chance to tack on several odious amendments giving yet more tax breaks to the wealthy and such. But we'll see what gets through on the final bill.

I still urge you to write your Senators and the media and give your opinion.

We're pushing this a lot today, but that's because this is happening right now in the Senate. We really need to up the pressure to get some action.

The Democrats in the House and Senate backed by some House Republicans are pushing for the first increase in the minimum wage since 1997. Their efforts are being blocked by a Republican filibuster in the Senate and is being held up by no fewer than 121 amendments, mostly benefitting special interests. The pressure has to come from us to get the Republicans in the Senate to stop blocking the first pay raise for America's working poor in 10 years.

This comes from 21st Century Democrats:

Today, the U.S. Senate is poised to vote on finally giving the hard working people in this country a raise. The only thing stopping it… the Republicans are filibustering a final vote by opposing closing debate of the bill and moving to final passage of a increased minimum wage. As of this morning, 121 amendments to the increase in the minimum wage have been filed - largely to benefit special interests or put anti-labor language into the bill. Even though the legislation is enormously popular across the country, the Republicans in the Senate are using this as a way to stall the one thing they don’t want to deal with; the Iraq War...

The fact that this bill sped through the House of Representatives and is only being held up in the Senate by the Republicans as a purely political move is simply horrendous. We cannot stand idly by as they play politics on the backs of hard working people in America.