President Obama went beyond calling for the minimum wage to be increased by daring Republicans who think that people can live on the minimum wage to try it.
The president said:
Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That’s why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. Really. It’s 2015. It’s time. We still need to make sure employees get the overtime they’ve earned. And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.
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In previous speeches, the president has called for the minimum wage to be increased, but tonight his tone was different. The president saw minimum wage increases pass all across the country in 2014. He knows that the American people support increasing the minimum. The president also understands that the Republican arguments against raising the minimum wage are bogus.
President Obama’s remarks were an example of the aggressiveness that he is demonstrating. A rising economy and increasing approval ratings are giving this president a lot of muscle. The president is only highlighting differences. He is calling out Republican hypocrisies and bad policies. If Republicans think the minimum wage is so great, they should try living on it.
The president isn’t just standing up for ordinary Americans. He is taking the fight to Koch fueled Republican oligarchs on the country’s largest political stage.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
