A Republican election-year effort to ride the Paris Hilton estate tax cut on the coattails of low income workers was rejected by the Senate late Thursday.
Passed in the House last Saturday by Wisconsin Reps. Ryan and Green, the bill failed in the Senate by a 42-56 vote, four votes short of succeeding.
For Republicans, the combination could have neutralized a Democratic campaign issue while also advancing another tax cut for the rich, a Bush base priority that may have an uncertain future if the GOP loses seats in Congress in November's election. A "stand alone" minimum wage increase was proposed earlier by Democrats in the House and failed because Republicans(Ryan & Green among them) refuse to help low income people without their rich base getting something in return.
The GOP strategy backfired in their faces and will put Republicans up for mid-term elections in an uncomfortable position. Once good government is restored in November, Democrats will certainly propose a minimum wage increase and pass it on its own merit as it deserves.
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