Obama has surprised many with a call for a minimum wage increase and much to the chagrin of the Republicans.
The reason for that is because it’s really hard to go against a President who says that anyone who works for 40 hours a week should not have to face poverty and which was how he framed his argument for an increase in the minimum wage.
John Boehner, who sat behind the President for the State of the Union, remained expressionless much less empathetic with people who find themselves in this situation, and in fact, the very next day, opposed this move made by the President.
This puts the Republicans in a precarious position, when it comes to popular opinion, as the polls are always in favor of a minimum wage increase, regardless of whether you are an independent, Republican or Democrat.
On the other hand, a White House official puts things into perspective when he says that this growing trends in economic inequality occurs due to the “erosion of the minimum wage due to inflation”.
If what Obama proposes does become law, then raising the minimum wage will be tied to the cost of living, and will ensure that the poorest of Americans are taken care of from time to time, making it a non-issue, from a political point-of-view.
Yet despite the disagreement that the Republicans and Democrats might have over raising the minimum wage, there’s one thing that history and not parties agree on: the Republicans always tend to lose out.