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Weiland Gets National Press for Smart Minimum Wage Politics

U.S. Senate candidate Rick Weiland gets in the New York Times for smart economic policy and politics. He tells the national audience about how backing an increase in the minimum wage can be a political plus even for a Democrat in Republican South Dakota:

Sixty-four percent of independents and even 57 percent of Republicans said they supported increasing the minimum wage, according to a CBS News poll last month. Some 70 percent of self-described “moderates” said they supported an increase.

“We’ve got a lot of folks who are registered Republicans for whatever reason here, but when you start talking about earning a dollar more an hour it means something to them, regardless of their party,” said Rick Weiland, the Democrat running for the Senate in South Dakota next year, who has embraced the ballot measure there.

Mr. Weiland said 62,000 people in his sparsely populated state would receive a raise if a ballot question that calls for raising the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour from $7.25 wins the approval of voters in November [Jonathan Martin and Michael D. Shear, "Democrats Turn to Minimum Wage as 2014 Strategy," New York Times, 2013.12.29].

Martin and Shear note that if Republicans are worried (if? ha!) that Weiland and other Democrats may boost their electoral prospects by fighting for workers, GOP strategists have a perfectly good defense: don't fight back. Accept increasing the minimum wage as good economic policy, and you won't give Democrats the chance to make you out to be the bad guys.

5 Comments

  1. Rick 2014.01.02

    Call me old fashioned, but a good example of running a positive, people-oriented campaign is visiting businesses and door-to-door in 246 South Dakota towns. Weiland is to be commended for the sweat equity and shoe leather investment without a state primary opponent.

    Compare this to who allegedly leads the pack in the GOP primary. That guy is waiting out the clock by ducking debates, the press and public appearances. If Mike Rounds was such a popular governor, then why are there three Republicans running to make sure he doesn't get the nomination?

    Aren't candidates supposed to work for your vote and demonstrate that they give a damn?

  2. Rorschach 2014.01.02

    Rick Weiland is doing everything right so far. I'm impressed with his diligent campaigning and good decision making. In addition to raising money, Weiland desperately needs to raise his profile and introduce himself - which he's doing.

    Mike Rounds is also doing what he needs to do at this stage, which is raise money. People already know who he is, so he can safely duck the public and his opponents and any tough questions for now. He will continue denying his opponents any acknowledgement that they exist as long as he can get away with it. Some of them may not make it on the ballot, and those that do may never pose a threat to beat him in the primary. He may be able to continue hiding out in an undisclosed location like Dick Cheney through September or so. But if he's not severely tested by his primary opponents, the pain will be that much more intense when the Weiland campaign starts pounding him in the fall on all the issues surrounding his governorship.

  3. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.01.03

    Overall wages have remained stagnant over the past several years, and that doesn't seem to be helping employment any.

  4. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.01.03

    Boxer's article appears mostly theoretical. I'd like some linked empirical examples.

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