Dobbs Knocks Conservative, Business Groups on Wages

November 9th, 2006 1:09 PM

     Voters in six states chose to increase the minimum wage on November 7, and CNN’s Lou Dobbs took the opportunity to tell business and conservative groups to wise up on the issue.

 

     Calling out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and The Heritage Foundation by name, Dobbs lectured, “these people had better understand something that’s clear.” Dobbs said this was another battle in his almost trademarked “War on the Middle Class” on the November 8 “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”

 

     “When the voters go to the trouble of an initiative…and say business is just pushing way too hard against the interests, the common good [of] working men and women,” continued Dobbs, that shows how important the issue is to “middle class Americans.”.

 

     Promoting the democratic talking point of a minimum wage increase has been a regular feature on “Lou Dobbs Tonight” for months and was promoted in Dobbs’ book “War on the Middle Class.”

 

     Preceding Dobbs’ warning of “fireworks” to come if the federal minimum wage is not increased, Christine Romans offered a report on the passed ballot initiatives.

 

     Romans threw a punch at businesses saying, “The business community has long opposed higher minimum wages, preferring instead low taxes and less regulation.”

 

     The only defender of business opposition to minimum wage increases was The Heritage Foundation’s Bill Beach who said, “When you increase the minimum wage you increase the cost of doing business…that’s kinda tough.”

 

     Romans immediately countered saying, “Voters overwhelmingly disagreed.”

 

     The Business & Media Institute previously documented CNN’s bias on this issue in Minimum Rage.