Linda McMahon: 'We Ought To Review' The Minimum Wage

Linda McMahon, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut, suggested Thursday that the U.S. ought to take a second look at the federal minimum wage.

"The minimum wage now in our country, I think we've set that, so there are a lot of people have benefited from it in our country, but I think we ought to review how much it ought to be, and whether or not we ought to have increases in the minimum wage," McMahon said at a press conference.

After the event, "McMahon admitted she didn't know what the current minimum wage is or if any of her employees at World Wrestling Entertainment are paid it," CTNewsJunkie.com reported. McMahon was CEO of the WWE before launching her Senate campaign.

The minimum wage rose in 2009 to $7.25 per hour from $6.55 per hour, the first increase in a decade. Among workers paid an hourly wage, 980,000 earned the minimum wage in 2009, and 2.6 million earned less, according to the Department of Labor. Those groups together comprise 4.9 percent of all hourly workers.

With a lower minimum wage, "You'd have even more people who were poor even though they were working than you already do," said Elizabeth Lower-Basch, a policy analyst with the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington, D.C. "In this economy, you'd have some people who were desperate enough to take the jobs -- at least in the short run. Others wouldn't be able to take them because they can't afford to -- after paying for child care and transportation, they'd be losing money. Overall, it probably wouldn't have much of an effect on the economy as a whole. The minimum wage in the US is still sufficiently low that it only affects a small portion of the labor market."

McMahon's opponent jumped on the remarks: "Linda McMahon laid off ten percent of her workers and takes home $46 million a year so it's no surprise she's thinking about lowering the minimum wage," said a spokeswoman for Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D).

John Olsen, president of the AFL-CIO in Connecticut, also jumped on the remarks: "It is outrageous that multi-millionaire McMahon is open to reducing the minimum wage, and mind boggling that she doesn't even know how much it is."

UPDATE 4:20 PM: The McMahon campaign says reporters are wrong to suggest McMahon favors lowering the minimum wage. From a spokesman: "I think a good deal of creative interpretation is needed for anybody to take away from these quotes that she is in favor of reducing the minimum wage. She is clearly saying that we ought to review whether this is in fact the time to raise the rate. It's impossible to accept the spin that a handful of reporters are putting on this without changing the definition of the word 'review.' That word is not one and the same with 'cut'. Noah Webster, I'm certain, is turning over in his grave today."

Comments

[TheCarCzarsPage]

08:15 PM on 10/17/2010

Yet, dumb, but pales v. the Dem.and his selective memory, bogus Viet Nam service record.

[Kenz300]

03:16 PM on 10/17/2010

Republicans have always supported business's desire for cheap labor.
They fight against the minimum wage, against social security or medicare,
they are only interested in their own selfish self interests. They instituted 401K's
and got rid of pensions and now you are on your own.

How they have convinced average working Americans to support them is
a true magicians slight of hand trick.

The share of total income going to the top 1% of earners was 8.9% in 1976.

The share of total income going to the top 1% of earners was 23.5% in 2007.

Now they want a tax break. Give me a break! #$%^&*()&^#$

The average hourly wage has declined by 7% during the same period.

Democrats need to speak up and not be drowned out by the 24 informercial
of big business and billionaires.

The shrinking American middle class needs to speak up and not
let the economy be run solely for the rich and powerful.

The President is working to protect the middle class. Big business
interests are trying to protect their interests at the expense of
the average American.

We need to speak up and not let big business buy the election

[kaptaintripps]

09:12 PM on 10/11/2010

Oh, REALLY, Linda? C'mon down and live on it and then tell us all just how sweet it is.

[suzjazz]

09:40 PM on 10/07/2010

Tony Orlando called, Ms. McMahon: he wants his 1980 polyester leisure suit back.

So, McMahon, you don't believe that people deserve to earn even $7.50 an hour?
You rich bottom feeder. You never had to work for minimum wage, obviously.
Newsflash: $7.50 an hour isn't a living wage. You can't support a family on it.

[Libgirl746]

11:43 AM on 10/07/2010

'' She is clearly saying that we ought to review whether this is in fact the time to raise the rate.''

If she was so clear, Mr. Spokesman, why do you feel a need to clarify? Just askin'. If we believed that spin...we would need a ton of Dramamine.

[twain307]

11:22 AM on 10/07/2010

Said the woman from the state that is the most expensive to live in. I am really tired of hearing multi millionairs tell me how tough they have it, and how they suffer under under draconian tax policies, while at the same time opining that earning $290 a week before taxes is just outrageous, and should be lowered, or done away with all together. Someone commented yesterday that 90K earners are the median to be considered middle class. I thought about the quote attributed to Abe Lincoln about God loving poor people, because he made so many of them.

[Dr Olsitsirhc]

11:40 AM on 10/07/2010

So you don't like Pelosi, Reid, Boxer, etc? 40 millionaires in US Senate

At least 40 of the 100 US senators are millionaires, some many times over, according to financial disclosure filings submitted last month. Republicans on the list outnumbered Democrats by a narrow margin of 22 to 18. However, Democratic senators hold the top five spots on the list and eight of the top ten, according to an analysis of the forms by CNN.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29235.html

[twain307]

12:01 PM on 10/07/2010

I'm sorry, do you have reading comprehension issues? The article, and my comments were in regard to millionaires who call for a reduction or elimination of minimum wage. Pelosi, Reid, and Boxer have never done such. That the Congress is populate with rich people is not news.

[suzjazz]

09:45 PM on 10/07/2010

That's one reason why the Senate should be eliminated. It's where good bills go to die.
Privileged wealthy people should not dominate the Senate, and it's true that they are in both major parties, but Pelosi, Reid and Boxer have never said, and would never say, that they oppose raising the minimum wage. Some folks with money can empathize with the rest of us. Not Republicans. It's always all about the money with them. Save businesses money. Never mind that millions of Americans can barely survive on the minimum wage.

[philphilconnors]

11:55 PM on 10/04/2010

At the most basic level, you should be able to cite what the actual minimum wage is. At least have one reason why you should look at that first, especially when there is a ton of banking that is filtered through connecticut and god only knows what type of tax fraud and various others kinds of corporate wrong doing is going on.

I don't think the people who are making the least amount of money in this country need to be scrutinized nearly as much, if at all; while the people who made/are the ones who play the victim... in the name of fiscal responsibility that is.

[KateRachel]

01:45 PM on 10/03/2010

Hopefully the voters will Review her comments, and toss her back into the ring, where her simple-mind relates.

[Spazzznyc]

12:50 PM on 10/03/2010

Just another out of touch millionaire from Greenwich Connecticut. The closest she gets to minimum wage workers are the people that clean her house and pool and clean her office, oh that's if they are legal and do make minimum wage..........

[Cichawoda]

12:33 PM on 10/03/2010

The minimum wage should be equal to a living wage. The income disparity between the workers and the owners in this country has reached tragic proportions. In the history of any country this kind of situation leads to national tragedy. If we don't find a reasonable way to correct this injustice brought about by myopic self interest the American dream will become another footnote in the history of great ideas brought down by individual greed.

You can push people down only so far. When they have nothing to lose they will go for your head.

[philphilconnors]

11:56 PM on 10/04/2010

indeed

[dkhawkee]

11:01 AM on 10/07/2010

So let's see.. What is a living wage in your eyes? Is it a roof over your head, enough to eat, clothes to cover yourself up with? Or .. Does it include such things as a new HD plasma tv? blue ray player? cell phone? new computer? new car? other luxuries?
Yes, minimum wage may not provide for the highest standard for living, and you will have to go without some luxuries in life. it is mainly for those who are part time kids working thier first jobs, or unskilled workers just starting out. If you are still on minimum wages after working a few years, then you really should look at what you are doing with your life that is holding you back from earning a higher wage.

[Cichawoda]

12:10 PM on 10/07/2010

Here you go http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/places/0603743000

This is for Long Beach CA. You can get estimates for all parts of this great nation. 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty today — is it because they haven't figured out what they all haven't figured out how to get a higher wage or maybe corporate America is simply and actively turning this country into a 3rd world nation?

In that Long Beach page the jobs that don't pay a living wage include:
Building and Grounds Cleaning and maintenance
Food Preparation and Serving Related
Transportation and Material Moving

If we had stronger unions these people would go on strike and the rest of us would quickly see how important their jobs are.

[Cichawoda]

12:14 PM on 10/07/2010

One more thing:
"Or .. Does it include such things as a new HD plasma tv? blue ray player? cell phone? new computer? new car? other luxuries?"

I totally agree with you — the best way to curb corporate power is to stop buying their crap.

[hotjobs1121]

11:37 AM on 10/03/2010

She announced she would spend up to $50 million of her own money to self-finance her campaign, allowing her to refuse campaign donations from special interest groups.
McMahon is a staunch supporter of offshore drilling
government deregulation
tax reductions on capital gains and dividends
abolition of the estate tax and the gift tax

She works for the 2% elite, period.

[Bill Ray]

10:50 AM on 10/03/2010

This coming from a woman who has never been paid minimum wage. We ought to put the entire congress and the executive branch on minimum wage. Watch how fast they increase it then. Congress is filled with millionaires who have no idea what the real world is like.

[Aaron Aarons]

01:59 AM on 10/06/2010

Minimum wage? If you put the entire congress on ten times the minimum wage and paid them fully for all the time they're snoozing on the job, they'd be screaming bloody murder about their truly massive pay cut.

[suzjazz]

09:55 PM on 10/07/2010

I think that's a great idea. I only wish we could do it. These wealthy legislators (especially the Republicans) could use a reality check. Only the lowest of life forms masquerading as humans blame people making minimum wage for not making more money and tell them they should be grateful for being paid barely enough to avoid starvation.

[ace316]

10:33 AM on 10/03/2010

How does this woman oppose the minimum wage without even knowing what it is?

[philphilconnors]

12:00 AM on 10/05/2010

she didn't say oppose, she wants to review. It is still absolutely ludicrous that she would even bring up minimum wage without knowing what it is. Assuming you agree, I think we're both on the same page here.

[Dusibello]

10:03 AM on 10/03/2010

Surely has been said 100 times among these 8k comments, but please please please someone catch her saying something about eating cake....

[BahtHarim]

09:11 AM on 10/03/2010

LET THEM EAT CAKE