We want to focus on Michele Bachmann's assertion that abolishing the minimum wage will create jobs. We really want to. But, we just can't get over this whole 'the Founding Fathers fought tirelessly to end slavery' bit. Did you miss it?
A full transcript of her ABC interview with George Stephanopoulos is HERE. The part to focus on is:
Stephanopoulos: ...the Pulitzer Prize winning website, Politifact, has found that you have the worst record of making false statements of any of the leading contenders. And I wondered if you wanted to take a chance to clear up some of your past statements. For example earlier this year you said that the Founding Fathers who wrote the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence worked tirelessly to end slavery. Now with respect Congresswoman, that’s just not true. Many of them including Jefferson and Washington were actually slave holders and slavery didn’t end until the Civil War.
Bachmann: Well you know what’s marvelous is that in this country and under our constitution, we have the ability when we recognize that something is wrong to change it. And that’s what we did in our country. We changed it. We no longer have slavery. That’s a good thing. And what our Constitution has done for our nation is to give us the basis of freedom unparalleled in the rest of the world.
Stephanopoulos: I agree with that…
Bachmann: That’s what people want...they realize our government is taking away our freedom.
Stephanopoulos: But that’s not what you said. You said that the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery.
Bachmann: Well if you look at one of our Founding Fathers, John Quincy Adams, that’s absolutely true. He was a very young boy when he was with his father serving essentially as his father’s secretary. He tirelessly worked throughout his life to make sure that we did in fact one day eradicate slavery….
First of all: JOHN QUINCY ADAMS WAS 8 YEARS OLD WHEN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS SIGNED.
Second, the fact that Bachmann feels the need to say -- outloud! -- that ending slavery was "a good thing," is, well...just unspeakable. Rather, it should be. This is the ultimate foregone conclusion, the quintessential Captain Obvious decree. As a "party," the Tea should be steeping in embarrassment.
As for the minimum wage, ABC's follow up story suggests economists are divided on the impact that destroying already-low personal income in the middle of the worst recession in 75 years would have. Not surprisingly, that divide falls squarely along party lines.
Predictably, the conservative Heritage Foundation defends the bootstraps and business angle, suggesting the freedom to pay workers dismal wages -- not to mention a worker's constitutional right to stand on his own, completely devoid of protections against self-interested actors with God-awful track records of fairness in wildly unregulated markets -- is the key moving forward.
From James Sherk, a senior labor and economics policy analyst at the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation:
BOOTSTRAPS...
If it means that you don't get that first start in the labor market, then you could be on the trajectory for lower wages for your entire career.
n' BUSINESS...
Employers are not going to pay workers more than the value they add to the company.
Read the entire ABC piece HERE.