Poll: GOP Couldn’t Live On Minimum Wage, But Still Won’t Raise It - NBC [View all]

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Poll: GOP couldn’t live on minimum wage, but still won’t raise it
By David Ingram - NBC
7/23/14

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A vast majority of Republicans say they would not be able to live off the current federal minimum wage, but they still don’t support raising it, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

The research, conducted by the left-leaning Public Policy Polling, finds 69% of Republicans say they don’t think it’s feasible for them to make a living off the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. And the feeling is bipartisan with 80% of Democrats and 74% of Independents sharing the same sentiment.

However, it does not appear to change the GOP’s stance. According to the poll, just 37% of Republicans say they support a raise to the minimum wage; nearly 3 in 4 Democrats back a hike. Overall, more than half of the respondents, 54%, back President Obama’s proposal for a higher minimum wage.

Strong Democratic support for raising the minimum wage is not surprising. In April, Senate Democrats introduced legislation that would have raised the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, but it failed, 54-42. The proposal needed 60 votes needed to move forward. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) was the only member of the GOP to break ranks and support the measure. Even if the Senate vote has succeeded, the future of any Democratic-proposed bill to raise the minimum wage had a dismal outlook. House Republican leaders have said they would not debate legislation unless it included job training programs.

Some 28 million American workers would have seen more money in their paychecks if Congress would approve an increase to the minimum wage, according to Sen. Tom Harkin’s office – the lead sponsor of this year’s bill. Sen. Harkin’s office also says the federal government would save $4.6 billion annually from people no longer relying on food stamps.

The poll findings comes after the launch of a new campaign, “Live the Wage,” which challenges lawmakers to...

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More: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/poll-gop-couldnt-live-minimum-wage-still-wont-raise-it?google_editors_picks=true