Bill Clinton: “The reason we didn't is that in the first year--let me just say, I have always been on record in favor of minimum wage…”

“The reason we didn't is that in the first year--let me just say, I have always been on record in favor of minimum wage increases that more or less keep up with inflation. But in the very first year, keep in mind what I did, we doubled the earned-income tax credit and made it refundable and basically put ourselves on a track where we're going to take working families with children out of poverty. But meanwhile, when it became apparent to me that the minimum wage was dropping to a 40-year low, it was obvious we had to increase it. And I had no reason to believe that this would be a big partisan issue. I mean, even Republicans had been willing in the past to vote for a minimum wage increase; it was only when they got into the majority that they decided it was a terrible idea. And so I had no reason to believe that they wouldn't. We did the first things first: We doubled the earned-income tax credit first, and then I asked for an increase in the minimum wage. Now, I believe that we can still get this done. You know, the last time we voted on a minimum wage, there was a Republican President, and a lot of Republican Members of Congress voted for it. I don't know why they have all suddenly decided it's a terrible thing to do.”