John Kerry: “I cannot understand why Senator Dole, who previously voted to raise the minimum wage, would not want to raise the…”

“I cannot understand why Senator Dole, who previously voted to raise the minimum wage, would not want to raise the minimum wage above what soon will be a 40-year low in purchasing power. The minimum wage in this country soon will be at a 40-year low. The poverty level in America is $12,500 for a family of three. It is $15,150 for a family of four. On a minimum wage, you can earn $8,500, three-quarters the level of poverty for a family of three, and only about half the poverty level for a family of four. I honestly do not know why the Senator from Kansas, the majority leader, the nominee-to-be of the Republican Party, would not want to see the minimum wage raised, particularly since he has previously joined in the bipartisan effort to try to do that.”