Crossfire hosts Stephanie Cutter and S.E. Cupp debated solutions to unemployment with former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Robert Reich on Wednesday.
Cupp, a self-described Log Cabin Republican, ended up getting a lot more than she bargained for when she attempted to go toe-to-toe against Robert Reich’s belief that minimum wage levels should be increased.
As a matter of background, Reich is currently the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, an author, political economist, professor, and political commentator who served in the administrations of three presidents, including serving as Clinton’sand was Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997.
S.E. Cupp: “You would suggest that we force employers to raise wages, force union participation, raise taxes on the top job creators, and force employers to cut off hiring at 50 employees to avoid Obamacare mandates. How is that a job recipe for job creation?”
Robt. Reich: “It’s not forcing.”
S.E. Cupp: “You want to raise the minimum wage, which would force [employers] to raise wages.”
Robt. Reich: “We’ve had a minimum wage in this country since 1935. Raising the minimum wage is good for the country. It puts more money in the pockets of people. Sixty-five percent of Americans want to raise the minimum wage. Most minimum-wage workers these days are not teenagers; they are breadwinners. If you help them, you are helping the economy overall. And a lot of employers will benefit from a higher minimum wage.”
You can watch the discussion below, courtesy of CNN:
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