Hagel (R-Ne) says report on Senate bid wrong

[Omaha Steve]

I don't know how I missed this yesterday. Just in case anyone has misunderstood my posts about Hagel. I only post the news because he is an R that gets a lot of press and I live in Nebraska. His vote to repeal the Federal Minimum Wage yesterday should tell you just what I think of him.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2318605

Published Wednesday
January 24, 2007

Hagel says report on Senate bid wrong

BY JAKE THOMPSON


WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Hagel says there's no truth to a published report Tuesday that he has assured GOP leaders he will seek re-election to the Senate in 2008.
Click to Enlarge
Sen. Chuck Hagel

The Nebraska Republican said he has made no decision on that, on running for president, or on retiring.

But every move Hagel makes - and doesn't make - is churning a rumor mill these days. That's because whatever path he chooses could have ramifications for other Nebraska politicians and for the Republican Party's strength in the U.S. Senate.

"It sets off bells and whistles within the Beltway crowd," said David Kra- mer, former state GOP chairman.

And in Nebraska, said U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, "There are people that are anxiously awaiting Chuck's decision because it affects their decision to run for a Senate seat, or not."

So Terry, who's giving the Senate some thought, was among those taking note Tuesday of a story that appeared in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call.

It quoted an unnamed GOP operative in Washington as saying Hagel had told the National Republican Senatorial Committee that he would seek re-election in 2008 - although that doesn't mean he's decided not to launch a White House bid.

Hagel said the story was wrong.

"I have not made any decision; I've told no one of any of my decisions; my wife doesn't know of my decisions," he said. "I have never spoken to anyone at the Republican Senate campaign committee about what I am going to do."

Hagel has said he will decide within a couple of weeks whether to join a field already crowded with more than a dozen presidential hopefuls of both political parties.

He could declare for president and keep his options open on whether to seek re-election in Nebraska.

That would allow him to see how he fares in the early presidential primary and caucus contests - slated for January 2008 - and still have time to meet the Feb. 15, 2008, filing deadline for Nebraska incumbents in the 2008 Senate race.

GOP strategist Doug McAuliffe, who has worked for Hagel's Senate campaigns, said Hagel hasn't told him whether he will stay in politics.

But McAuliffe said Hagel is concerned about the direction of the country, the Iraq war and big issues facing Congress.

"And I just cannot believe (he) is going to watch from the sidelines or watch from the business community," McAuliffe said.

Republicans in Washington are watching Hagel closely because in 2008, Republicans will defend 20 Senate seats, compared with 12 for the Democrats.

Incumbents are tough to defeat. And national GOP officials would like to not have to worry about Nebraska.

The Senate is controlled by Democrats, 51-49. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that if Hagel sought the presidency, he'd be a strong candidate.

But McConnell said, "I would hope that even if he decides to run for president he would not automatically walk away from his Senate seat because he's an extremely important member of our (GOP) conference."

If Hagel launches a presidential bid, it could topple "a whole bunch of dominoes," Kramer said. "If he does not, it doesn't have to topple many dominoes."

That's presuming he holds off on saying whether he'll run for re-election.

If he retires, other Republicans who could seek his seat include Terry, Attorney General Jon Bruning, former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub, businessman Pete Ricketts, who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson last year, and possibly former Gov. Mike Johanns, now U.S. agriculture secretary.

Among Democrats, the names of Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and Scott Kleeb, who lost his 3rd District race last fall against Nebraska's newest congressman, Adrian Smith, have popped up as possible Senate candidates.

[mtnsnake]

1. I saw Hagel on the news this morning running down Bush's plan. Hagel was awesome. nt

[Tom Joad]

2. He voted to "repeal" the minimum wage? or not increase it.

I think there is a difference, though it is despicable just keeping it as it is. in fact, not increasing it pretty much makes it irrelevant.

Still, abolishing it all together is extremism at another level.

[Omaha Steve]

3. 28 Senators Vote to Repeal Minimum Wage. 2008 Elections, Anyone?

Posted earlier today: http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/01/25/28-senators-vote-to-repeal-minimum-wage-2008-elections-anyone/

28 Senators Vote to Repeal Minimum Wage. 2008 Elections, Anyone?

by Mike Hall, Jan 25, 2007

Maybe in 1938, the idea of a federal minimum wage was controversial. But not so much so that a majority of the House and Senate couldn’t approve the Fair Labor Standards Act that set the federal minimum wage at 25 cents an hour.

So in 2007, how can anyone with a shred of common sense, let alone an ounce of empathy for men and women who bust their tails day in and day out for $5.15 an hour, say it’s time to scrap the federal minimum wage?

Yesterday, 69 years after the minimum wage was first established, 28 U.S. senators did just that when they voted “yes” on an amendment from Colorado Republican Wayne Allard that would have scrapped the federal minimum wage. (Click here to see the 28 senators who voted for the Allard amendment. They should be ashamed of themselves and if they are your lawmakers, let them know how wrong they were.)

We’re not making this up. Here’s what Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) had to say about the Allard amendment that was offered to the Senate bill (S. 2) to raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour:

On the Allard amendment, members should understand what the effect of the Allard amendment is, and that is effectively to repeal the minimum wage for any states among the 50 states. That effectively is what the Allard amendment does.

Allard hid the repeal behind the “state flexibility” mask, claiming states should be allowed to set their own rates, without a federal floor, because of different costs of living and differing economies. The amendment would nullify the federal minimum wage standard in the 45 states that have their own minimum wage law, and allow the five states that don’t—Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee—to opt-out of any federal minimum wage increase by passing a minimum wage law providing at least $5.15 an hour.

As if speaking to reluctant Depression-era lawmakers wary of federal intrusion on the states, Kennedy explained the reason for a minimum wage floor:

The concept of the minimum wage was that it was going to be a minimum payment, a minimum standard. What was accepted at the time of the minimum wage is that in this country, we didn’t want to accelerate a rush to the bottom so that we would have competition in the various states to pay the lowest possible wages–sweat labor–in order to try to attract industries into those particular States, but to provide a minimum standard.

Here in the 21st century, that simple reasoning just didn’t penetrate the skulls of 28 U.S. senators—who by the way make $165,200 a year and almost annually vote to give themselves a pay raise.

Meanwhile, after 43 Republican senators yesterday maneuvered to kill a clean minimum wage bill with no tax giveaways to business, debate continues today on another Senate minimum wage bill that includes business tax cuts and other giveaways. A final vote likely won’t take place until next week, but we will give you an update tomorrow.

Hagel voted to repeal.

YEAs ---28
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. LOL, Hagel's positioning himself, he is breathing the sweet vapors of fame and accord.

The GOP primaries are going to make WWWF look civilized. MKJ