Congressman Brags About Sabotaged Minimum Wage Bill: ‘You Have Seen Us Really Outfox You’
Congressman Brags About Sabotaged Minimum Wage Bill: ‘You Have Seen Us Really Outfox You’
At 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, the House of Representatives passed a bill that links a $2 increase in the minimum wage to a dramatic cut of the estate tax for millionaires.
A few hours earlier, Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) went on the House floor to brag about this ploy, which has little chance of passing the Senate. Wamp said to his opponents, “I know why you’re so mad and why you say things you don’t really mean. It’s because you have seen us really outfox you on this issue tonight.” Watch it:
Transcript:
WAMP: The other side says all the time, you run this place. You’ve got majorities in the House and Senate. And I want to remind them that we do. And if we didn’t want to do this, we wouldn’t do it. You know why we are doing it this way? Because this is the better way to do it because the small businesspeople and the family farmers need certainty in terms of this estate tax. We eliminated it but it comes back. It is an onerous tax. It’s an unfair tax. When you raise wages, it is a fixed cost in business, You have to compensate that with smart business investments through tax polcy. Our tax policy has been good for America. Our economic policy is good for America.
This minimum wage increase is a savvy way to put it all together and make this medicine for America go down smooth and keep our economy strong. Because this will force some fixed costs up in small business, and you can’t just throw it on them without some people losing their jobs, and this is a fair and responsible way to do it. I know why you’re so mad and why you say things you don’t really mean. It’s because you have seen us really outfox you on this issue tonight. That’s what we are doing today is bringing a very crafty, smart, good for America, good for the economy package and still allow the minimum wage to go up.
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66 Responses to “Congressman Brags About Sabotaged Minimum Wage Bill: ‘You Have Seen Us Really Outfox You’”
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Zach Wamp? No, not really. Really?
July 31st, 2006 at 1:23 pmJust 100 days and the outfoxers get outfoxed.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:25 pmWhy do Republicans like being a$$holes? Why do they hate the democratic process.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:26 pmSo, he is proud of the fact that the Republican party just screwed every low wage earner in America. Way to go. Not!
July 31st, 2006 at 1:28 pmLet's start raising funds for this a**holes opponent.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:28 pmFor these guys, it's all about winning. The public good be damned.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:28 pmZach Wimp(R), hillbillie fascist at your service. Hater of America, lover of the corrupt Republican party,traitor
July 31st, 2006 at 1:30 pmat least a fox is an appropriate annalogy (not REAL foxes mind you, real foxes are cool, I mean the steriotypical-anthropomorphized-media version of the fox)
July 31st, 2006 at 1:32 pmKeep pissing on the little guy, and giving ammo to your opponents, ya putz.
November's looking better all the time.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:33 pmwho or what outfoxed the hair off of Wamp's head? and what is in it for him, the gift of a Hair Club for Men lifetime membership?
July 31st, 2006 at 1:34 pmWages in a business are not a fixed cost, they are a variable cost. For example, the rent on the facility is a fixed cost as it does not change with sales or production. The cost of wages changes with the rate and number of employees hence it is a variable cost. Variable costs can be recouped through greater productivity (people earning their money by working harder) and/or an increase in sales through volume or price. In fact the raising of the minimum wage actually lowers the fixed cost RATIO as compared to sales and profit margin.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:34 pmI agree. What a horrible thing to see the Repubs bragging about "outfoxing" the American people.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:34 pmGood attempt at being logical but his argument fails. There is no direct offset of the minimum wage increase by the eliminatiion of the estate tax. His assumption is that the elimination of the estate tax will directly benefit employers who pay minimum wage. Would he please explain just how that is suppose to occur? The "outfoxed" comment is simply the repubs way of saying we're kicking your ass and you can't do anything about it. He's just reinforced why the repubs need to be run out of office in November.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:35 pmBecause this will force some fixed costs up in small business, and you can’t just throw it on them without some people losing their jobs, and this is a fair and responsible way to do it.
Of course, there's absolutely no empirical evidence that increases in the minimum wage lead to layoffs, but why would any Republican let the facts get in the way of a perfectly good polemic?
July 31st, 2006 at 1:39 pmYeah, the GOP outfoxed everyone SO much that it's running as far as possible from being tied down to the anchor known as President Bush Jr and his clearly Catastrophic Success in Iraq
From now on, any increase in congressional salries should be tied into an increase in the minimum wage
No minimum wage=No congressional pay raise
Of course, such a stand would require ethics, a concept utterly unknown to the radical extremists-who do NOT represent the political and social mainstream in ANY way, shape or form-currently infesting the GOP
The dems-with some notable exceptions like Feingold, Conyers, Rangel, Durbin-need to strengthen their spines past the consistency of overcooked pasta and not let these scumbags pull off their latest example of pure class warfare
Interestingly enough, the GOP's favorite Dem Congressman, William Jefferson, voted WITH the GOP on this
Wow, with a culture of corruption so prevalent in DC, the GOP has done more to stick up for Jefferson than the Dems have
Talk about your little ironies
July 31st, 2006 at 1:39 pmI hope the minimum wage servants read about Wamp's comments where he lives and deposit the appropriate lugey in his soup.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:45 pmSo how does getting an inheritance help America at all?
Does he mean just a few rich Americans? Is he saying that Americas richest families are really going to take all that money and go out and hire a bunch of people? No... they will spend it on luxuries is what they will do.
Like most neoCons this guy has a BIG EGO... of little brain.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:46 pmOutfoxed us all? OR, Grabbing what they can before it is all over?
July 31st, 2006 at 1:47 pm"Outfoxed" requires a battle of wits and deception. In this case, they just used their numbers to brute-force the amendment. That's not outfoxing.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:49 pmWamp IS up for reelection in this November but I can't find (easily) whose running against him. Apparently, he is in one of those very "safe" districts for an incumbent.
"When he was elected to the House in 1994, Wamp pledged to serve just twelve years (six terms) in the House, meaning that he would have left the House in 2007. However, shortly after winning reelection to a sixth term in 2004, Wamp announced he would run again in 2006 after all, citing his status as Tennessee's only member of the powerful Appropriations Committee. The pledge was "a mistake," he told the Associated Press."
He's not alone, but here's one good argument for term limits. Including on the Democratic side.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Wamp
July 31st, 2006 at 1:55 pmI like to know why when the Republicans want something passed they stay to all hours of the night, but when they had the vote on the stem cell research they did not extend the time. Why is that? The Republican are a bunch of loser. November cann't come soon enough for me. We need to get them out of office before they can do anymore damage.l
July 31st, 2006 at 1:55 pm...see what happens to your brain when you sit in a dark corner, wamping your zach??
July 31st, 2006 at 1:57 pmWamp aka wimp is speaking the truth as he and his GOP team see it. Yes that was a great move and they have been outfoxing Americans for 5 years. Thanks for telling us. I notice the term OutFox is a following of Fox news who also spreading Bush propaganda and lies. Look for honest Repbulicans to turn away and not support those who like Wamp aka Wimp and others who lie to the American people. We Americans have to join together and stop the crooks now. Nov. will show if Americans want America back.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:03 pmZacK Wamp? Zack Wamp? What kind of a friggin' hillbilly name is that? Where in the hell is that ass from, some backwater burg in Tennessee?
Wait. Is that the same cocaine cowboy and crack addict from Tennessee who got elected in 1994? The same CONservative repugnican who not only admitted to being an alcohol and drug addict, but claims that he had stopped using them years ago? The same born-again Christian from Chattanooga, who checked himself into a drug rehabilitation clinic in 1984 and in doing so, became a devoutly religious Southern Baptist and new member of the the Republican morality police?
Is this the same Wamp who pledged to serve just twelve years (six terms) in the House, meaning that he would have left the House in 2007, but shortly after winning reelection to a sixth term in 2004, he announced he would break his word and run again in 2006, saying his pledge was "a mistake?"
Yeah. That's him, all right. With a per capita income of just over $28,00 and ranking 36th nationally, I guess the people in Chattanooga and the rest of Tennessee just don't need a raise in pay.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:05 pmOutfoxed? Who is outfoxed? Look at what the pigs stood up for... tax breaks for the rich instead of a living wage for the working poor. Those previously in doubt about the intentions of the GOP will not ignore it. Pretty hard one to hide. SO... who is outfoxed? Those who think this stinking mess will last past February of 2007 are in the briarpatch. They might as well scream from the floor of the House "WE HATE THE AMERICAN WORKER! NO PUNISHMENT IS TOO GREAT FOR THE AMERICAN WORKING POOR".
July 31st, 2006 at 2:05 pmI heard it loud and clear. I'm glad others will too.
How did this country breed so many assholes who have NO Conscience like this asshat? This guys just revolting.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:08 pmtoo easy, drill sergeant.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:11 pmplay this one, jon stewart and then let's make it into an ad ('net and tv)
Zack Wamp is extraordinarily good at creating campaign ads (For his opponent).
July 31st, 2006 at 2:11 pmHow did this country breed so many assholes who have NO Conscience like this asshat? This guys just revolting.
Comment by Darin — July 31, 2006 @ 2:08 pm
It is absolutely incredible. I can't imagine any politician in Europe lasting a week after these kinds of comments. Quite monstrous:-(
July 31st, 2006 at 2:11 pmWouldnt it make sense for every single person running for office in an attempt to represent "We The People",to have to serve a sort of apprenticeship with the poorest of us ala "30 Days"?
July 31st, 2006 at 2:11 pmHow can you go to the mat for the poor if you have never tasted Ramen noodles,never washed your socks in the sink,never taken back returns to put some gas in the car that will take you to your low wage job,never laid in bed late at night knowing one small stumble will completely devastate all you have worked for? I know this is lala land talk,but in the real world before you are hired for a job you usually know a little about the company you work for. And now back to reality.....
To the GOP, everything is about politics. They don;t care about anything but that. By the way, is Wamp trying to give free advertising to Fox News?
http://www.sunstateactivist.org/ssablog.php
July 31st, 2006 at 2:16 pmZach Wamp gives us hillbilly's a bad name. Sounds more like a fascist.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:18 pmMR. Swamp, you are an ignorant slut.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:18 pmThe crack cocaine you ingested has addled your cortex.
The same thing is wrong with our President.
So Tennesseeans don't want an increase in the minimum wage?
Who are you speaking for? Yourself? Corporate interests?
People of Tennessee, remember in November, it's time to clean
the foxes out of the chicken coop & get back to non-drug infested
legislation.
You, sir, are a disgrace to all the honorable people who have served
our country. You are a disgrace to your State. Simply put, you are a
disgrace.
Outfoxed, indeed. Wait 'till the chickens come home to roost.
Good luck with your CD treatment; you'll be needing it again in Dec.
Zach Wamp suffers from PMS - Post Mental Syndrome.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:20 pmWhy is it that the most bizarre RepubliCONS always seem to come from Tennesee?
July 31st, 2006 at 2:22 pmYou guys just dont get it
What's wrong with you???
How will republicans fund their election campaigns, and their swiftboating commercials, before November, without the contributions of millionaires ???
That's why they have to keep them millionaires happy.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:25 pmI think the real outfox will be when the democrats take the house and senate in november.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:28 pmbragging is the southern man's curse. not his use of 'outfox.'
July 31st, 2006 at 2:29 pmCaption Contest:
July 31st, 2006 at 2:31 pmI admit I'm a drug addled asshole!
Zack Wamp: absolute proof to the old saying that God made more horses' asses than he made horses and sent the excess to the Republican Party in Washington DC.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:34 pm????? at # 10
Easy on the bald guys OK ??
Some of us liberals are sensitive............
July 31st, 2006 at 2:38 pm#3: You've got the same sense I do. It really seems that the Republicans are not only assholes, but that they really seem to like it. Why would anyone like to be considered an asshole? It's a mindset I have a hard time grappling with. I was having the same problems when watching The Smartest Guys in the Room, the Enron documentary. The energy brokers that turned California on-and-off for a few months so they could make money were total assholes; but they seemed to love it.
Lots of folks are going really ad homeniem in here, and so am I. But, deservedly so--this guy seems to crave it. To go on the Congressional Record with a condescending reprimand of your defeated opponents is sad, shallow, and--one would hope--beneath most members of Congress. I can only hope that the majority whip has a meeting with this clown and slaps him around for pointless baiting.
July 31st, 2006 at 2:51 pmCongressman Brags About Minimum-Wage Bill Scam...
It takes a lot of chuzpah to brazenly admit to such an abuse of power, even if it is done just before midnight....
July 31st, 2006 at 2:57 pmNot hard to outfox Nancy Pelosi lol.
July 31st, 2006 at 3:00 pmZach Wamp. Interesting.
Sounds like Batman comic book effects.
"Look out, Robin!"
ZAK! WAMP!
"Holy self-absorbed teat-leeching asshats Batman!"
July 31st, 2006 at 3:13 pmDid you "really outfox" the Dems with the latest Republican scheme to service the elite at the expense of the downtrodden, Rep. Wamp? Are you proud to have once again sold out American values while pretending to hold them dear?
Well, you shouldn't be. After all, any honest person can see that you've simply chosen the wrong creature to represent what you and your corrupt ilk have done. You haven't outfoxed anyone; what you've done is "outweasel."
July 31st, 2006 at 3:25 pmEasy on the bald guys OK ??
Some of us liberals are sensitive…………
Comment by Down but not out
Why so sensitive? You just don't waste your hormones growing hair. :)
July 31st, 2006 at 3:32 pmTHIS GUY IS NUTS!
July 31st, 2006 at 3:35 pmI DON'T KNOW WHY SOMEONE WITH SUCH A COOL NAME WOULD BE SO DAMNED CRAZY!!!!
ZACH WAMP, ZELL MILLER CHALLENGES YOU TO A DUEL.
July 31st, 2006 at 3:37 pm"We really outfoxed you," he said to the minimum wage earners of the country.
July 31st, 2006 at 3:54 pmWhoup Wamp!
http://www.stulceforcongress.com/ is the site for Democratic choice in TN-3.
July 31st, 2006 at 4:07 pmUh, how is having a majority and not budging on anything "outfoxing" anyone?
July 31st, 2006 at 5:36 pmIt's bruteness, not savvy,
Our Democratic primary for the third district in Tennessee is Thursday, August 3. Hopefully, Mr. Terry Stulce will be the candidate to face Zach Wamp and help him keep his term limit promise, which he now calls a "mistake." We certainly could use grassroots help, either in terms of volunteer support or financial support. Mr. Wamp has very deep pockets and very wealthy donors. We believe NOW is the time to defeat him. Please consider helping us!!
You can contribute here: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/terrystulce
You can volunteer here: http://www.stulceforcongress.com/volunteer.html
Please spread the word!!!!!! Tennessee's third district is READY FOR PROGRESSIVE CHANGE!
July 31st, 2006 at 5:53 pmLook up "arse" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of Zach.
July 31st, 2006 at 6:12 pmMr. Wamp has a distinguished history of, euphemistically speaking, unique rhetoric.
Check this out for another recent (a month ago) example, in which he trumpets the recent (but thoroughly discredited) "discovery" of WMD in Iraq and announces that no matter what anyone says, there was a connection between Saddam and al Qaeda.
Nuff said?
July 31st, 2006 at 6:18 pmhey... gone all day... catching up a little...
i'm curious about something... i went to house.gov to find the vote on this, and found this:
29-Jul H R 5970 On Passage P
Estate Tax and Extension of Tax Relief Act
i don't see anything about "minimum wage"...
July 31st, 2006 at 7:28 pmwhat am i missing?
We outfoxed you! We outfoxed you! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha... *thud*
August 1st, 2006 at 2:25 amWell if the Senate Democrats vote for this turkey bill, with the Estate Tax cuts in it for the wealthy, then they better pack their bags for Siberia! Pass a clean bill raising the minimum wage, with nothing else attached, or kill the bill outright!
August 1st, 2006 at 3:15 am[...] 1997 didn’t just see me off to college; Congress also raised the federal minimum wage that year. Looks like they’re finally at it again. Not in the way that Kennedy proposed (the “lets just stop being assholes and give people a decent living wage” approach), but instead in a manner that betrays, well, everything. Hopefully the Senate will strip the Estate Tax cut before this bill becomes a law. [...]
August 1st, 2006 at 11:03 amhow is it possible to have so many sick assholes in congress at one time?
forget about representing the people, which is so far in the rear view mirror, that i don't even remember what its like -- but these guys mock their lack of respect and accountability. no pretense whatsoever.
August 1st, 2006 at 12:52 pm[...] AÂ Tenn. GOP Congressman has been caught bragging about how the GOP sabotaged the Minimum Wage Bill with the mandatory cutting of the Estate Tax for the rich. Maybe all those minimum wage workers should show their displeasure in the upcoming elections. [...]
August 2nd, 2006 at 8:19 am[...] So the big question is why did Green vote for raising the wages of the working poor if it is such a bad deal and if he has such a history of voting against it? You will not find the real answer in Mark Green’s press release, but we can look elsewhere for some honesty. Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) slipped and actually told the truth as to why the Republicans tied the giveaway to the rich to the minimum wage increase. He said, “I know why you’re so mad and why you say things you don’t really mean. It’s because you have seen us really outfox you on this issue tonight.â€Â So Rep. Wamp is saying that this was a cynical move of political gamesmanship on the part of the Republicans. They knew that the repeal of the Paris Hilton Tax had recently been rejected in the U.S. Senate, so this was a way for House Republicans to blackmail the Senate into approving the giveaway or it would at the very least serve as a “poison pill†to dash the hopes of the working poor. Still don’t believe that this was an obvious political ploy? Look at what GOP leaders are now saying to the Democrats; “It’s now or never†on a vote to give a raise to the working poor. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is also trying to rush a vote on the issue saying that he is willing to schedule a Friday vote but otherwise the minimum wage is “off the Senates agenda.â€Â [...]
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:15 pmRay Charles could see that these republican bullies will stop at nothing and try anything that they think they can get away with in order to further spread the margin between the haves and have nots. If I am not mistaken, efforts to squeeze out a "middle class" citizenry is what lead to communism in countries such as Russia and Cuba etc. If the American people do not get into the process, stay informed and think logically about what party/person stands for and VOTE; then we could be doomed to experience what the aforementioned countries have had to endure. The American public did not fall off the proverbial turnip truck yesterday - when will the public wake up and hold these politicians accountable? Our forefathers must be turning in their graves to know that those in the house and senate do NOT represent their constituency (The American Voting Public), rather heed to the desire of the deep pocket lobbiest bastards who steel away our concerns. thx for allowable vent time. jrm
August 4th, 2006 at 2:41 pmWhy don't you morons crack a book once in a while?
1) An increase in the minimum wage does not help the working poor, in fact it hurts them, and this is established fact. Sorry I don't have a reference. Google is your friend.
2) The policies of professor Marx have long been discredited. They may seem like a good idea to idiots like yourselves, but they've been clearly shown not to work. Like I said, crack a book. Soviet Union. 1989. Perhaps you've heard of those things?
3) #66 is priceless! Yeah, the republican party is the one that will ultimately lead to communism! What a hoot!
If the minimum wage is such a great idea, why don't we just make it $100/hr!
Yeah! The liberal solution to everything! Poor people working for low wages? Pass a LAW to make the greedy bastards pay 'em more! Guns killing people?
Pass a LAW to Ban Guns! Health care too expensive? Pass a LAW to make it free! Everything really is that simple!
Oh, and I'll bet I paid more in taxes last year than most all of you liberal morons put together. Oh, but the Bush tax cuts are "a break for the wealthy". you say. The top 50% of earners in this country pay 94% of the income taxes. That means the bottom 50% pays 4%. People should know this. Even ignorant liberals who post on idiot sites called "thinkprogress".
If the so-called education system in this country worked, there wouldn't be any liberals.
August 11th, 2006 at 12:45 amTo #67,
looks like you got outfoxed bitch. How'd that election taste? Yeah I'm rubbing it in just like the asshole this story is about rubbed it in. Can't wait til 2008. Get used to the taste of Dem balls cuz we're back and we're here to stay....hahahhahhahahhahahah
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December 8th, 2006 at 3:51 am