DPW Chair candidate Martha Laning in 2014: increase to $10 minimum wage “a lot to swallow”

During her run for the State Senate in 2014, Democrat Martha Laning appeared at a debate against her Republican opponent. During that debate, one of the questions asked of each candidate was whether they supported raising the minimum wage.

Predictably, the Republican was quick to voice his opposition to a minimum wage increase, but so too was Martha Laning, who said she was contacted by the Democratic Party to ask for her support of an increase in the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour. Laning said an increase in the minimum wage to $10 an hour was “A lot to swallow as a businesswoman” and instead she said she supported raising the minimum wage slowly so as to not hurt businesses.

You can watch the video for yourself to see Laning’s explanation.

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5 thoughts on “DPW Chair candidate Martha Laning in 2014: increase to $10 minimum wage “a lot to swallow”

  1. Martha is the best choice because she will lead a state wide team that
    will win elections. She has the organizational experience to listen to the grassroots activists. Issues are a factor -sure- but our elected reps have the vote on issues not the party chair.
    Personally my first priority is winning elections while advocating progressive values. Martha will do this!!!

  2. I like how you linked to a video with no controls or scroll bar so only people with an hour to kill (and the patience to wait through the buffering) have any chance to learn that you’re misrepresenting her response. Why don’t you indicate how far into the video the minimum wage question is? 5 minutes in? 20? 45? Because you don’t want anyone bothering to actually hear the full answer?

    You’re grabbing a few words from the beginning of her answer, taking their intention out of context. If you had accurately represented her full response your readers would know she supports raising the minimum wage. Anyone that paid attention during her campaign knows that she supports raising the minimum wage to a livable wage, stop using public money to essentially subsidize Walmart’s (and the like’s) workforce, and use those savings to help actual SMALL businesses pay a livable wage if they need help. As a businesswoman she knows that most businesses, even the very small ones, are capable of absorbing the cost of raising wages. She’s even able to use the business’ own numbers to prove it to them.

    I’m disappointed in this site.

    1. Kara, if you have issues with the fact that the video doesn’t have controls or a scroll bar, I suggest you take that up with the news outlet the video belongs to. I don’t have any control over the lack of controls on someone else’s video.

      As to Laning’s comment, did I misquote her? Absolutely not. Her exact words were that a minimum wage increase to $10 per hour was “A lot to swallow as a businesswoman,” and I rightly noted that Laning said that instead of a raise to $10 per hour she supported raising the minimum wage slowly so as to not hurt businesses.

      Oh, and if you want to be disappointed, be disappointed in Martha Laning. The fact that you’re upset by her exact words isn’t my fault; it’s hers.

    2. Kara, could you (or could you ask Ms. Laning) to give us the times in the video where she states what you say.

      Thanks.

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