The Republicans should double this. Push for $18 an hour and call the Democrats heartless, and cruel and uncaring for expecting poor people to survive on a measly $9 an hour.
Meanwhile, Republicans should work to find business leaders who will testify of massive employment and bankruptcy problems that will result from such a ridiculous minimum wage.
If the Democrats "compromise" with something like $10 a hour, the Republicans should turn on a dime, halve that, and insist that $5 an hour is plenty and note that business leaders simply cannot keep people employed with a minimum wage that is too high.
When the media says that Republicans are "all over the place" on this issue, the Republicans should observe that, "Yes, but the whole concept of politicians telling businesses what to pay is completely arbitrary, isn't it? How can government make that determination? We say $18. We say $5. It's all kind of a crap shoot isn't it? Maybe business people should decide that stuff based on their knowledge, and not us politicians based on our attempt to buy votes."
Hell yes!
Why not $50 an hour?
Why this central socialist government appears to be a damned piker. Be generous. After all it’s not their money they’re blowing.