Elizabeth Warren
In reply to the discussion: Elizabeth Warren: Why isn't minimum wage $22 an hour like it used to be? [View all]MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Here's my take, although I'm definitely not an expert.
The 99% only have a chance if we stick together. If the 1% can separate us, then they will take all of the goodies.
Nixon had a strategy to grab Southern Democrats and pull them into the Republican Party over social issues (equal rights for minorities, etc). That started pulling a chunk of the 99% into the Democratic Party, and it wasn't long before they drank the Republican kool-aid on economic stuff - unions and workers rights in general. So those rights got trampled in the South, and Southern Democrats had to be economically right-wing in order to peel 99%ers back from the Republicans.
I love Jimmy Carter. But he was the first "serious responsible adult making tough decisions" Democratic President since FDR, and he was no friend of unions and pushed for business deregulation. In fact, the Teamsters backed Republican Ford over Carter! Reagan hated unions and didn't care about little people, Bush I was an arch-foe of working Americans, Clinton would do anything for the 1%, anything at all, Bush II was... well we all know about that, and Obama is enthralled by bankers and wants to hurt the 99% at least a little so he can show he's above partisanship.
So for 30 years we've had unrelenting war on the rights of workers, and that's meant that we've had to sit quietly while we're being pooped on. And minimum wage is now $14.75 an hour less than it should be.