Before you lock up John Edwards as the labor candidate of 2008, be sure to listen to SEIU president Andy Stern's comments about Sen. Clinton on a conference call with reporters yesterday when he was praising her initiative (inspired by an idea from an online SEIU- sponsored contest) to block a congressional pay increase until the minimum wage is increased and linking the two with each other going forward.
Stern thanked Sen. Clinton for "spending her whole life trying to make work pay for all Americans. . .it is much more than the minimum wage in terms of her commitment."
Sen. Clinton Noted that Congress has raised its salary by $31,600 over the last nine years while "stiffing" minimum wage workers.
Sen. Clinton's entertaining off-the-cusp comments away from microphones and pulpits have trickled down to her staff as well. Roll Call's Mary Ann Akers reports that a Clinton spokesperson "reamed out" one of Sen. Reid's spokespersons, yelling "You suck!" and "How could you do this?" in response to Clinton being "left out" of a news conference on Democrats' delay of Congressional pay raises.