House Democrats passed a $15 an hour minimum wage plan Thursday by a 231-139 vote, patting themselves on the back as champions of the working stiff.

Today is historic.



A few years ago, people laughed and called us "crazy" when we called to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.



Today, the U.S. House is voting on legislation to do just that.



That is what happens when working people build a movement for change. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 18, 2019

Some complications for Bernie can be read at Thomas Lifson's post here.

Be that as it may, Bernie and all his leftist congressional coevals are exultant. At long last they can say they accomplished something in their dysfunctional House, the one they run. And no doubt, they will be out telling workers they did a good deed, so go vote for them.

The dark side, of course, is that it's unlikely to be signed into law, given that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calls it a job killer and President Trump would have no interest in killing his suite of aces in the U.S. economy's record-excellent performance.

Maybe, just maybe, there could be a political compromise to get the wage hike through? Maybe a smaller wage hike in exchange for reforming asylum loophole laws that have triggered the border surge and the rent-a-kid industry? Mickey Kaus asks that question himself:

Well, put them to the test. If they care more about letting in more unauthorized migrants than helping American workers, voters should know. Trump could clobber them with that in campaign, no? https://t.co/KfaOidYEQh — Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) July 19, 2019

Which brings up something important.

All by itself, President Trump could argue as campaign 2020 comes along that minimum wage hikes kick out the bottom rungs on the career ladder for the lowest paid workers. Wage hikes force layoffs, meaning some workers are going to get more money, but only at the expense of other workers losing their entire livelihoods. Share and share alike? Nope, not under a socialist minimum wage hike plan. A few are going to get more. Another few are going to lose everything. And some businesses, such as this one in Seattle, reeling from a minimum wage hike, are going to go under. Sound like a bargain? Only to a Democrat. Nicolas Maduro, by the way, has done tons of these.

Second, Democrats aren't about to give Trump any funds for border enforcement, even during a border surge with foreign nationals rolling in from all corners on earth, even as far away as Asia and Africa. Border security? Not from these Democrats. And a flood of incoming low wage workers to displace native workers and drive down their salaries is only going to put even more people on the bottom rung of the career ladder out of work. Too bad about that - Democrats just see 'D' signs in the illegals' eyes.

What do both of these stances add up to? An issue Trump can ram the cannon through to voters: That both of these stances serve to spit on America's lowest wage workers. A minimum wage hike will make jobs scarce in their income bracket. A flood of illegals rolling in will increase competition in getting one.

A better plan for squeezing the poor who'd like to work their way out of their predicament, is hard to find.

Trump should run with this. Democrats are squeezing the poor from multiple sides even as they claim to champion them.