What would you do if you were the party in control of a large state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation and a dying industry at the center of your economy. If you are the Michigan Democratic party, you raise your minimum wage to a job-stifling high of $10!!!
While there are arguments for the minimum wage, such as that it prevents worker exploitation, there is no way around the fact that it benefits only low-income workers who keep their job, while forcing employers to let some other employers go/raise prices to pay for those raises. Money doesn't come from thin air.
It is rare that we see such an obvious case of a group ignoring facts to stick to basic ideology, and (in their mind) win working class votes.
Read more on the MDP's populist turn: http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/07/27/would-a-10-minimum-wage-save-michigan-democrats.aspx
