Minimum Wage By the Numbers posted by Ben

Yahoo! News - Senate Defeats Minimum Wage Increase

This AP story has some very interesting language about bipartisanship.

The clash unfolded as part of a debate over business-backed legislation to overhaul the nation's bankruptcy laws.

The overall measure enjoys bipartisan support, although no vote on passage will occur until the Senate settled the minimum wage dispute and resolved companion controversy over allowing protesters at abortion clinics and other sites to avoid paying court fines by entering bankruptcy.

But strangely, when you look at how the voting went down, which side can claim bipartisan support is not whom the story would have us suspect:

Forty-one Democrats, four Republicans and one independent voted for the Democratic proposal. All the votes in opposition were cast by Republicans.

All 38 votes in favor of the GOP proposal were cast by Republicans. Opposed were 43 Democrats, one independent and 17 Republicans.

Seems to me that the obstructionist label falls squarely on... the Republicans. So why must the Associated Press label the Republican proposals as enjoying bipartisan support?