On the recordDecember 20, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I'm reminded of a commercial that has been in heavy rotation lately. It's a Christmas commercial, Santa Claus with a backache and a pain remedy being offered to him after he climbs down the chimney. Y'all are probably familiar with that. The first shot is Santa trying to work at his headquarters up in the North Pole putting gifts together; and he's just got a bad backache, has probably got a headache too. And his elves are kind of looking at him concerned as he works dutifully on a job that only he can do. Then they show him as he trudges across a roof about to go down the chimney, and he's holding his back. And then when he gets down the chimney, they show him standing over by the Christmas tree. The homeowner is kind of watching from a different room, and he sees Santa struggling with this backache. So he then goes to get some pain medicine. And while Santa is presumably unpacking the gifts and putting them under the tree and everything, then he turns around, and there is a glass of water and pain medicine right there for Santa. Then all of a sudden, the music becomes lively, and Santa perks up and goes on about his business. That kind of reminds me of the headache that the citizens, the middle class have had over the last year, a headache and a backache; but there's nobody there to offer them any pain medication. Instead, this Tea Party-controlled House Republican Party looks at them and just laughs. And then they leave.…





