Tom Harkin: “There again, I think we see what this is all about. We want to respond to the real needs of our people in America. We…”

“There again, I think we see what this is all about. We want to respond to the real needs of our people in America. We want to increase the minimum wage and the Republicans keep objecting to it. They will not let us bring it up for a vote. But they want to bring up four judges for lifetime appointments for a vote. So we see the difference. We are trying to work on behalf of the American people to meet the real needs of people unemployed and people who need an increase in the minimum wage. The Republicans will not bring it up. That is the difference here. Obviously, what we have, I called it the theater of the absurd earlier. There has been a play running for several years at the Kennedy Center called 'Shear Madness.' It has now come to the Senate floor and is playing here now, 'Shear Madness.' You can watch it free here. You do not have to pay to go to the Kennedy Center to see it. First of all, I thank the police, the court reporters, other Capitol employees, who have had to spend long hours here through the night so that we can waste time, waste taxpayers' money, engaging in this ridiculous charade.”