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'Stranger Things' gets an ominous shout-out in Congress

"Chief Jim Hopper is not coming to rescue us." Representative David Cicilline compares the actions of the White House to the Upside Down, where "right is wrong, up is down."

Bonnie Burton
Journalist Bonnie Burton writes about movies, TV shows, comics, science and robots. She is the author of the books Live or Die: Survival Hacks, Wizarding World: Movie Magic Amazing Artifacts, The Star Wars Craft Book, Girls Against Girls, Draw Star Wars, Planets in Peril and more! E-mail Bonnie.
Bonnie Burton
2 min read

While the parapsychology explored in Netflix's "Stranger Things" may not be realistic, the popular TV series has inspired a politician to speak out against President Donald Trump and his most recent actions.

Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) delivered a speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives that compared the White House to the fictional alternate dimension from the Netflix series.

In the CSPAN video posted on February 16 to YouTube, Cicilline stood in front of a "Trump Things" poster and challenged the Trump administration's relationship with Russia, the proposed Mexican border wall and the firing of US Attorney General Sally Yates. The speech was peppered with "Stranger Things" references and lasted a little over a minute.

"Like the main characters in 'Stranger Things,' we are now stuck in the Upside Down," Cicilline said in his speech. "Right is wrong, up is down, black is white. The White House deceives the American public for weeks about their conduct with Russia, but an Attorney General who follows her conscience is fired. Executive orders are signed to ban Muslims in order to keep us safe, while top national security conversations are held out in the open."

"President Trump showers praise on a thug like Vladimir Putin while threatening and bullying our long-standing allies," Cicilline continued. "President Trump signs an executive order to spend 20 billion dollars on a border wall, while Flint, Michigan still goes without clean drinking water."

Cicilline went on to refer to "Stranger Things" by saying, "Mornings might be for coffee and contemplation, but Chief Jim Hopper is not coming to rescue us. We have a president unlike we have ever known, and just like Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Eleven we must remain focused on the task at hand, and hold this administration accountable so we can escape from our own version of the Upside Down."

The speech has already gone viral on YouTube, with over 28,000 views and counting.

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