Striking television writers demonstrated they can perform their own material during a January 23 visit to Capitol Hill.

Nine writers who would normally be working on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report took a break from the picket line to raise awareness in Washington about their standoff with studios and media companies.

OK, “raise awareness” is probably not the right term. Just about everyone in the world knows that the writers aren’t churning out new episodes of television programs or new movie scripts because of a dispute over residual earnings involving the use of their work on the Internet or in other new media.

More than 100 Hill staffers and media filled a room in the Rayburn House office building to watch a mock debate. The writers split into two groups—one representing themselves and the other the studios. The skit drew laughter not only for lampooning Hollywood executives but also for poking fun at the foibles of Capitol Hill hearings.

The writers’ talent came through even in a setting with antiseptic lighting and low production values. But the most effective rhetoric of the afternoon didn’t come from the comedy scribes; it was delivered by the members of Congress who hosted the event.

The representatives framed the strike, which has continued since November 5, as an example of middle-class workers trying to get their share of the multibillion-dollar earnings of huge conglomerates. Yes, the ubiquitous middle-class mantra came up even in the context of the writers’ strike.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, pointed out that a quarter of the members of the Writers Guild of America make less than $37,000 annually and their average salary is about $62,000. About half are out of work at any given time. Meanwhile, revenue for media companies that produce television shows and other entertainment totaled $95 billion last year.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York, said the strike is an example of “middle-class people” trying to get “a fair shake.”

A writer can rise from being a pauper to a millionaire if a show he or she helps create hits it big. But that accounts for only about the top 5 percent to 10 percent of the profession, according to Tom Purcell, a writer for The Colbert Report.

That notion was underscored by Rep. John Hall, D-New York. He was one of the founders of the 1970s rock group Orleans, penning the hits “Dance With Me” and “Still the One.”

But the creative muse is fickle. “This is a feast-or-famine business for many of us,” Hall said.

Purcell knows the feeling. Before joining The Colbert Report, he was out of work for 16 months. “Often residuals are the only money that allows you to get through the lean times,” he said.

It may be a bit of a stretch to think of a Hollywood writer’s life as hardscrabble. But other unions understand their struggle, according to the writers.

Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America East, said that the strike has drawn support from teachers, cab drivers, airline pilots and truck drivers. Members of the Service Employees International Union have staffed phone banks.

So a custodian can feel for a writer of Desperate Housewives? Yes, in that the network that airs the show—ABC—also owns Disney, ESPN and a variety of other media.

“They relate to the fact that we’re going up against these big corporations,” Winship said.

Now the writers are trying to build support on Capitol Hill. Nadler said that Congress would prefer for the two sides to work out the dispute on their own. Informal discussions began on January 23 after a hiatus.

Although Congress could address copyright law and antitrust issues related to the strike, Nadler said, that’s not the priority at the moment. The important thing is for the writers to succeed, which would increase the political strength of the union movement in general and eventually result in better pay and benefits for all members.

“The autoworkers need the support of the writers and vice versa,” Nadler said.