Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
It has been estimated that approximately 50 million Americans watched the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney that took place on October 3rd. Many viewers of the debate are diehard fans of Sesame Street. They were taken aback when Romney brought up the name of one of this country’s most well-loved TV avian characters that evening. It’s a good thing that John James Audubon wasn’t alive to hear the words that emitted from Mitt’s mouth in responding to Jim Lehrer about cuts that he’d make in federal spending if he is elected President:
“I’m sorry, Jim. I’m going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I’m going to stop other things. I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you too. But I’m not going to — I’m not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”
The following day, PBS issued a statement expressing disappointment that it had become a target in the political discussion the previous evening. Big Bird himself issued no statement on his own behalf. Since the debate, however, he has appeared on television entertainment and news shows and in a number of Youtube videos. It has been reported that our fine feathered friend was truly disheartened when he learned of Romney’s plan to eliminate funding for PBS programs like Sesame Street, the show that brought him fame and helped to make “Big Bird” a household name.
Big Bird will be happy to learn that his fans are organizing an event to show their support for him, for his fellow Muppets, and for PBS. The event is called the Million Muppet March. It is scheduled to take place on the National Mall on November 3rd.
Take heart, Big Bird!
PICTURES (From Million Muppet March site)
SOURCES
Million Muppet March’ Planned Against Romney (ThinkProgress)
‘Million Muppet March’ planned to defend U.S. backing for PBS (Reuters)
Mom – I have come to think of NPR as Nice Polite Republicans. They still give air time to clowns like Erik Erikson and many teaparty apologists. Instead of buying these people the good will of the wingnuts it makes them froth for the death of NPR all the harder. They will run stories on Morning Edition and All Things Considered explaining why their death is necessary and how glad they are to be able to cooperate. They are fools
Probably one of the following — MITTENS, Ryan, Rove or Norquist calling NPR “National Pinko Radio … ”
You know — the Four Musketeers … !!!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251123974 FDR in 1936 warns of people like Romney.
nick,
The PBS children’s programming might flourish in the marketplace–and kids would have to sit through several minutes of commercials aimed at them during every program.
The Romney-Ryan Tax Loophole Fantasy
October 12, 2012
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2012/10/12/why-romney-and-ryan-wont-answer-the-tax-loophole-question
Excerpt:
One point I mentioned during the live blog of the debate last night which I think is worth reiterating (over and over again) regarding Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s refusal to give details on half of their tax plan—don’t be fooled by their refusal to fill out the details of their plan.
To recap: Romney has proposed a 20 percent across the board income tax cut, to cut corporate taxes, and repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax, among other things. He claims that he will make up the lost tax revenue by closing unspecified loopholes in the tax code. This is where the $5 trillion dispute comes from about Romney’s tax plan—his tax cuts are projected to cost around $5 trillion. He argues that it’s not fair to characterize his proposal as a $5 trillion tax cut because—you’ll have to take his word on this—he’s going to offset it by closing loopholes.
Why won’t he or Ryan name the loopholes they’d be willing to close in order to pay for their massive tax cut? Because in a giant act of bipartisan magnanimousness they are want to work with Congress to decide which loopholes to close. There are two things going on here.
One is that this is the political equivalent of Romney and Ryan doling out heaps of candy to the public but then saying they’ll work with the Congress to determine precisely which teeth will have to be drilled to deal with the resulting cavities. They’re willing to give out very specific goodies, in other words, and then pretend they’re being brave bipartisans by letting Congress work out the painful details of paying for them. That’s neither brave nor bipartisan.
Great post, Elaine ….
Most of the cuts would hurt the local affiliates which would result in job losses. The smaller markets would be affected the most.
Regarding Sesame Street, I think they could flourish in the marketplace, as could some of the PBS cooking shows.
You are spot on Swarthmore!
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Tax-VOX/2012/1014/Mitt-Romney-s-5-trillion-tax-cut-5-things-you-should-know
Swarthmore mom,
I remember many years ago when a conservative legislator–I can’t recall who it was–referred to NPR as National Pinko Radio
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/147495-senate-republicans-introduces-bill-to-defund-npr-pbs It is just business as usual for them…. Reward the Koch Bros with massive tax breaks and cut the things that average people might benefit from.
Mitt Romney’s History With Big Bird: Ruffling Feathers Since Dec. 2011
By Michael Falcone
10/9/12
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/mitt-romneys-history-with-big-bird-ruffling-feathers-since-dec-2011/
Mitt Romney and his Republican allies have struck a tone of exasperation about President Obama’s use of Big Bird as a campaign issue ever since Romney invoked the giant, yellow “Sesame Street” character at last week’s debate in Denver.
And although Obama has let the Big Bird attacks take flight on the campaign trail, and most recently, in a tongue-in-cheek television ad, it’s also worth noting how frequently Romney has deployed the popular Sesame Street character throughout the 2012 election.
“You have to scratch your head when the President spends the last week talking about saving Big Bird,” Romney said on Tuesday in Van Meter, Iowa.
Earlier in the day, Romney campaign spokesman Kevin Madden also railed against the president.
“Right now you’ve got 23 million American’s struggling to find work. You’ve got household incomes going down. You’ve got a federal deficit — federal debt that’s now over 16 trillion dollars,” Madden told reporters. “I just find it troubling that the president’s message — the president’s focus — 28 days from election day is Big Bird.”
The Republican National Committee is referring to the kerfuffle as the ”Big Bird Backfire.” The RNC even used “Sesame Street’s” Count von Count in their pushback against Obama on Tuesday.
But back as far back as December 28, 2011, in Clinton, Iowa, Romney started talking tough about the giant yellow bird.
“You might say, ‘I like the National Endowment for the Arts.’ I do. I like PBS. We subsidize PBS. Look, I’m going to stop that. I’m going to say, ‘PBS is going to have to have advertisements,’” Romney told a crowd at a deli in the Eastern Iowa town. “We’re not going to kill Big Bird, but Big Bird’s going to have to have advertisements, all right? And we’re going to have endowments for the arts and humanities but they’re going to be paid for by private charity not by taxpayers — or by borrowers.”
President Obama has been mocking Romney on the stump for declaring at last week’s debate, “I’m going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I’m going to stop other things. I like PBS, I love Big Bird.”
At Cleveland State University last week, Obama joked that his Republican opponent was “finally getting tough on Big Bird.”
“Governor Romney is going to let Wall Street run wild again, but he’s going to bring the hammer down on ‘Sesame Street,’” Obama said.
And Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith said in a statement on Tuesday, ”If anyone should be scratching their heads, it’s the American people when Mitt Romney says that he’ll reduce the deficit and pay for $5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans by getting rid of PBS and Big Bird, which make up 1/10,000th of the federal budget. That’s not a serious deficit reduction plan — it’s a joke.”
Here’s a sampling of some of Romney’s other Big Bird shout-outs during the election cycle:
Mitt Romney on Sean Hannity’s radio program (March 15, 2012):
“We’re going to have to stop some things we also like. I mean, I like PBS, for instance. I like my grandkids being able to see Bert and Ernie and Big Bird, but I’m not willing to borrow money from China so that PBS doesn’t have to run advertising.”
Mitt Romney in Liberty, Mo. (March 13, 2012):
“I like PBS, but we borrow money so that PBS doesn’t have to show advertising to our kids. Well, Big Bird’s going to have to get used to Kellogg’s Corn Flakes because we’re going to have to have advertising or bigger donations. We just can’t keep on borrowing money and keep passing on those burdens to our kids.”
Mitt Romney in Flint, Mich. (Feb. 25, 2012):
“We borrow money so that when you were little you watched Big Bird an Bert and Ernie, you didn’t have to see any advertisements. I’m not willing to borrow money from other people to do that, you’re going to have to get used to Big Bird and Corn Flakes on the same program. We’re not going to borrow money from people to do things that we don’t have to do and so number one I’m going to have to get rid of some programs and cut some programs.”
Mitt Romney in Lansing, Mich. (Feb. 25, 2012):
“We send money every year to pay for PBS so they don’t have to have advertising on Sesame Street. I like Sesame Street, but I am willing to have Big Bird look at cornflakes from time to time, okay? I just think we shouldn’t borrow money to pay for that.”
Mitt Romney in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Jan. 12, 2012):
“I like PBS. I like Bert and Ernie and Big Bird, but you know we get money from the government so they don’t have to have advertising. I’m afraid Big Bird is going to have to get used to Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. We can’t just keep borrowing and borrowing and borrowing like there is no tomorrow.”
Dear Nick,
While Sesame Street may try to be apolitical overall, when someone is cutting your funding as MITTENS says he will, I was truly surprised that both Sesame Street and for that matter PBS did not put out their own ads for OB immediately.
Maybe the Million Muppet March will truly highlight the extreme characteristics and views of both MITTENS and his fellow right-wingers.
America cannot “afford” Mitt Romney and his faithful sidekick, Tonto errr sorry, Paul Ryan. Mitt Romney truly is the “Masked Man” … who cannot be trusted to take this country anywhere but downward or in reverse…..
Mr. Romney is also committed to getting rid of Planned Parenthood.
nick,
I didn’t miss that. I didn’t post the campaign video because I was trying to honor their request that it not be used.
That said, I do think Romney has to provide some specifics on his tax plan. Cutting out funding for PBS isn’t going to amount to a drop in the bucket in the federal budget. I agree with rafflaw that Romney was talking to the far-rightwingers in the Republican party.
I am sure Mr. Audubon is twisting and turning in his grave.
MITTENS talks about being a Job Creator and then he fires two people right in front of 50 Million plus viewers. It falls back to his earlier statement about “loving to fire people” ….. Mittens cannot be trusted any farther than the average person can throw him which is to say not far at all.
This week we have seen him flip flop on the reproductive rights of every woman in America, be they a Dem or GOP. When will the nation wake up and realize that MITTENS will say anything to get into the WH and after that follow the lead of his “Mentor” Grover Norquist …???
The only thing MITTENS, the flip-flopper, should be hired for is a short order cook position at IHOP.
I truly hope the greater majority of this country realizes by Tues., Nov 6th what a wishy-washy, flip-floppin’ extreme candidate MITTENS is and votes to insure he never sees the insides of the Oval Office except on the TV or in the papers.
Romney’s comment further shows just how little he appreciates the 47%.
Clearly, Mitt Romney is the lesser of two eagles.
Elaine, The Muppets people also were disturbed that Obama campaign quickly put out an ad using Big Bird as a prop. Maybe you just missed that?
Great job Elaine.
It is sad to think that Mr. Romney can do any good for our economy by getting rid of PBS or sharply cutting them. He is merely talking to his tea party crazy base when he attacks Big Bird and his friends.