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)
http://www.politicususa.com/bernie-sanders-exposes-26-billionaires-buying-2012-election.html Bernie Sanders exposes the 26 billionaires who are using Citizens United to buy the election for Romney-Ryan.
Elaine, There is NO reason to vote for them unless you are one of their billionaire supporters.
Swarthmore mom,
That’s a good reason NOT to vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket.
Bron,
Sesame Street would probably survive. It gets very little money from taxpayers. Federal funding for public television is a drop in a million gallon bucket. So why does Mitt Romney bring up Big Bird in the debate and say that defunding PBS will help reduce the deficit? Give me a break. Why won’t he and Ryan name the loopholes they plan to close? Because they have no real plan–except to cut taxes for the ultra wealthy.
http://www.thenation.com/node/170555 Dick Cheney say he worships the ground Paul Ryan walks on.
Swarthmore mom,
From Krugman’s piece:
“So there’s no real question that lack of insurance is responsible for thousands, and probably tens of thousands, of excess deaths of Americans each year. But that’s not a fact Mr. Romney wants to admit, because he and his running mate want to repeal Obamacare and slash funding for Medicaid — actions that would take insurance away from some 45 million nonelderly Americans, causing thousands of people to suffer premature death. And their longer-term plans to convert Medicare into Vouchercare would deprive many seniors of adequate coverage, too, leading to still more unnecessary mortality.”
*****
Maybe it would be better if those who can’t afford health insurance would just die and decrease the surplus population. Ebenezer Scrooge would approve.
Sesame Street is a money making organization in its own right and does not need federal funds.
Furthermore all subsidies do is take money from the private sector and funnel them to other private sector orgs or to public use. They may create some jobs in the process but the money taken and redistributed would have also created jobs if left in the owners hand but that is not seen.
Sesame Street would survive on it own without federal funds. If PBS is so great, it will survive on its own as well. People who like Miss Marple and Opera can purchase dvd’s or stream from netflix or hulu, PBS is no longer necessary and only the 2.5% probably watch PBS anyway. I am pretty sure the 47% are more into Jersey Shore, WWF Raw and MTV.
Why should I and other tax payers who like Mozart and Downton Abbey subsidize tax payers who like Verdi and Inspector Lewis?
These shows are commercially available, they arent necessarily made for PBS. Why should the person making $40,000/year working 2 jobs subsidize the rich?
PBS should be de-funded and sink or swim on its own merits.
Great link Swarthmore.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/opinion/krugman-death-by-ideology.html?hp&_r=0 Yes, lack of health insurance does cause deaths, Mr. Romney.
wow…………….. shut the TV off lol the kids watch to much TV anyway… what did the kids do 100 years ago with no TV ??? hmmmm I wonder… I am going to vote for Micky Mouse …… lol just saying
Malisha-
“This program is taken away from you by the number 1%.”
R.I.P. Elmo. R.I.P. Cookie Monster.
Stay tuned for Ronald McDonald and Mr. Clean Coal brought to you by Sugar Frosted Fudge Flakes.
“This program is brought to you by the number 99%.”
Elaine,
Is Tinky-Winky next on the Romney chopping block?
Kenneth Tomlinson Quits Public Broadcasting Board
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
November 4, 2005
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110302235.html
Excerpt:
Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, who sparked controversy by asserting that programs carried by public broadcasters have a liberal bias, resigned yesterday from the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting a day after the agency’s inspector general delivered a report apparently critical of his leadership.
Tomlinson, a staunch conservative who was CPB’s chairman until September, brought unprecedented attention to his agency by publicly criticizing the alleged political favoritism of news programs, primarily those carried by the Public Broadcasting Service. CPB wields great influence over public radio and TV stations through its distribution of about $400 million in federal funding each year.
Despite Tomlinson’s high-profile campaign, it was his behind-the-scenes moves that apparently contributed to his departure.
The CPB’s inspector general has been investigating Tomlinson’s practice of using agency money to hire consultants and lobbyists without notifying the agency’s board. Tomlinson last year hired a little-known Indiana consultant to study the political leanings of guests on such programs as “Now With Bill Moyers” and “The Diane Rehm Show” on National Public Radio. He also hired lobbyists to defeat legislation that would have changed how CPB’s board is structured.
The inspector, Kenneth Konz, also had been looking into whether Tomlinson violated agency procedures in his recruiting of former Republican National Committee co-chairman Patricia de Stacy Harrison to be CPB’s chief executive, and into possible White House influence in the hiring of two in-house ombudsmen to critique news programs on NPR and PBS.
Battle of ‘Sesame Street’: Political fight over PBS has long history
By Meredith Blake
October 4, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-history-political-fight-over-pbs-20121004,0,5711328.story
Excerpt:
When Mitt Romney vowed to cut government funding for the Public Broadcasting Service during Wednesday night’s presidential debate, network chief Paula Kerger says she “just about fell off the sofa” out of shock.
Romney’s remarks – and in particular his decision to single out the beloved Big Bird — sparked an immediate uproar on social media. And on Thursday, PBS issued an unusually strongly worded statement in response to the attack. “Governor Romney does not understand the value the American people place on public broadcasting and the outstanding return on investment the system delivers to our nation,” it read.
But Kerger and Big Bird’s millions of fans shouldn’t have been that surprised by Romney’s pledge: The candidate is merely the latest in a long line of politicians and pundits who’ve turned the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes money to both PBS and NPR, into a political punching bag.
Since at least the mid-1990s, government sudsidization of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been a perennial front in the culture wars, and PBS’ programming, from “Teletubbies” to “NewsHour,” has been criticized for its supposed liberal bias.
Here’s a brief, though by no means comprehensive, look back at the ongoing political fight over PBS.
1995: Newly anointed House Speaker Newt Gingrich makes defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which he describes during a news conference as a “little sandbox for the rich,” a main legislative goal. After protests from the likes of children’s TV show host Shari Lewis, the effort dies.
1999: Jerry Falwell, co-founder of the Moral Majority, denounces Tinky Winky, a character from the trippy PBS children’s program “Teletubbies,” as a gay menace.
”He is purple — the gay-pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay-pride symbol,” Falwell writes in a “Parents Alert” column in his magazine, the National Liberty Journal. He also notes that Tinky Winky accessorizes with a purse.
Ratings for the show surge.
Voters strongly favor government funding for PBS, poll finds
By Meredith Blake
October 9, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-poll-support-pbs-funding-big-bird-obama-20121009,0,2637564.story
Excerpt:
Mitt Romney has vowed to cut government funding for Big Bird and his PBS friends, but the results of a new poll indicate the Republican candidate is out of step with most Americans on this issue.
A survey of 800 likely voters, commissioned by the Washington Times and conducted by the polling firm Zogby from Friday through Sunday, found that 55% of voters oppose cuts in spending to public television and consider it a “worthwhile” use of federal funds. In contrast, only 35% of voters believe “the government cannot afford to subsidize public television.”
Although defunding PBS has been a conservative legislative priority since at least the mid-‘90s, the poll’s results suggest that public television enjoys more bipartisan support than, well, just about anything does these days.
Attack on PBS has been on going since Ronnie……
@Elaine M.,
I think all Americans are concerned about jobs and unemployment.
Think again. The ones running for office and their partisans clearly have other concerns. Like Big Bird, for instance.
I don’t think it has anything to do with which candidate one supports.
You are correct. Both candidacies are equal opportunity non-employers.
The letters, Ryan’s spokesman Brendan Buck said, were sent as part of the congressman’s basic responsibility to advocate on behalf of his district. “Part of being a congressman is vouching for constituents and helping them navigate the federal bureaucracy when asked,” he said.
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I asked. Received a reply that he couldn’t help due to ethical considerations. Still have that documentation as well.
I’m not saying Sesame Street would be exempted from commercials if they left PBS. What I am saying is they could have a lot of influence on the sponsors and type of ads.
The Obama campaign is still running the Big Bird ads in Wisconsin, saw one yesterday. I guess they’re not as honorable as Elaine.