Big Bird swoops into presidential campaign

Big Bird.

/ File,AP Photo/Matt Sayles

As Republicans and Democrats wait eagerly for reliable polling information to measure the impact of last week's presidential debate, talk has turned - somewhat improbably - to a suddenly-controversial American entertainment figure: Big Bird.

The over-sized bird, who has starred on the PBS children's show "Sesame Street" since 1969 and according to Wikipedia can roller skate, ice skate, dance, sing, write poetry, draw and even ride a unicycle, has lately found himself at the center of a political controversy, as candidates of both stripes have taken to projecting their political messages in the image of the 8'2'' primrose-yellow bird.

The rousing debate kicked off after last week's presidential debate, when Mitt Romney invoked Big Bird's name in addressing cuts he would make to reduce the deficit.

"I like PBS, I love Big Bird," Romney told debate host Jim Lehrer, of PBS, when explaining some of the budget cuts he would make if elected. "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. That's number one."

In 2012, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps support PBS, NPR, American Public Media, and Public Radio International (PRI), received about $445 million - or about 0.012% percent of the nation's fiscal budget -- in federal funding. Democrats point out that cutting funding for the CPB would do little in and of itself to ease the nation's economic woes.

The Obama campaign, facing widespread criticism about Mr. Obama's performance in that debate, quickly seized on Romney's comment: The president was invoking the fictional giant bird on the campaign trail as early as Thursday morning, and various Big Bird wannabes have been popping up at Romney events across the country.

"He'll get rid of regulations on Wall Street, but he's going to crack down on 'Sesame Street.' Thank goodness somebody is finally cracking down on Big Bird," Mr. Obama joked at a campaign rally in Madison, Wis., on Thursday. "Who knew that he was responsible for all these deficits? Elmo has got to watch out."

Today, the campaign piled on to the Big Bird theme, with a new ad portraying Mitt Romney as more concerned with cracking down on Big Bird than on Wall Street criminals.

"Big, yellow, a menace to our economy," the ad threatens, quippily. "Mitt Romney knows it's not Wall Street you have to worry about, it's 'Sesame Street.'"

In an effort to stay above the political fray, the producers of "Sesame Street" are objecting to the ad and asked the Obama campaign to take it down, a request Mr. Obama's team says it is considering.

But Jen Psaki, traveling press secretary for the Obama campaign, doubled down on the Big Bird theme in a press gaggle on Air Force One.

"There's only one candidate in this race who is going to continue to fight for Big Bird and Elmo and he's riding on this plane," Psaki told reporters. "Aside from our love for Big Bird and Elmo, as is evidenced by the last few days, the point that we're making here is that when Mitt Romney - given the opportunity to lay out how he'll address the deficit - when he said 'I will take a serious approach to it,' his first offering was to cut funding for Big Bird. And that is absurd and hard to take seriously his specific plans."

And even while Romney and Republicans ridicule the Obama campaign over its fixation on the big yellow bird, they nevertheless keep bringing it up.

"The reviews are in on the Obama campaign's new Big Bird strategy and it's not a sunny day on Michigan Avenue," said Tim Miller, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, in an email blast.

Romney, too, added his two cents on the issue: "These are tough times with serious issues," he said at a campaign stop in Iowa. "So you have to scratch your head when the president spends the last week talking about saving Big Bird."

Big Bird, for one, made his message clear in an appearance last week on "Saturday Night Live."

"I don't want to ruffle any feathers," he said.

[BigBirdforPresident]

VOTE BIG BIRD! Tell Romney to go fly a kite!
Support Big Bird and Like this page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Bird-for-President/542919829068565

Please pass it on. Thank you. - Big Bird for President

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Funny how no republican supporter can cite any republican policy, bill/legislation that favors ordinary Americans over corporations, big oil, big pharma and the super rich. That questions has been asked for months and NO ONE HAS ANSWERED It YET.

[takacrat]

Just name one that the DNC has made?

[paulstewart9]

If Mitt thinks we should have a President that focuses on serious issues, then doesn't that leave Mitt out?

Mitt, you started this gig in the first place - remember or is that too long ago; it is last week so in your own way of thinking that is so long ago it equates to... never said that? Mittonnesty in motion.

And it is a political issue. So sorry #BigBird, it's just we don't want you as the next Thanksgiving Turkey! That's Mitt's next idea - kill Big Bird, save a turkey for America?

Mitt seems to know naught but confrontation and intimidation. He started the debate threatening Jim Lehrer, Big Bird and PBS. An old and nice man, a cartoon, and an institution. I thought somewhere in there he might offer Obama a haircut too, but apparently he didn't.

Maybe this is what caused Jim to lose control of the debate? I doubt Jim expected this. How did he feel? Jim surely remembers Mitt's heartfelt "I like to fire people" comment. I can see Mitt loves power; is it possible he enjoys telling intended victims he loves them first; just before vanquishing them?

I used to think Mitt just didn't have a heart. I now fear it's worse. America needs more than a slasher right now, it needs a man with vision for its people too. If corporations are people Mitt, then deficits are people too. Deficits do need to be slayed, but let's not start with Jim and Big Bird. Okay? Let's not cut the heart out of America, let's cut the fat; better let's work together to fix and grow the economy and jobs.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/13135420-the-denver-debate-the-78-and-why-jim-lehrer-lost-control

[JJ_in_tulsa]

I am looking for the Laura set, taliking about what realy is going on the midle east,, and I come upon thie sesamae street crap. Seriously, this country is in terrible shraights, and we are worried about big bird?

[takacrat]

Yea, they are needing something to tell there kids to go and watch while trading there food stamos for dope or turning tricks!

[cowartdo]

When Obama throws Hillery under the bus, Bill is going to have flashbacks of being called a racist in the primaries. Then Bill will throw Obama under in the last 2 weeks.

[takacrat]

Obama will never do that, now maybe throwing Hillery to the back of the bus!

[Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals]

Tell you what - cut out subsidies to PBS and subsidies for Texaco. Neither one is necessary.

Sounds like a fair deal.

[bluejacket2-2009]

A note to the suburban women in Ohio on behalf of Big Bird.... Romney could care less about you or your kids... He wants to CUT insurance money for mammograms, he wants to cut public broadcasting for your kids, he could care less if you earn less than men if you need a part time job....

He basically does not care about the 47% of Americans he considers a moocher, is that you?

[JJ_in_tulsa]

whose idea was this? It is an idiot idea. Of course we don't need to borrow money from anyone to support PBS. What a gall, This is an Obama stupid idea,,, where is he? Did he not see this coming?

[JJ_in_tulsa]

AND YOU ARE RIGHT, Ambassador Stevens and the others,, THAT is the deal.. Our country doesn't support our own people, we are now weak,, when we were strong. And that explaine all our lost tropps in Afgahnistan, which was Obama;s war. We are killing our own troops. You listen to Lara today, she explains it. We need to bring our troups home TODay. Right now! They are dying for no reason under the Obama rule. You have already screwed it,, bring everyone of them home now. Laura talked about being in the middle east and this president has lyed and lyed to everyone about that situation. We are under attach by those people,, we have a president who has allowed it.

[takacrat]

That's what so sad, Keeping the Big Yellow Bird, but not sending the Marines to save the Ambassador! Way to go Obama and Hillery, what are you to doing while this was going on, going to VEGAS!?!?!?!

[Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals]

No problem.

Kids don't like Big Bird anyway. Neither do parents for the momentary respite it provides.

[takacrat]

Direct TV and Dish ether have the Big Yellow Bird, this must be a Cable Thing that get Government Hands Out for intercity people!!

[AveHurley]

After the truth comes out about Ambassador Stevens & the 3 other Americans, Obama can start singing ,"Bye Bye Birdie"~ [although owners of that movie will probably want Obama not to be associated with his campaign either!]Obama strains on a gnat but swallows a camel~!! The point Mr.Romney was making is that we have been borrowing TOO MUCH MONEY from CHINA and we have to stop doing it, especially when its for non-essential programs like PBS which does fine with viewer support. Obama doesnt get it and all he can do is let his campaign go spinning out of control. VOTE FOR ROMNEY,HE HAS INTELLIGENCE KNOWLEDGE COMMON SENSE AND IS CAPABLE OF MAKING A GREAT PRESIDENT~!

[Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals]

Yet he wants to increase our troops in the Middle East by 100,000 troops.

Is that free?

Perspective isn't always fun, is it? Were doomed either way come the election.