Update: Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street, has asked the campaign to take down the ad, according to a statement by the nonprofit. "We do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads," it wrote on its blog.
The Obama campaign released a new ad starring Sesame Street's Big Bird that pokes fun at a Mitt Romney line from last week's first presidential debate.
Romney promised during the debate to "stop the subsidy to PBS," the network that broadcasts Sesame Street. "I love Big Bird...But I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it," he added.
The new 30-second spot from the president's re-election campaign dismisses Romney's stance on PBS and Big Bird as overblown paranoia.
"Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Dennis Kozlowski. Criminals. Gluttons of greed," the ad begins. "And the evil genius who towered over them? One man has the guts to speak his name."
Cue Romney at the mic saying "Big Bird" over and over again.
"Big, yellow, a menace to our economy," the ad continues. "Mitt Romney knows it's not Wall Street you have to worry about, it's Sesame Street."
Cut to a benign, sleeping Big Bird cuddled up with a stuffed teddy bear.
MSNBC's Chuck Todd pointed out during Daily Rundown that the ad is not a serious one for the campaign given that it is playing on national cable and broadcast stations rather than in battleground states where it could have a real impact on the race.



BREAKING NEWS:
Obama campaign under investigation for illegal overseas campaign donations.
I believe you are refering to The Romney campaign for taking money from donors overseas when he took a special trip to Israel and London to raise money for his campaign according to a Veteran's report and journalists who were not allowed to attend the fund raiser.......all over the Internet Oct. 8, 2012. It is blatantly illegal for a political candidate to accept money from non-United States citizens.
No. Organizing for America is using a non secure web site to take in overseas donations that are under $200.00 and can't be traced. Apparently it involves the 3 digit security code which is used to authenticate and trace transactions. OFA refusing to comply. Source: Government Accountability Institute.
Well lets see here. Wasn't it the supreme courts decision led by Chief Justice Roberts that gave us 'Citizens United'? Where anyone, doesn't matter in this country or not, can donate funds to a politician and not have to disclose the donor?
Hmmm, looks to me like "Let's riot over Obamacare" Alabama militia man, MIke Vanderboegh, has conned the psych tech out of the keys to the computer room again.
He's the guy who brought us "Fast and Furious," and the faithful on the right are still nonplussed to discover they've been punked, and the issue is a non-starter.
Romney keeps blaming Obama on the economy but fails to mention which policies are at fault.
Ok CONS, let's do some ARITHMETIC...
First,
Name the “Obama” POLICIES and the AMOUNTS that you say added trillions to the debt.
Next,
ADD the total amounts and DEDUCT from the current $16 TRILLION.
The balance = GOP spending.
Remember the following…
Expenses to FIX the GOP failed policies like TARP and the stimulus are still GOP spending and NOT Obama's fault so DO NOT count those policies.
All expenses from the previous GOP administration’s unfunded policies that Obama added to his budget is also Republican spending.
INTEREST on the GOP TRILLIONS of debt is NOT for Obama to be responsible for either, it is GOP spending too. They own that interest.
Also,
The Bailouts are LOANS to “repair” more GOP screwed up policies, the GOP wanted those to be FREE of charge, a ”going away gift” to the Banks and Wall Street, from Bush.
Do not add policies before Reagan because there was NO DEBT PROBLEM before that, Reagan took office when the debt had ONE TRILLION and could have been tackled and fixed with comprehensive tax reform but he did not.
Entitlements are a tiny fraction of the debt and they always bring their own revenues thru payroll deductions as premium payments. Entitlements are NOT free, it’s paid into insurance.
Saying that the Democrats had a “majority” doesn't count either, because we all know the filibustering, obstructing, uncompromising, DO NOTHING GOP party of pledges to “NEVER bring revenues” has had the “CONTROL” and all those failed GOP policies were drafted by Republicans AND all those policies passed with GOP majorities of votes going back to Reagan.
The CONS will NEVER have policies or numbers to blame on the Democrats because they DO NOT exist. Look them up, I tried. Every single policy at fault are GOP owned, drafted and vigorously voted by them.
DO NOT get fooled into thinking it is Obama’s or the Democrat’s fault. It is time to stop that Myth.
Get ready. All you will get from the Republican Fox-Rush-bots is going to be more diversions and ridicules to change the subject, so be prepared for those.
This is NOT blaming the GOP or BUSH, this is ARITHMETIC !!!!
I say respect their wishes. Big Bird, Oscar, Grover, Elmo and everyone else are about education. Not politics.
We know Sesame Street isn't about politics, but about education. But it was Romney who brought it up in the most recent debate between him and Obama.
@Musician54: Please. It's unsubstantiated hyperbole from Fox News.
Two things liberals fear most, the truth and Fox News. Msnbc will report it in a week or two on one of thier abismal ratings programs, once they craft thier spin and alter some video evidence like they are well known for.
Seen it on Fox and CNN
Fear FAUX Noise? That's rich...
I was over on The Daily Beast, and the cyber-censor wouldn't let me use that reference to Baron Murdochausen's political propaganda machine.
Whose afraid of what?
I think it's hilarious - AND, lest anybody forget - it's telling the truth. Leave it up. PBS needs the money - remember pledge breaks? Want more?
Sesame Street asking Obama campaign and MSNBC to stop airing commercial with Sesame Street charachters. Source MSNBC/Tamron Hall.
Not very bright of them. The publicity couldn't hurt, and as a private enterprise they're not subject to retaliation from angry teabagged sorts.
It is ridiculous that President Obama is being raked over the coals for responding in an ad to Mittens stupid remark that he was going to balance the budget by ending funding for PBS, even though it will do literally nothing to balance the budget. We know that Seasame St is a private company that rents air time from PBS and is part of the 1%, but evidently Mittens doesn`t. It is wrong of Seasame St. to turn it`s back on PBS and ask President Obama to stop running the ad, now that they have made so much money with PBS`s help, and claim they are not political. They should take a stand for the party that has always fought for PBS`s funding. Without PBS, Seasame St. never would have gotten the chance to become the giant corporation that it has.
Why David, you ignorant sot! Mitt Romney offered up PBS federal subsidy of nearly a half billion dollars a year as the type of programs he will look at to judge if they are worth saddling our children and grandchildren with more debt from borrowing, while our credit rating continues to sink worldwide. As a propogandizer, your are about equal to your diplay of lack of an intelligent bone in your body, fool! Why not put you money where your big mouth is, and make a donation to PBS...I do! But I don't want to see my children and grandchildren saddled with the bills that are mounting under this President and his colleagues in the Senate that can't see there way to cut any programs at all to curb the deficit, other than the nation's Defense and preparedness in this troubled world.
Mr. Longey: Not sure why you or Mitt or anyone is so concerned about PBS. In case you were wondering, the taxpayer subsidy of PBS (and Big Bird) is $450 million per year, 1/100th of a percent of the federal budget - and the amount the pentagon spends in 6 hours. In contrast, the 5 big oil companies receive $6.6 million federal tax breaks EVERY DAY - despite profits of $375 million PER DAY. Perhaps you should worry about your grandkids being saddled with THAT.
Weird that everything you said is incorrect. Did you ever write comments about the actual cause of "the bills that are mounting"? You know - two unfunded wars, tax breaks, etc., gifts from Pres. Bush. Could I see those comments, please? Who told you there have not been programs offered to curb the deficit? Ask the Republicans why they are not doing anything about it. And btw, the pentagon doesn't care about DEFENSE; like the repubs, they care about the MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX that will "suffer" if we don't have wars and more deficit defense spending.
Deborah, you are confused. The oil and gas companies do not get a "tax subsidy", they get to keep more of their money they made due to expenses for exploration and development. No one is borrowing money from China to allow that subsidy.
But 1/2 a billion dollars is not sybolic, it is real money. And the question is would PBS be functioning without it? Most believe quite nicely.
What the ad says Romney is worrying about the wrong thing. He should be doing something about Wall Street but he is making hay over small potaotes such as Sesame Street. Worry on the big stuff that will help the economy. In other words go after Wall Street not Sesame Street.
Guess you didn't hear Romney mentioning getting rid of the Too Big To Fail nine investment-commercial banks on Wall Street, that Dodd-Frank solidified, Gladys. Of course, that was also the result of a bill signed by Bill Clinton in his 2nd term of office that removed the regulations allowing investment and commercial banks to be merged you know?
And of course in the debate, Romney claimed to be in favor of regulation but the dissed the president for kowtowing to the banks.
Let's all make sure he has plenty of exposure folks and that he really does have to stand behind what he said even if he's not sure what that is.
You know Keith, I've heard Mitt say one thing here and a completely different thing behind closed doors with his rich contributors then I heard something else completely different in the debate.I don't think Mitt knows exactly what he believes and what's worse is that he cannot keep track of how many times he's changed his mind. I cannot trust one thing he's said thus far. I cannot be fooled by a total fool like Mitt Romney...
Go on believeing the spin, fool! Cause the American voter has had enough of it!
There goes ol' Keith again...thinking he was selected to speak for all American voters.
But notice...he offers nothing in the way of facts countering the statement made that unleashed his vitriol. Now if he'd said that the country had had enough of Mitt's multiple double-back tactics on his own comments, well, he'd probably find much more agreement.
And jola...you obviously hit one of Keiths nerves, much to my amusement and much to his chagrin.
If you lie about Romney's posiitions, and then call him a liar for espousing the truth of his positions, that make you a double liar in my book, fool!
Other than you, who lied, Keith? You still offer...nothing. Funny thing about audio and video...after they've been played, one has a hard time denying their existence.
So, let's take a little look at some "Mitt-isms", shall we?
There are, of course, his more recent ones about the "47%" and the "Palestinians", so let's add some more.
"The Arizona immigration policy is a good model." – Mitt Romney.
"I didn't really support the Arizona immigration policy." – Mitt Romney.
"The Massachusetts healthcare plan should be a model for the nation." – Mitt Romney.
"Healthcare reform should be left to the states." – Mitt Romney.
"Let Detroit go bankrupt." -Mitt Romney.
"I'll take a lot of credit for saving the auto industry." -Mitt Romney.
"I believe Roe v Wade has gone too far." – Mitt Romney.
"Roe v Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it." – Mitt Romney.
"I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose." – Mitt Romney.
"I never really called myself pro-choice." – Mitt Romney.
"It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam." – Mitt Romney.
"I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and represent our country there." – Mitt Romney.
"I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush." – Mitt Romney.
"Ronald Reagan is… my hero." – Mitt Romney.
"I think the minimum wage ought to keep pace with inflation." – Mitt Romney.
"There's no question raising the minimum wage excessively causes a loss of jobs." - Mitt Romney.
"I saw my father march with Martin Luther King." – Mitt Romney.
"I did not see it with my own eyes." – Mitt Romney.
"I would like to have campaign spending limits." – Mitt Romney.
"The American people should be free to advocate for their candidates without burdensome limitations." – Mitt Romney.
"I supported the assault weapon ban." – Mitt Romney
"I don't support any gun control legislation." – Mitt Romney.
"The stimulus that was passed in early 2009 will accelerate the recovery…" – Mitt Romney.
"The stimulus passed in early 2009 has been a failure." – Mitt Romney.
"I like mandates. Mandates work." - Mitt Romney.
"I think it's unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front." - Mitt Romney.
"And the President's made the economy worse". - Mitt Romney.
"I didn't say he made it worse." - Mitt Romney.
In '94, Romney supported allowing gays/lesbians "to serve openly and honestly in our nations military".
in '06, Romney then changed and stated he'd "support maintaining Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
In '10, Romney said TARP was "the right thing for the country as we were on the precipice and it was a scary time for a lot of people."
But later that same year, he changed his tune saying that "as President, he'd shut down TARP".
Romney's book (No Apologies) explicitly condemns Obama for taking too hostile an approach to China on trade.
But now, Romney claims he'd slap the currency manipulator label on China on his first day in office to "punish" China for it's trading tactics.
These aren't all of them, but they'll suffice. Read 'em and weep, Keith. Now, if you want to call anyone other than the image you always see whenever you look into a mirror a "liar", then you should probably have a long chat with your boy-blunder...he's garnered quite a reputation for repudiating his own statements.
Ben Adler, of "The Nation" put it succinctly when he said: "Romney tries to project an image that is wildly at odds with his true character: a coward who will pander to any audience but lacks any core convictions."
And if you really think I care about about "your book", you're more deficient in mental capacity than I thought.
If anything is a "menace," it's FAUX Noise. I would be hard-pressed not to support a measure to have it shut down as menace to the country's mental health.
Honest, folks, this isn't satire...
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/10/08/in-second-term-obama-will-allow-un-to-tax-americans/
It's under Dick Morris's byline.... Strictly Weekly World News stuff to saner sorts.
>It should come as no surprise that President Obama will raise taxes if he is re-elected. But here’s the shocker: He will invite the United Nations to tax Americans directly. And the proceeds would go directly to the Third World. In this way, Barack Obama will, indeed, realize the dreams of his father.
Why is Obama so stuck on BB? Romney gave several good arguments in the debate and all Obama can do to retaliate is make a crack about BB in a political ad?! Its common knowledge that PBS is a non-partisan organization and they don't support or endorse candidates of any kind. If Obama's campaign doesn't even realize that simple fact how can they call Romney out of touch?His campaign didn't even bother to ask PBS or SS for the rights to use BB's image in the add! All that aside, BB is irrelevant in this campaign and Romney only used BB as an example of what programs he would cut Gov. funding for. PBS does not need gov money.They make more than enough revenue from private donations and merchandise. Why fund programs like PBS when the Gov can't even provide proper funding for schools? We have the worst educational system for a developed nation.
You could use some serious lessons in human nature there, Jazzy... Unfortunately, I don't think you're up to trying the cabdriver route...
Take a look instead at some of the "private" cable channels that do manage to survive on income they generate. Start with watching Animal Planet, for example. Ten years ago there was magnificent educational programming featuring folks like Jeff Corwin and the legendary Steve Irwin...
Nowadays you will find nothing but shoddy and dishonest drama of the worst lowest common denominator variety. "Bigfoot' searches are shown regularly (no legitimate scientist gives Sassie any credibility because of the fossil record), along with nonsense calculated to sell a "drama quotient." The same is true of the History Channel; we are treated to UFO claims, JFK assassination conspiracies, and, of course, lots of ghosts.
PBS has always been able to resist these economic forces and offer something legitimate because it is accountable to people and not the bean counters.
PBS has been able to resist much change because of its viewers. PBS knows very well that their viewers and the ppl who donate to them want to see educational programing and not hyped t.v shows that offer little to no value.PBS has been held to high standards by the ppl that watch PBS.Not because of Gov funding.Are you saying that PBS has kept its quality of intellectual programing solely because of gov. watchdogs and the threat of losing said funding? Animal Planet is a very reputable channel and they have very few "dog-and pony shows" on their channel,so to speak. The history channel has many great shows that examine the history of many situations.Conspiracy theories and aliens are very much talked about today and much of the Bigfoot shows and ghost hunting are shown on stations like Chiller and SYFY. The government cannot and will not direct the flow of entertainment.It is the viewers that allow for the creation and success of many tv shows that are aired. PBS will not change unless they feel the need to do so for the ratings. Many shows I liked on PBS as a child have been cancelled because of a lack of funding, the program not receiving enough views, or a simple discontinuation.This happens because of the creative demand that is in the entertainment field. Viewers are who call the shots. Obviously ppl enjoy watching bigfoot and enjoy seeing a week of Bigfoot investigations in much the same way many ppl enjoy shark week on TLC. If it didn't bring in ratings it wouldn't be on television. This is true of any television network, government funded or otherwise. So as I said before PBS will do just fine without Gov funding.Its unfair to force ppl who don't watch PBS to fund PBS.The gov runs on tax dollars after all and they should not be allowed to delegate tax money to programs that are better left in the private sector. BB will be just fine with out Uncle Sam paying his rent.
I kind of like those "Wild Hog" chases and captures shown on Animal Planet...reminds me of the reporters going after that stalwart Chris Christie a bit, Cab Driver. LOL!
PBS is great for its music coverage and Masterpiece Theater, and Nature series. That gets my attention and I donate for keeping that up and on the air. You want to sit around eating Coco Pops and slurping down milk while watching Sesame Street and Big Bird, than go for it...get out the debit/credit card or checkbook and make a like donation, fools.
Appears that Big Bird really has no use for this Chicago run Obama campaign tying their wagon of lies to his pristine reputation. "Desist in using my image in your adds, and stop referring to me"...he says.
So now Keith equates Christie with a "Wild Hog". He probably won't like that comparison, but who cares what the Krispy Kreme dude thinks?
You're learning...