Marybeth: Election 2012 — Big Bird Edition
Since last week’s shellacking of Pres. Obama by Gov. Mitt Romney in the first presidential debate, Obama For America (OFA) has been trying to craft a response that will reassert our president’s stature as a world leader.
Of all the criticisms of last week’s debate performance, the one that hurts Obama the most is the consensus that he was simply not presidential. After all, if the sitting president is not presidential…what is he?
He’s Barack Obama… defender of Big Bird. Watch this…
OFA released this attack ad, referring to Romney’s clear, yet humorously delivered, statement that if elected, he will no longer borrow money from China to fund things we want but can live without (or fund differently.)
“I’m sorry Jim, I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS,” Romney told debate moderator Jim Lehrer, who is executive editor for PBS NewsHour. “I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you, too. But I’m not gonna keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”
(By the way, that moment was the most widely TiVoed segment of the debate.)
Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the campaign was tapping into a “grassroots outcry” when it put together an ad attacking Mitt Romney for wanting to de-fund Big Bird.
“There’s been a strong grassroots outcry over the attacks on Big Bird. This is something that mothers across the country are alarmed about, and you know, we’re tapping into that,” Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.
Are those the mothers across America who don’t have jobs, and whose husbands are underemployed or at risk of losing their healthcare plans thanks to Obamacare, whose children are hungry at school while being force-fed Mrs. O’s healthier lunches, and who spend roughly $60 filling the tank in the minivan ?
Sorry, Jen. I’m thinking those gals have more to do than worry about whether Romney tried to soften the blow when naming PBS as an entity on the chopping block. Also, not for nothing, apparently women were impressed with the Governor’s debate performance.
The folks are Sesame Workshop are none-too-happy to be dragged into this political scuffle. In a statement posted to its web site, the children’s programming organization said:
“Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down.”
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee released a fun graphic with a serious message about how seriously off message our president is: 
