Metal Sludge Gossip Board

Sesame Street wants Big Bird out of Obama campaign ad



WASHINGTON – President Obama has ruffled some feathers at PBS by putting Big Bird in a TV ad attacking Mitt Romney.

“We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down,” Sesame Workshop, the PBS-affiliated non-profit behind Sesame Street, said today in a statement.

“Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns,” said the statement.

An Obama campaign official said that the campaign “received and will review their concerns.”

The 30-second spot mocks Romney for saying in the presidential debate last week that he’ll cut the federal subsidy for PBS.

The movie-trailer style ad sarcastically touts Romney as a hero ready to go after Big Bird, which is described in the ad as the “evil genius” behind Bernie Madoff and other real life Wall Street “gluttons of greed.”

The ad is here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxs09eV-Vc

“Mitt Romney knows it’s not Wall Street you have to worry about, it’s Sesame Street,” the baritone narrator says in the ad. “Mitt Romney. Taking on our enemies, no matter where they nest.”

Obama has practically made the loveable Big Bird character an unofficial campaign mascot since Romney gave the giant puppet a shout out in the presidential debate last week in Denver.

“I like PBS. I love Big Bird,” Romney had said. “But I’m not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”

Obama last week sent Big Bird — or at least a crude imitation — to pester Romney at a rally in rural Virginia.

The faux-Big Bird carried a sign that read, “Crack down on Wall Street not Sesame Street.”

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/s ... FgrligZJEP

brotherplanet wrote:Sesame Street wants Big Bird out of Obama campaign ad



WASHINGTON – President Obama has ruffled some feathers at PBS by putting Big Bird in a TV ad attacking Mitt Romney.

“We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down,” Sesame Workshop, the PBS-affiliated non-profit behind Sesame Street, said today in a statement.

“Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns,” said the statement.

An Obama campaign official said that the campaign “received and will review their concerns.”

The 30-second spot mocks Romney for saying in the presidential debate last week that he’ll cut the federal subsidy for PBS.

The movie-trailer style ad sarcastically touts Romney as a hero ready to go after Big Bird, which is described in the ad as the “evil genius” behind Bernie Madoff and other real life Wall Street “gluttons of greed.”

The ad is here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxs09eV-Vc

“Mitt Romney knows it’s not Wall Street you have to worry about, it’s Sesame Street,” the baritone narrator says in the ad. “Mitt Romney. Taking on our enemies, no matter where they nest.”

Obama has practically made the loveable Big Bird character an unofficial campaign mascot since Romney gave the giant puppet a shout out in the presidential debate last week in Denver.

“I like PBS. I love Big Bird,” Romney had said. “But I’m not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”

Obama last week sent Big Bird — or at least a crude imitation — to pester Romney at a rally in rural Virginia.

The faux-Big Bird carried a sign that read, “Crack down on Wall Street not Sesame Street.”

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/s ... FgrligZJEP

Translation:
"We don't want to piss off the GOP any more than they already are...JUST in case......"

“Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns,”

They can lose their tax exempt status if they assist Obama's campaign. That's all this is about. They need to make it clear they are not supporting Obama's political campaign.

Issue Advocacy v. Political Campaign Intervention

Section 501(c)(3) organizations may take positions on public policy issues, provided that the organization’s activities promoting those positions do not rise to the level of political campaign intervention. In the ruling, the IRS provided a list of facts and circumstances used to determine whether activities are considered appropriate issue advocacy or prohibited campaign intervention. The IRS also gave the following examples:

A university publishes a school newspaper advertisement encouraging readers to urge a senator, who is campaigning for reelection, to vote for legislation favorable to the university. This is not prohibited political activity.

In a radio advertisement, an organization asks listeners to urge the governor, who is campaigning for reelection, to support increased school funding, where the level of funding is a major reelection issue. This is prohibited political activity.

The director of a community organization gives a speech urging listeners to vote for mass-transit funding in a state senate race, when mass-transit funding is an issue on which the senate candidates differ in their views. This is prohibited political activity.

Wheresthestagemanager? wrote:

brotherplanet wrote:Sesame Street wants Big Bird out of Obama campaign ad



WASHINGTON – President Obama has ruffled some feathers at PBS by putting Big Bird in a TV ad attacking Mitt Romney.

“We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down,” Sesame Workshop, the PBS-affiliated non-profit behind Sesame Street, said today in a statement.

“Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns,” said the statement.

An Obama campaign official said that the campaign “received and will review their concerns.”

The 30-second spot mocks Romney for saying in the presidential debate last week that he’ll cut the federal subsidy for PBS.

The movie-trailer style ad sarcastically touts Romney as a hero ready to go after Big Bird, which is described in the ad as the “evil genius” behind Bernie Madoff and other real life Wall Street “gluttons of greed.”

The ad is here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxs09eV-Vc

“Mitt Romney knows it’s not Wall Street you have to worry about, it’s Sesame Street,” the baritone narrator says in the ad. “Mitt Romney. Taking on our enemies, no matter where they nest.”

Obama has practically made the loveable Big Bird character an unofficial campaign mascot since Romney gave the giant puppet a shout out in the presidential debate last week in Denver.

“I like PBS. I love Big Bird,” Romney had said. “But I’m not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”

Obama last week sent Big Bird — or at least a crude imitation — to pester Romney at a rally in rural Virginia.

The faux-Big Bird carried a sign that read, “Crack down on Wall Street not Sesame Street.”

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/s ... FgrligZJEP

Translation:
"We don't want to piss off the GOP any more than they already are...JUST in case......"

It's always safer for a company that receives public funding not to openly pick a side.

brotherplanet wrote: It's always safer for a company that receives public funding not to openly pick a side.

We all know you are "just kidding" and that you know that Sesame Workshop is funded by licensing the use of their characters to a variety of corporations to use for books, toys, and other products marketed toward children. They are not funded by the federal govt. Sesame Street is broadcast on PBS which receives some federal funding but relies mostly on donations.

These are the biggest donors to Mitt's campaign. They all received public funding. If it was not for public funding in 2008, none of them would exist now.

Goldman Sachs $891,140
Bank of America $668,139
JPMorgan Chase & Co $663,219
Morgan Stanley $649,847
Credit Suisse Group $554,066
Citigroup Inc $418,263
Wells Fargo $414,750

Constantine wrote:WOW! Obama has spent a whole week talking about Big Bird! Obama has the worst presidential record ever, and he cannot run on it. You have to remember, Obama is a socialist- he needs the American people to be in dire straits...he needs them to need government. Obama must go, and with him socialism forever!

How is it over in France? Your government has achieved a level of Socialism we can't even imagine. Is it like you are trapped in a living Hell?

Danzig in the Dark wrote:

Constantine wrote:WOW! Obama has spent a whole week talking about Big Bird! Obama has the worst presidential record ever, and he cannot run on it. You have to remember, Obama is a socialist- he needs the American people to be in dire straits...he needs them to need government. Obama must go, and with him socialism forever!

How is it over in France? Your government has achieved a level of Socialism we can't even imagine. Is it like you are trapped in a living Hell?

Don't forget France is the country that proclaimed Jerry Lewis a "genius".
Also, can you name one killer French Rock band?

DEATH ROW JOE wrote:

brotherplanet wrote: It's always safer for a company that receives public funding not to openly pick a side.

We all know you are "just kidding" and that you know that Sesame Workshop is funded by licensing the use of their characters to a variety of corporations to use for books, toys, and other products marketed toward children. They are not funded by the federal govt. Sesame Street is broadcast on PBS which receives some federal funding but relies mostly on donations.

These are the biggest donors to Mitt's campaign. They all received public funding. If it was not for public funding in 2008, none of them would exist now.

Goldman Sachs $891,140
Bank of America $668,139
JPMorgan Chase & Co $663,219
Morgan Stanley $649,847
Credit Suisse Group $554,066
Citigroup Inc $418,263
Wells Fargo $414,750

He wasn't kidding and he didn't know that. He also won't understand your sarcasm.