Big Bird Thought the Debate Was a Big Snooze

Beloved "Sesame Street" icon admits he was asleep when Mitt Romney threatened to cut his funding

Beloved Sesame Street creature Big Bird might have been a topic of interest in Wednesday night's debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney, but don't ask him for his opinion on the political showdown, because he slept right through it.

The feathered yellow icon logged onto Twitter on Thursday morning to admit that he missed his big moment in the political arena, saying that he was tucked away in his nest, catching some much-needed shut-eye.

"My bed time is usually 7:45, but I was really tired yesterday and fell asleep at 7!" Big Bird tweeted. "Did I miss anything last night?"

Also read: PBS CEO: Romney's Big Bird Moment "Unbelievable"

The aviary giant was thrust into the cesspool of partisan politics when Republican presidential candidate Romney re-asserted his intention to cut federal funding to PBS, home to "Sesame Street," during the debate.

"“I’m sorry, Jim," Romney told moderator Jim Lehrer, who also works for PBS. "I’m going to the 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 keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”

Sesame Workshop, which produces "Sesame Street," was similarly nonchalant about Romney's threat to cut the purse strings, expressing gratitude that Romney is a fan.

"Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, educational organization. We do not comment on campaigns, but we're happy we can all agree that everyone likes Big Bird," the company said in a statement.

Also read: Romney Wins Big Bird Debate as Obama Is as Visible as Snuffleupagus

PBS CEO Paula Kerger was less forgiving of Romney's comment, calling the presidential contender's obsession with choking off the funding for public television "unbelievable."

"With the enormous problems facing our country, the fact that we are the focus is unbelievable to me, particularly given the fact that at another part of the debate, both candidates talked about the importance of education," Kerger said on CNN Newsroom. "We're America's biggest classroom."

So she's saying that Romney's plan doesn't fly?

 

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