Left still freaking out over Big Bird's fate, but 'Sesame Street' will be just fine

He sure did! During last night’s debate, Mitt Romney vowed to cut taxpayer funding for PBS if elected, leading to a massive freakout across the Twitterverse over Big Bird’s fate. Today, even David Axelrod is making his concern known:

Big bird has just come up on the conference call. Axelrod brought it up.

— Amie Parnes (@amieparnes) October 4, 2012

Sesame Street characters mentioned so far on this OFA call: Big Bird, Oscar.

— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) October 4, 2012

Surely if PBS were to become privately funded, poor Big Bird would be forced to leave his nest! A new Twitter account, @FiredBigBird, sprang up last to let the world know how our feathered friend is taking the news:

This is why I love Twitter: @FiredBigBird is in the house. https://t.co/o1yBVM2q

— Pavia Rosati (@pavianyc) October 4, 2012

RT @FiredBigBird: Mitt Romney favors Wall Street over Sesame Street

— Billmo (@BillmoNYC) October 4, 2012

RT @FiredBigBird: Mitt Romney will end Burt and Ernie's right to a civil union

— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) October 4, 2012

RT @FiredBigBird BREAKING NEWS – BAIN CAPITAL HAS SHIPPED SESAME STREET TO CHINA… STORY DEVELOPING

— jds (@padawrong) October 4, 2012

ruh roh RT @FiredBigBird: "I worked with Big Bird. I served with Big Bird. You, sir, are no Big Bird" #DebateDenver

— Ed Henry (@edhenry) October 4, 2012

WIN RT @firedbigbird: I am afraid now @SarahPalinUSA and her husband Todd will eat me to protest gay marriage… #ChicFilA

— ProfB (@AntheaButler) October 4, 2012

https://twitter.com/kikiochieng/status/253873964496080896

https://twitter.com/cydnaaaaay/status/253860993170567168

Shows like Sesame Street are multi-million dollar enterprises capable of thriving in the private market. According to the 990 tax form all nonprofits are required to file, Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell received $956,513 — nearly a million dollars — in compensation in 2008. And, from 2003 to 2006, “Sesame Street” made more than $211 million from toy and consumer product sales.

Public money currently being allocated to PBS could be better used elsewhere:

It is time to end the subsidies to NPR and PBS. #bigbird #RomneyRyan2012 #Obama2012

— Stephanie Kistler (@slkistler) October 4, 2012

I find it ironic that people are upset with cutting funding to #PBS #BigBird but they aren't upset with cuts our #military has faced.

— Tara Noffsinger (@tlnoff) October 4, 2012

The PBS/Big Bird line was great, we shouldn't be spending money on it while we're borrowing money from China. Sacrifices. #debate

— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) October 4, 2012

It’s not as if PBS is hurting:

https://twitter.com/amandacarpenter/status/253867232612999168

https://twitter.com/amandacarpenter/status/253867668485066752

Even “Sesame Street” execs have to admit that they’re doing just fine:

Big Bird will survive even if funding cut for PBS http://t.co/IJTfL5n5

— Katharine Q. Seelye (@kseelye) October 4, 2012

Via CNN:

[Sherrie Westin, Sesame Workshop’s executive VP and chief marketing officer] says, “Sesame Workshop receives very, very little funding from PBS. So, we are able to raise our funding through philanthropic, through our licensed product, which goes back into the educational programming, through corporate underwriting and sponsorship. So quite frankly, you can debate whether or not there should be funding of public broadcasting. But when they always try to tout out Big Bird, and say we’re going to kill Big Bird – that is actually misleading, because Sesame Street will be here.”

Big Bird needs to ask Dora the Explorer how she manages 2live without taxpayer money. Try it Big Bird. You'll be just fine.

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) October 4, 2012

Defunding PBS will not put Big Bird and friends out on the street. This message has been brought to you by common sense.