So listen up, Columbus -- I'm here to tell you that as President, I will not be cutting funding for PBS. There are a lot of great reasons we should fund it -- and lots of other things that make early childhood education accessible to our young people.
But even more importantly, I think Sesame Street has a lot that it can teach today's Republican party leadership!
And it's nominee for President!
For example -- for example --
They should be talking with The Count about that budget of theirs -- maybe he can explain why a $5 trillion tax giveaway that doesn't hurt the middle class is mathematically impossible!
And if there's anyone who's going to need health insurance and probably has a pre-existing condition, it's Cookie Monster! No way he would qualify under the old rules before Obamacare, when an insurance company could deny you coverage or drop you for no reason at all.
And they should be talking with Oscar the Grouch -- because I don't think even he would be so heartless as to tell millions of aging Americans that it's time to end Medicare as we know it, and leave them on their own with a voucher system in the years ahead fending for themselves. Maybe Oscar could teach them something there.
And I think Snuffleupagus might have something to teach today's Republicans and Governor Romney! That's right! Because you know Governor Romney famously said we should just let Detroit go bankrupt. Just let America's auto industry self-destruct. If we'd done that, I think Snuffy would have been the only way we'd been able to get around anymore! Poor old Snuffy!
[laughing] No auto industry, gotta ride Snuffy around!
And Governor Romney was quick to ridicule the work we've done to come up with a sensible energy policy in this country, pretending climate change and rising ocean levels are of no concern to us as a nation, or our future security. And while rising sea levels might be great news for Ernie and that rubber ducky of his, for most Americans it's a crisis that needs to be addressed!
So that's why we have to keep funding PBS, Governor Romney -- because they have a lot to teach you. Handing Big Bird a pink slip is not a serious proposal for how to solve this nation's debt crisis. With apologies to Elmo, it's no laughing matter.
These are serious problems that require serious solutions, and so far the American people aren't hearing any honesty from you on them.
One of the things the President has to be is honest with the American people. It's not good enough just to promise tax cuts with no trade-offs -- to ignore math and common sense -- to proclaim that all we have to do is trust you and we'll all have sunny days!
Americans deserve better than that!