Obama Ad Features Someone Big, Yellow and Feathery

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

If President Obama loses the election next month, his ad makers may have a second career on “The Daily Show.”

A new television ad by Mr. Obama's campaign would fit right in on the sarcasm-laced comedy show. Or it could be an opening skit for “Saturday Night Live.”

The ad has a serious intention: attacking Mitt Romney for suggesting he would crack down on public funding for public television, while not saying he'd crack down on big banks.

“Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Dennis Kozlowski. Criminals. Gluttons of greed,” the ad's narrator says as images of three of Wall Street's most notorious white-collar villains are put on the screen. “And the evil genius who towered over them?”

In the mirrored glass of a towering office building, the ad shows a reflection of: Big Bird.

“One man has the guts to speak his name,” the ad says, followed by Mr. Romney's mention of the yellow Muppet at the de bate and at rallies.

“Big. Yellow. A menace to our economy,” the narrator continues. “Mitt Romney knows it's not Wall Street you have to worry about, it's Sesame Street.”

“Mitt Romney,” the ad concludes. “Taking on our enemies, no matter where they nest.”

The end of the ad? Big Bird, sleeping in a nest.

The Republican National Committee responded within hours of the ad's release, but apparently they didn't think it was funny.

In a release to reporters, a spokeswoman for the committee noted that Mr. Obama has mentioned “Big Bird” and Elmo” 13 times since Wednesday's debate, but said the president has not talked about Libya or the economy.

“President Obama has offered voters only complaints and false attacks, making Sesame Street characters the cornerstone of his campaign” said Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a statement. “While President Obama has managed to come up with some Sesame Street themed one-liners that escaped him on debate night, he has failed to come up with a plan for a second term beyond his unyielding commitment to raising taxes.”

The Republicans also posted a graphic, using an image of Sesame Street's “The Count” to make their point.