Mitt, if you're elected and you lay one finger, just one finger on my PBS, there will be hell to pay.
There certainly must be other fatty pork governmental programs out there you could promise to cut other than funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Have you not ever watched NOVA? Sesame Street? Downton Abbey? Mister Rogers? Bob Ross? Bob Ross! Happy little trees. If it was not for PBS, do you think he would have had the chance to be come the icon he did? Didn't you visit Mister Rogers' Neighborhood when you were younger?
Or maybe you just tuned in during one of their fundraising telethons and thought that was the extent of the programming.
Do you not understand that we can watch PBS shows free online without having to go through a paywall or sign in through our cable provider? (I'm looking at you, NBCOlympics -- really poor show.) Can't you see that for those folks out there who are interested in maybe learning a little something worthwhile, or maybe just being engaged with content that is accessible to everyone and actually provides a learning value, PBS is fantastic.
And most importantly for your Presidential aspirations, do you realize how many voters you probably just lost? Mitt, come on. Did you at least look at the Downton Abbey Season 2 finale ratings when considering cutting funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?
If you had you would have noticed that 5.4 million people tuned in to PBS for the last episode of Season 2, the highest for a PBS overnight show since 2009's "Ken Burns' National Parks." A total 17.1 million tuned in for Season 2.
That's 17.1 million voters Mitt. It just isn't smart to mess with Downton Abbey fans. You may take our freedom, but you may not take our Mr. Bates.
PBS has given us cultural icons and entertaining and educational series, and while it may be true that even with potential cuts to funding PBS might not axe the heavy hitting shows like Downton Abbey, what future icons might not ever get the chance because PBS isn't as willing to try new things?
The Presidential election dust will settle after November 6. When it does, political pundits will look back at Mitt Romney's failure to win the election not as a result of his horrendous overseas gaffes, unwillingness to release his taxes, or interesting choice in a Vice Presidential candidate, but at his lack of love for Oscar the Grouch, Mister Rogers, Mr. Bates and the rest of the cultural icons and services PBS brings to the American people.
We get our fill of Kardashian programming from the major networks, so it would be smart not to underestimate our love of Big Bird and and crew.
Don't mess with our PBS.
Watch Chris talk about his post on HuffPost Live below: