On Thursday, during a campaign stop in Springfield, Virginia, Mitt Romney forcefully backed (and even expanded upon) his now infamous Sesame Street comments made at last night's debate.

In a speech handlers dubbed "My America," Romney addressed a crowd of 130, echoing the same fiery tones he showed off in Denver:



Last night I said that, while I love Big Bird, it's time that the government stop spending money we don't have on things like public television. Now, I meant it last night, and I mean it today! So I say to Big Bird: it's time to learn to fly on your own!

"And it's not just Big Bird. You can be sure that in my America, Burt and Ernie won't be allowed to marry!" Romney said to a roaring crowd.

"And Oscar, getting handouts and eating what others personally toss his way while living in a government-provided cylinder? No more free rides or public housing in my America! "Then there's Kermit and Elmo, allowed to roam naked in Obama's heathen world of extremist liberal values. I won't allow frogs and red, unidentifiable fluffy things to treat our great neighborhoods like nudist colonies in my America! "What about Snuffleupagus, or 'Snuffy?' High all the time and ignored by overpaid police who turn a blind eye? No sir, not in my America! It's time to invest even more in the drug war and sweep all of Obama's trash off the streets. [...] "Oh, and that Cookie Monster? Taking advantage of free drug treatment sessions for that sugar addiction of his keeping him out of work, only to run and spend Welfare checks on Oreos and Vanilla Wafers? There won't be any Cookie Monsters dragging down our country in my America!

Romney then went on – with the crowd chanting "U.S.A." – to expand on his Sesame Street theme, seizing on his new-found momentum.Inspired by the cheering, Romney went off-script and spontaneously addressed a host of Sesame Street characters that would ostensibly be targeted in a Romney administration:While Romney's comments excited the raucous crowd in Virginia, it remains to be seen how they will play out as Big Bird and PBS become a focal point the day after Denver's debate.

No, this type of attention is not exactly what the Romney campaign had in mind.

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