"Average Joes" Who Were Thrust Onto the Political Stage
Big Bird and other unlikely political fire starters.
1 / 5
Big Bird - From Big Bird to "Joe the Plumber," BET.com takes a look at instances where unlikely, everyday personalities were thrust onto the political stage. –Britt Middleton Big Bird may not be "an Average Joe," or even human for that matter, but the iconic feathered character surprisingly became the focus of the first of the 2012 presidential debates when Mitt Romney said he would cut funding to PBS, which airs Sesame Street, as a means to lower the national deficit. In turn, the big yellow bird and his friends found themselves the subject of Internet memes and even a Twitter account opposing Romney's stance. (Photo: AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
2 / 5
Richard Hayes - Richard Hayes is a sanitation worker who picks up trash at Mitt Romney's home in La Jolla, California. Hayes appeared in a web series in August where he described himself and workers like him as "the invisible people" who would allegedly fall through the cracks under a Romney administration.(Photo: newsone.com)
3 / 5
Sandra Fluke - Before appearing as a speaker at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Sandra Fluke made headlines in February after making her case to Congress for why religious institutions and universities should cover birth control for employees. The Georgetown University law student subsequently became a target for conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who infamously called Fluke a "slut" who wanted taxpayers "to pay her to have sex."
4 / 5
Velma Hart - Attending a town hall meeting in September 2010, Velma Hart, a nonprofit worker from Maryland, told President Obama she was "exhausted" of defending his policies and "the mantle of change that I voted for." Conservatives would use Hart to illustrate the frustration of voters who backed Obama in 2008. (Photo: Courtesy of Velma Hart)