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During the halftime of Super Bowl XLV, Clint Eastwood appeared in a Chrysler ad titled "Halftime in America". Feelings on the ad seem to be divided along party lines. While David Axelrod (President Obama’s campaign manager) and Dan Pfeiffer (the White House communications director) praised the ad, Fox News contributors Karl Rove and Michelle Malkin weren't so enthused.
I thought the ad was both positive and powerful in its "we may be down, but we're not out" message about America. Since when did promoting the spirit of America become a bad thing in the collective eyes of some on the right?! You can show how you felt about the Chrysler ad by voting thumbs up or down in the poll in the upper portion of the sidebar on the right.
Below is the ad followed by the Hardball segment in which Chris Matthews discusses the ad with political consultant Mark McKinnon.
Speaking of controversial Super Bowl ads, please see the post dated February 7th below.
9 comments:
I trust Clint's statement that it wasn't political for either side. It wasn't about government funding to prop something up. It wasn't about anything but America's resilient nature.
Some people are off their rocker here!
A lot of criticism people catch is unwarranted, but for conservatives who are crying about this, the criticism is perfectly warranted. And it's warranted for some on the left who are using this as an opportunity to pretend Mr. Eastwood sides with big government spending.
If Clint were 30 years younger, I think he'd be on a smacking spree right about now, letting everyone have it.
Hey, uberconservatives, stick to bashing Ellen for daring to be gay and actually alive. That's working out so well for ya!
I'm aware of Eastwood's political orientation, but I have to give him props for the commercial. It was inspiring, apolitical, and very positive. How some can see this as inappropriate or partisan is beyond me.
Voicing positive hopes for you country's future is a partisan political statement? Unless I missed something, Eastwood endorsed no candidate, nor did he advocate a political position...unless being pro-American is a partisan sentiment these days.
BTW...I put a link to your blon on the links page of mine. Keep up the good work, kimosabe! ;-)
my initial response to the ad was YAY, PRO-Obama!! Then I realized it was Pro-America, it was patriotic and positive! It's so sad to watch the Right turn on one of their own and slam Eastwood for doing the ad, that's just another nail in the GOP coffin. Can't they say even one positive thing about our country coming back from the abyss? You bet they would if a GOPer was president!
I didn't really see anything that pointed to either political party. I saw a man speaking about a strong America. He was speaking about the tenacity of the American spirit of never giving up and working hard.
I think he did a great job!
Josh: I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but I haven't heard anyone on the left portraying the ad as Clint's endorsement of big government. At least when it comes to prominent pundits.
I don't see how the conservatives who are criticizing the ad think it's a winning strategy. The Chrysler ad shouldn't be a left, right, or middle issue. It's a tribute to the American spirit, plain and simple.
Speaking of Ellen, if I have time, I plan to touch on that controversy soon.
Jack: It's sad how some on the right have distorted this into a partisan thing. Can you imagine the uproar from the right if someone like Jane Fonda or Alec Baldwin had starred in the ad instead of Clint Eastwood?!
By the way, hanks for the positive words and the blog link!
Sue: I don't know how many nails are required in the GOP coffin. It can't be many. It's ironic how these so-called patriots can't bring themselves to get behind the pro-American message of the Chrysler ad.
Leticia: Agreed. Clint Eastwood was the perfect person to appear in this ad. I wonder if Chrysler approached him because they thought his well-publicized ties to the Republican party would defuse any criticism from the right that this was a pro-Obama ad. If so, man were they wrong!
I'm with everyone so far on this.
My one criticism is that the commercial was misleading in that Clint spoke about Detroit, but a whole lot of the exterior scenes from from elsewhere.
As a Conservative, I did NOT see anything political with the ad.
I thought it was inspiring.
When I watched it a second time, I wanted to jump out of my seat and yell, "Go America!"
Of course Malkin and Rove spewed negativity about it. That's what THEY do. They need to stir the pot. That's what gets THEM paid, but I don't buy what they're sellin'.
I WANT positivity. And THAT ad gave that TO me (not just me, but you all know what I mean).
Go Chrysler! Go Detroit! Go America!
Malcolm, thanks!
dmarks: Although I think the criticism about where the ad was shot is a minor one, it's fair as well. I give it a pass because although the ad specifically pointed out Detroit's comeback, the ad was about the triumph of the American spirit as a whole.
Pamela: You're right about people like Malkin and Rove. It's sad that they chose to turn what many saw as a positive into a negative. But hey, it plays to their base and helps line their pockets.
Leticia: You're welcome.
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