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Chrysler commercial, or Obama campaign ad?

Chrysler commercial, or Obama campaign ad?

I didn’t watch the Halftime show yesterday, but I did notice Twitter light up like a Christmas Holiday tree, with shouts of Et tu Clint!

Now I know why:

It pretty much was an Obama commercial supporting the government bailout of Chrysler:

Apparently the ad was pulled from YouTube and Chrysler’s own website based on an NFL copyright claim. I’m not sure what that claim would be.

Regardless, your tax dollars are belong to his campaign.

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Comments

I found it on Hulu.

Kind of Orwellian when you think about it…

Midwest Rhino | February 6, 2012 at 9:54 am

While America was pulling together to save car companies that the unions broke, how much did the unions concede in pay or pensions? I recall Obama scolding the GM bond holders that they had made enough, and should yield to the fat cat union bosses.

Maybe America could pull together and break the teacher unions that put tenure, early retirement and full benefits ahead of the task of actually educating our kids. I wonder what Clint’s solution is for the massive government pension plan defaults that are on the horizon. A lot of government workers that retired at 55 will be demanding their golden retirement plans for their next 35 years.

Windy City Commentary | February 6, 2012 at 9:54 am

I thought the same thing when I saw it. It was obvious since Detroit was bailed out by the govt. that govt. was getting the credit for it. However, everything I saw last night on the wise conservative blogs, please Eastwood and noted he is a lifelong Republican. Duh! It was obviously a pro-big govt. commercial. The puff piece commercials on Detroit are pro-big govt.

    If Clint is a philosophical Republican the RINO Senator from Maine, Olympia Snowe, is a far-right-wing nut job. His political views are far left but his economic views far right. He is one mixed up “Hombre”.

      IrateNate in reply to 49erDweet. | February 6, 2012 at 11:29 pm

      This happens to a lot of celebs once they become very old and will soon face death. Somehow, they think that making “public service” messages like these will get them into Heaven.

      Clint Eastwood, RIP

I thought the same thing, but the ad also conjured up some (probably unintended by the producer) negative feelings for me. “Halftime” in America? As in the unproductive, do-nothing period between positive action? As in the time when the chips are down, and things look bleak, so the coach tries to buck us up with a pep talk? As in performing “half” what we are capable of? Halftime indeed.

StrangernFiction | February 6, 2012 at 10:05 am

“We will bury you without firing a shot.”

MaggotAtBroadAndWall | February 6, 2012 at 10:28 am

Jim Cramer on CNBC this morning used the ad as an excuse to bash Republican opposition to the bailout. According to him, the auto bailout has been a phenomenal success and nobody in their right mind should question that.

Really?

First of all, taxpayers are still owed billions of dollars. Second, there is absolutely no reason why GM and Chrysler could not have gone through traditional bankruptcy without government sponsorship. It would have been messier, the unions would have felt more pain, and whoever provided the DIP financing would have demanded a higher return. But there’s no evidence that a consortium of private equity guys (perhaps Bain?) would have put a deal together to restructure the car companies and provide the DIP financing so they could ultimately emerge from bankruptcy. And they probably would have emerged much leaner than the government sponsored bankruptcy and restructuring.

Also don’t forget, as I’ve noted here before, the firm founded and run by highly connected Democrat Roger Altman, Evercore Partners, absolutely fleeced the taxpayers when it was retained as an “adviser”. Some of the fees were an absolute sham (collecting a huge “success fee” when there was no auction and the government was the only party even considered to be a buyer). It was so egregious that even the NYT reported on it.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/trustee-objects-to-gm-fees-for-evercore-alixpartners/

    First of all, taxpayers are still owed billions of dollars.

    Doesn’t this bravely imply that we might, some day in the unnamed future, we’ll be repaid? Don’t hold your breath. Wicked men don’t repay their debts.

    I no longer “loan” my son money. If he has an emergency and needs some cash, it is a gift. I don’t want him to think he can “borrow” and never repay. Helping people out in emergencies is one thing, encouraging them to think of their father as a no-limit-ATM.

halftime for the Obama presidency? … that is what comes to mind first, in Clint’s context of bailing out the car companies, which was done with Obama as QB and all Democrats starting, Republicans were all on the bench.

Halftime … Obama as quarterback has put us further behind in unemployment and debt and energy production. Time for a new quarterback, a whole new team.

So what’s Clint’s message: We gotta abandon “The Good,” Go with “The Bad,” and forget about all “The Ugly?”

Or was it: Prostitute yourself and buy “Two Mules for Sister Sarah”

Chrysler recently posted a 2011 net profit of — drum roll please — a whopping $183 mil. /snort

[That was its first annual net income since 1997! Thank you, U.S. taxpayers, for the $12.5 Billion.]

I guess Chrysler decided to celebrate by blowing a cool 14 mil on a 2-minute Super Bowl ad.

    Midwest Rhino in reply to MerryCarol. | February 6, 2012 at 10:51 am

    Obama spread a lot of billions around to his friends. They’ll be very innovative in ways to pay him back, and keep the good times rolling. A $14 million campaign ad is just a start.

    Didn’t the government also give other cash incentives? … cash for clunkers I think. But how did they get Clint to break his fiscal conservative stance?

    “You don’t have to believe me — you can take it straight from Clint, who told this to the L.A. Times in November 2011 (emphasis mine):

    “But I’m a big hawk on cutting the deficit. I was against the stimulus thing too. We shouldn’t be bailing out the banks and car companies. If a CEO can’t figure out how to make his company profitable, then he shouldn’t be the CEO.”

    http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/halftime-in-america-clint-eastwood-commercial/2/6/2012/id/39237

    that also has a transcription of the commercial

    Hmmm…
    $14mil out of $183mil — that leaves an additional $169mil for further tributes to Caesar as the year progresses.

    MerryCarol in reply to MerryCarol. | February 6, 2012 at 11:00 am

    On the other hand… I actually don’t mind donating a few of my taxpayer dollars for an opportunity to drool over the HOTTEST 82-year-old man walking the planet 😉

I deeply resent this ad’s misrepresentation of the confiscation of our ‘wealth’ as if “we all pulled together” or “rallied around what was right and acted as one” and its misrepresentation of debate and disagreement as shortsighted and lacking compassion. It’s sickening.
Two Minute Warning in America

    Ragspierre in reply to On The Mark. | February 6, 2012 at 11:27 am

    I’d love it if we all rallied around what is right.

    Trouble is, there is this deep, impassible divide in America over what is right, and the Collectivists just WILL NOT stop screwing the pooch.

    How do you rally with a bunch of pooch-screwers…???

    beloved2 in reply to On The Mark. | February 6, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    I don’t know why I expected truthfulness from the Liar in Chief. Not only did he screw the taxpayers in the bailout, he gave Chrysler to Fiat in the socialist country Italy which screwed all of the Chrysler dealerships in this country. Blatantly spreading the wealth to a socialist country!
    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Fiat/news
    Attorney Leo D’Onfrio filed this case and says”…The entire case against the rejected Chrysler dealers revolved on one simple answer given by Fiat Executive, Alfredo Altavilla, when he was cross-examined by Dealer Counsel during the hearing to decide the fate of Chrysler. Every other witness testified that neither the US Government nor Fiat requested that Old Chrysler reject the 789 Dealer franchise contracts.

    Without a request by the lender (the US Government) or the purchaser (Fiat), there was no sound business judgment in Old Chrysler killing off 789 franchises. This is because when a contract is rejected in bankruptcy, Section 365(g) of the Bankruptcy Code kicks in and gives those rejected dealers an unsecured creditor claim against the estate. In this case, it was undisputed that the claim would potentially reach one billion dollars….”

listingstarboard | February 6, 2012 at 11:13 am

Eastwoods current wife is part African American–one may guess she leans towards Obama . Sad when one of your heros becomes a zero.

    William A. Jacobson in reply to listingstarboard. | February 6, 2012 at 11:28 am

    None of that here.

      listingstarboard in reply to William A. Jacobson. | February 6, 2012 at 11:56 am

      Sorry if that comment didn’t come out well. In Nov 2011 Eastwood stated in 24Frames interview”I was against the stimulus thing too. We shouldn’t be bailing out the banks and car companies. If a CEO can’t figure out how to make his company profitable, the he shouldn’t be the CEO.” His total reversal of ideology makes him a zero,IMO.

      PC rears its ugly head here at LI.

      Given the percentage of AA support for the pResident, listingstarboard’s comment was neither racist nor invalid. Like it or not, racism exists in this country and right now it’s the left that is far more racist. But evidently we’re supposed to gloss over that reality.

      I was about to post a link to Judge Malahi’s ruling in Georgia and ask for your thoughts on it from a legal viewpoint, Professor. However, I expect I’d find myself labeled a “birther” and the target of another lecture on civility.

      My initial enthusiasm for LI has cooled under the ice film of political correctness which grows thicker every day, so I’ll not bother you longer. I will, however, point out that those manners you’re demanding from your posters extend to the blog owner as well. It’s customary to acknowledge a contribution with a brief note. Handwritten on flowery stationery isn’t necessary but a quick e-mail would be nice.

      Best of luck to you anyway. I enjoyed it for a while.

      This post to be deleted in 3, 2…

        listingstarboard in reply to creeper. | February 6, 2012 at 12:13 pm

        Thank you, the fact that 96% of blacks (including my beloved Charles Payne of Fox Business Channel) voted for Obama was the reasoning behind the comment. We need to be unafraid to be politically incorrect to save this country.

        LukeHandCool in reply to creeper. | February 6, 2012 at 12:29 pm

        PC?

        Haven’t you seen the “Saturday Night Race Card” series?

        I think the Professor just doesn’t want the comment section to devolve into the mess so many other comment sections become. It’s a judgment call … sometimes it’ll be obvious and other times iffy … but even a tie goes to the blog owner.

Susan in Texas | February 6, 2012 at 11:34 am

I thought it was a play off Reagan’s famous Morning in America campaign commercial. So sad that Clint Eastwood, one of my favorite actors of all time, doesn’t see what is happening to this country. Any success Detroit is enjoying is due to the government confiscating from the taxpayer to prop it up. Happy 101st birthday President Reagan.

Big media, big advertising, Hollywood, etc., all combining to rewrite history in support of Barack Obama.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when that commercial aired.

If I’d seen it before last August I’d be driving a Mustang today. I’ve never owned anything but a Chrysler/Dodge product but barring a credible explanation for this piece of propaganda I will never set foot in a Chrysler dealership again.

A dumbass actor – amazing!

I thought many of the GM commercials were pro-Democrat ads, but I can’t remember the details of why I thought that. I think some of them talked about the investment in Detroit, but I could be projecting the Chrystler commercial onto all the commercials.

Never thought I’d be telling Clint Eastwood to grow a pair.

I understand that all of us are products of our environment to some extent … but for crying out loud!

Just as Charlie Brown cried out in desperation, “Is there anybody who can tell me what Christmas is really all about?!”

… I just wanna scream, “Is there a single conservative/Republican in this world who doesn’t go soft for fear of antagonizing our beautiful mover-shaker betters of the left?”

None of you have the devastating and disarming wit/humor/intellect to take these people on in public?

No Milton Friedmans or William Buckleys these days?

Sorry, I just have to watch this again as I’ve just put myself in a funk. God bless you, Uncle Milton.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A

    LukeHandCool in reply to LukeHandCool. | February 6, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    How much do you wanna bet that if that interview clip were taking place today, that big, goofy sheepdog of a liberal Phil Donahue would be using the phrases “the top 1%” and “the 99%” again and again?

    MerryCarol in reply to LukeHandCool. | February 6, 2012 at 12:45 pm

    Back in November when certain members of our society were crapping on cop cars, I sent an email to my young-adult children, with that link of Uncle Milt, asking them to forward it to their peers camping in public parks.

    Subject: OWS Movie Night

      LukeHandCool in reply to MerryCarol. | February 6, 2012 at 12:53 pm

      Right on!

      I’ve e-mailed that clip to our daughter in college a few times.

      The last time she e-mailed me back saying something like, “You’ve e-mailed me this numerous times already! For the last time, I agree with Milton Friedman!”

      I think I’ll e-mail it to her again today.

      *snicker snicker*

      LukeHandCool (whose favorite Bugs Bunny line is, “Ain’t I a Stinker?”).

Wow! I thought the same thing and sent out a LinkedIn comment about it this morning. Also look at the GE ad – similar theme (America’s on its way back)

Yes, we are thankfully “on our way back>”. It is now a main feature of the official narrative. Right after “Bush caused it”.

Expect to see the phrase woven into everything coming out of Hollywood and the networks for the next ten months. Believe it. It’s a fact. Would I lie?

    LukeHandCool in reply to 49erDweet. | February 6, 2012 at 1:55 pm

    All the bad stuff is Bush’s fault …. and, of course, all the good stuff (snuffing bin Laden) has nothing to do with Bush … even though Bush did all the heavy lifting. Obama is shameless. The media is equally shameless.

    I don’t remember Reagan going on and on about the economic problems he inherited from Carter.

    Because, if you want to be president, guess what. You inherit the good and bad from your predecessor. That’s part of the job. You know that before you get the job. So stop the whiney blame game, Obama! Or, at least, give Bush some credit for handing you the ball on the one-yard line to score your touchdown.

    And now with “good” economic news that is essentially news that isn’t as bad as usual, he tells congress “Don’t muck this up.”

    To chutzpah infinity and beyond!

That is a very depressing ad. The somber music. The dark shadowy footage. The slow-motion pictures of pensive, anxious people. An old guy (Clint) with a weather-worn face and gravelly voice who doesn’t look like there’s much fight left in him to take one or two more punches.

If that’s supposed to be a half-time pep-talk for America, it didn’t work. I’m now depressed and will need some medication to get me out of my funk. Thanks alot, Clint.

2nd Ammendment Mother | February 6, 2012 at 3:31 pm

I’m going to give Clint a very small benefit of the doubt and that’s going to depend on what we eventually learn about the timeline of the commercial.

1. Most of these spots are produced and in the can several months ahead of time (story boarding on next years spots started first thing this morning as soon as the ratings were in at every major agency in the country).

2. “Talent” rarely sees the full storyboard or script…. or the final product before it’s released; lots of reasons for that, not the least being the massive quantities of revisions that can completely change a spot between concept and air date. It’s very possible that Clint was handed a “morning in America” script that was dramatically edited and altered.

3. Political talking points are moving on an almost daily basis…. The real question might be whether someone in Obama’s campaign had a heads up about this ad and tailored their message to it? It wouldn’t be the first time, that Obama’s campaign made free use of someone else’s work.

So…. since at the end of the day, in the production world Clint is only “talent for hire”…. Chrysler on the other hand, needs to fess up if it intended to produce a political ad.

IF Clint was unaware of the political leanings of the ad, then there is the risk of a big backlash if he decides to exercise his free speech and rip the producers a new one – which has happened before.

    IMO your take doesn’t fly as far as Clint is concerned. On his productions he does everything. Everything. You need to read the credits of his films more carefully. His hand is on every little bit of the finished product. I think he sometimes even paints the scenery.:-) There is no way he would do a PSA or commercial without being super-anal about it. One never “hands him a script” and expects him to “act”. That is not the Dirty Harry way. He gets in, stirs the pot, adds some herbs and spice, bakes some bread and then sautes everything to taste before dinner is served and cameras roll.

      2nd Ammendment Mother in reply to 49erDweet. | February 6, 2012 at 5:26 pm

      Commercial work is a whole different realm from movies. If Clint was neck deep in the production, I’ll be interested to hear about it.

The whole thing felt uncomfortable to me.

I expected Obama to appear at any moment.

What a crock.

It’s depressing and I don’t agree it helps Obama. It’s just that same “we’re not dead yet” meme that’s going on.

It reminds me of the other Volt commercial where the narrator says Detroit HAD to build this car. Yeah, because Government Motors decreed it so.

No kidding.

Lately I notice a few of “our betters” have spoken of Detroit as if it were improving. What gives? Last I heard it was still losing residents and property valuation. Once it gets so low does that then become a “net gain” instead of loss?

    I listen to the flagship station in Detroit WJR all the time. They’re trying. It’s just that there are 40 unions in Detroit (who’ve renegotiated to avoid a state appointed city manager) and their legacy costs are enormous. You heard, I suppose, that they’re giving away houses there. That police stations close at 4 pm to go on patrol. That there are few actual grocery stores in Detroit because nobody wants to service the Occupier type residents.

    It’s depressing. Dave Bing is trying to be a good mayor and the new Republican governor seems to have a handle on things but the problems are just too intransigent.

    Lately I notice a few of “our betters” have spoken of Detroit as if it were improving. What gives? Last I heard it was still losing residents and property valuation.

    It’s propaganda a la Potemkin.

Potemkin Village alert:

It seems that Chrysler commercial Obama campaign ad was showing us scenes of the great, wonderful progress in Detroit New Orleans and Los Angeles.

The One’s propaganda looks more and more like the [Norks’ Kim Jong] Un’s!

    jimg in reply to donb. | February 6, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    I was just going to post that link.

    Snicker. An ad touting Detroit was filmed elsewhere. Imagine that.

I didn’t see it as an Obama commercial when I saw it, although I couldn’t really hear it well in the restaurant where I watched the game. My reaction was “Huh?” Whatever point they were trying to make was lost on me.