scanner . ..
?
`
pre-game . . .
baseball coach catnapping
hands and jaw clenched
`

I was shocked by it myself, that anyone would fork over the bucks to air this during the Superbowl was just mind boggling. Wisdom is knowing how to accept that you may have been wrong and give credit whee credit is due. I didn't support the bailouts for the same reasons as Eastwood didn't. I was wrong, it did at least pull them out of the grave and that means thousands of jobs and maybe even a few new ones. Jobs that don't involve asking someone if they want fries.

was the only SB advert that held my attention

r.

Here's another question. Was Clint telling the truth in the ad?
Of course if karl Rove is offended, that's enough for me to like it even without thinking about it. But you're right scanner---it deserves some thought.

Agree with bobbot. At the time I hated the bailouts, but that doesn't mean I'm not glad the auto and auto supply industry stayed alive. Since Mr. Eastwood is a pol himself, he had to know what he was doing. Carl Rove in a snit certainly makes my day.
r./

Well, it sure isn't ANTI-Obama, is it? This is a fascinating piece of communications. It could mean just about anything -- except "Obama's failed Presidency." And like Chi Guy says, it rattled the cages of the string-pullers on the right, so...whatever.

Lezlie

An actor? The most trusted man in America? An actor is an overpaid circus clown at best, at worst he is Obama.

Art, pre-game I was snoozin' and losin', hah!
Bob, this is 2 minutes of Super Bowl prime-time. I smell a rat, I think!
Smittee, the guy's a multi-millionaire and I just don't see him going against his principles for money. Maybe, but, man, this is Dirty Harry!
Jon, I saw it the next day, so I was surprised it wasn't more controversial. There is some, but to me, this is a big-deal. Imagine showing this over and over leading up to the election. It's just weird to me!
CC, would Clint Eastwood lie? I am puzzled by this. It doesn't pass the smell test. Something is wrong with this picture, ya' know?
onislandtime, I love that Rove is pissed. Let's throw a parade. I'm glad he did the commercial. I want Obama to win, even though I am pissed with him. But, the "why" of this gets me, I don't know why!

I believe anything Dirty Harry says, but that's just me. I doubt he would have done the commercial if he didn't believe in the statement. Jack, I have to disagree with your statement about actors being overoaid circus clowns. My Dad is a professional actor and is an honorable and not overpaid one.

L. I love it pissed them off. Maybe we can dig up Uncle Walter Cronkite to make one, hah!
Jack, actors and news anchors have been the most trusted men in America since the movies and TV were invented. Who else do the common people (me) see all the time. Sure, it's all an illusion, but to the common man, Eastwood is as straight as there is.

It'll be interesting to see how long this theme plays. It sure fits pretty well with Obama's messaging. Just imagine how much pressure Eastwood will now come under from his right wing pals. Will he soon have to say something anti-Obama for that fair & balanced patina?

It was a great play for the president. Touchdown.

I could be wrong, but here is my guess:

CLINT’S AGENT: Chrysler wants you to do a commercial to be aired during the Super Bowl. Big bucks!

CLINT: Okay, I’ve got the time. Let’s do it.

Anybody reading the script would have to think that the ad does not favor either side in the political arena…and I truly do not think it did. My thought after seeing it was that it was apolitical. But I guess reasonable people can disagree.

Not sure why I am happy someone like Karl Rove is bothered by it. The “bail out” was initiated under George W. Bush.

In any case, I'd be shocked if this is a game changer.

Erica, your father is an actor? How cool is that? Been in anything I know?
Abrawang, yeah, I think he will do something, I know he's not going to be a cheerleader for Obama. This is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma, maybe, huh?
Mary, I agree. It made him look good, if only for a day.
Frank, I think it has more to do with the message of, "we're back", or we're coming back or the economy is getting better and that is a death blow to Romney! (or Santorium?)

I looked past the political slant, the auto dealer's selling initiative and felt like something started to crack through the surface of the rock we call our country, seeing a small sprout of patriotism rise from the fissure. It warmed my heart to see someone rally the average man together rather than find something to wedge between us again.

Maybe it's because I fought in a war that meant little to the people of this country but in it I had a bond with blacks (prior before they became African-Americans) and mexicans (prior to them aquiring Latino, Spanish and Latin Anerican titles). This cracker and the rest of my compadre's had a bond that transcended any political race (no pun intended). We were Americans and I believe we still are. So thanks Clint for remind us we don't lay it down for nothin-no one.

And fuck (that seems to be the word of the day) all the under meaning that the strategists might hope for; the sublimities so forth and such.

Wish me a Happy Birthday scanner ;)

Scanner & Bobbot:

You make the false assumption that if Obama and Bush had not bailed out GM it would have gone out of business. The bailouts simply allowed GM to exit bankruptcy with a relatively clean balance sheet. By clean balance sheet, I mean a balance sheet free of liabilities to bond holders (debt).

Assuming the bailout never occurred, a company similar to Fiat or a private equity group (like Bain but much bigger) would have purchased GM and the bond holders would have taken a similar haircut to the haircut they received by Obama. Much like the current situation, the private equity group would have renegotiated the union contract, closed factories/dealerships and laid-off thousands of workers.

The big difference between the Government’s involvement and the likely scenario if the Government was never involved is that the taxpayers wouldn’t be owed billions. In addition, GM wouldn’t be stuck between pleasing its Government creditors who want more coal-fired small cars (that’s how electricity is made) and the public, who pay handsomely for SUVs and pickups. Lastly and most importantly, it would send a clear message to private industry that the Government is not in the bailout or car business.

Regarding the ad and its suggestion that Detroit is making a comeback, what a load of crap. The ad should have featured Clint in Tennessee or South Carolina.

Blinddream, my friend, Happy Birthday, and thank you for serving this country. I served with many Vietnam Vets, I even escorted a few deserters from the jails they were in to get discharged. They were all great people, just decided that the war was not worth their life, and I didn't and don't blame them a bit. It would be nice, if the politics could stop and the negotiating, which is what the Founding Fathers wanted, returned. It is time we worked to get this country back to work and back to being able to talk, even to our enemies.

It's only February. Nine months is a long time.

Johnny, I don't know about Bob, but I didn't make an assumption about anything. I just "wondered" why Clint Eastwood did a commercial for Chrysler. The politics of it can be debated by someone else, I'm trying to stay out of the politic business. Yep, I just want to DANCE~~~~

Clint Eastwood is a self proclaimed libertarian who nominally supports freakin Ron Paul. It promotes his own political beliefs to undercut Paul's opponents who are primarily running on the economy. To say that commercial wasn't political is facetious at best.

As for Eastwood being the most trusted man in America???? Pfffft. You been watching too many spaghetti westerns!

It was Bush who bailed out the automakers, btw.

But this sort of whitewashing is pathetic, of how "we all came together". Are we so desperate we have to resort to fictional commercials to feel good about ourselves? Wishful thinking is what got us into this mess in the first place.

Good, Let's Dance! It was a happy dance for Detroit. Clint is happy, I am happy. No one wants to see a company and hunk of the country go belly up. It is a good thing. Detroit is back.. Yippee.

i think you nailed. the ad agency that put together the dirty harry chrysler commerical has also done extensive work the last obama campaign.

clint may rightly assert that he didn't write the words he spoke (they were written by an advertising professional) but it will be hard for him to claim he was unaware of the "penumbras" involved

anything can happen at this point. it wouldn't suprise me to see clint actually hired by the republicans for a counterpunch of their own. or win a sympathy oscar, along the lines of al gore . . .

It continues to amaze me that some continue to promulgate their own personal views onto the "Founding Fathers". Well, seeing as it's the word of the day, Fuck the founding fathers. They were humans, and as such made mistakes. Their world does not even vaguely resemble ours. I fought in the same senseless war that scanner did. We make mistakes all the time too, and harkening back to the founding fathers is total red herring bullshit. It's just like bible thumpers; they pick the parts that further their own personal agendas and ignore the rest. Get your head out of your asses and try being decent human beings. Look at your country for what it is, a flawed country with flawed politicians who are generally more inclined to worry about their own jobs than yours. The rest of the world is sitting back, waiting for us to continue to talk about condoms, zygotes and other bullshit, while the bridges fall down, the roads rot, people have given up finding jobs and the rich just keep sticking it up our collective ass. look into the petrodollar and you'll see just how close to economic collapse this whole damn planet has become. Get over yourselves and look at some facts for a change instead of your flat screen televisions.

Great food for thought Scanner but I doubt this is a game changer - the public doesn't have that much of a memory.

Scanner:

I beg to differ. You and just about everyone on the left, is using this ad to credit Obama with Detroit’s comeback. My comment was simply to point out the fact that Obama and Bush had nothing to do with the Comeback. We can all thank the bondholders who were fleeced of their investment…an outcome of bankruptcy which would have occurred with or without a bailout.

Johnny, Rush Limbaugh would tell you the same thing I did. That commercial made Obama look good. That is what I was pointing out, I in no way credited Obama with Detroit's comeback, although I do have mixed feelings on it!

scanner, I will PM you about my Dad. -Erica

Johnny, you wrote:

I beg to differ. You and just about everyone on the left, is using this ad to credit Obama with Detroit’s comeback.

Seems to me you are charging the left with being ideological with this issue.

As I see it, most people are saying that the bailout helped the auto industry make a come-back. Almost all people with reasonably open minds, those on the left and right, acknowledge that the bailouts were initiated under Bush and continued under Obama.

Both sides try to get a bit of mileage out of any issue, but most have been reasonably fair...outside of the Rove's of the world.

You, portraying it the way you are, like Rove, are the one being ideological.

You seem to be one of the reasonable conservatives. Don’t fall into this trap.

Bush is the president who bailed out the car companies and Obama just put his stamp of approval on it after he was elected.
I wonder how much Eastwood made on that ad????

I hate football and didn't see the commercial but I suspect that Eastwood was handsomely paid to make it.

Rated. I'm waiting to see what develops. With the controversy, Eastwood may say something that will clarify his position.

I doubt seriously that Eastwood or Chrysler intended to make a pitch for Obama. Eastwood's politics are well-known, and he is an outspoken Republican conservative, tho like many in Hollywood he is left-leaning on social issues . As for Chrysler, the idea they would run an overtly political ad and risk alienating half of their potential customers is absurd.

That Karl Rove -- and others -- was fool enough to scream that connection from the rooftops is one more indication of what I have been saying all along: Turdblossom ain't no genius, or as I put it elsewhere:

"Once again, the putative political genius who was the "mastermind" behind the "permanent Republican majority" (that lasted about as long as Hitler's Thousand Year Reich -- and that engaged in the same sort of propagandizing thru fear and racism) has proven just how politically inept and tone-deaf he is.

Yes, this Mayberry Machiavelli has a "gift" for slimy political machinations -- or rat-fucking as it used to be known when David Segretti was performing that function for Nixon, but he doesn't know the first thing about politics. The first thing is once you get your man elected, he has to be capable of governing -- and it should have been obvious to an experienced political operative that Bush the Lesser had no such ability."

Clint may find out what happens to Republicans who don't toe the mark, the Kool-Aid stain, for Rove and the Rabid Right Republican base. But if that proves to be the case, I'm pretty sure of his response:

"Go ahead, make my day." (You know I had to use that, too)

Clint Eastwood is almost 82 years old. He seems to have all his marbles where they belong....and still makes great movies, but he's always been a social liberal and a financial conservative, so he doesn't fit well in the current Republican milieu. Bailing out the American automobile industry was an absolute necessity because of the millions of jobs at stake. Talk about too big to fail....allowing the GM to go under would have triggered an outright depression, as if we aren't in an undeclared one right now.

The argument that we should have let a foreign auto maker take over GM is fallacious....no one wanted GM. Fiat wanted Chrysler because Chrysler has the best designers in the business, and Fiat is a very design conscious company. Chrysler was also a good fit for Fiat. GM would have been too big for Fiat to manage. And, let's face it, Chrysler was also part of Mercedes for a few years...and Mercedes lost a bundle on that deal. For Mercedes, Chrysler was to big to swallow.

The key to the auto conundrum is that the economics of the automobile industry as such that, if one of the Big Three had gone under, the hundreds of thousands of small shops that provide goods and services to the auto industry would have gone under with that one, leaving the other two without suppliers to meet their needs.

So, in the end, we gave up one company to Fiat, bailed a second company out to keep the whole industry afloat, while the third - under Alan Mulally - was able to pull itself back together and get back in the game.

By accident, we came up with the perfect solution, sell one (and it was the US Government that really sold Chrysler to Fiat), bail one out and get out of the way of the third.

The thing is that the US could not have floated all three, so the serendipitous solution was also the optimal one.

Now, gettin back to my man Clint, he sure as hell knew what he was doing - because, no matter how he feels about the economy - he absolutely knows the Republicans are the most clear and present danger to the social programs that Eastwood has aligned himself with....so he can play the fiscal conservative while at the same time promoting the agenda of the Democratic opposition.

Fuck, yes, he knew what he was doing, and, yes, it is a game changer because it made people think....which is what it was intended to do.

Absolutely brilliant.

My question was.. Is he pro Obama or not.
Could not quite figure that out..
HUGGGGGGGGGGG

Neither could MOST people, Linda...and his comments since the commercial went viral seem to indicate he is not certain either.

I missed this one cause I had my face in the guacamole bowl at the time. R

Frank:

“As I see it, most people are saying that the bailout helped the auto industry make a come-back.”

That is precisely my point, the bailout WASN’T the reason for the come-back it was the ability to wipe the balance sheet clean during bankruptcy. I don’t listen to Rove and Limbaugh, but if they are claiming the ad was a political commercial for Obama, they are right. But don’t take my word or their word for it, let’s see what the left is saying:

Scanner - That commercial made Obama look good.
Stanik - It was a great play for the president. Touchdown.
Abrawang - It sure fits pretty well with Obama's messaging.
Southeast - It could mean just about anything -- except "Obama's failed Presidency."

Johnny, you wrote:

That is precisely my point, the bailout WASN’T the reason for the come-back it was the ability to wipe the balance sheet clean during bankruptcy.

I’m not talking about the reason the industry made a come-back. I, unlike you, do not know for sure why it made a come-back…and I am still not discounting the possibility that the bailout helped.

But what I WAS talking about is that “most people are saying that the bailout helped the auto industry make a come-back”…whether it did or not. I could qualify that further. It APPEARS TO ME that most people are saying…

Under any circumstances, I do not see the commercial as helping Obama significantly...and I stand by my position that although I want very, very much for him to win, I suspect we will have a Republican as president starting January 20th, 2013.

Well, maybe we need to go back to "Gunny Highway" rather than Dirty Harry. "Improvise, adapt, overcome" that's as good a mantra as anybody or any city ever needs.
As far as the "critics" like Karl Rove who suggest that the ad was purely political are concerned, Gunny Highway would categorize it as a "Clusterflub" (the edited version for the network broadcast of "Heartbreak Ridge").

@scanner

It doesn't matter Mr. Eastwood's motive what's great is watching wingnut heads explode. I want to wach them run against OBL is dead and GM is alive.

Wow , not the smartest turnip on the truck...LOL


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Thanks for making my Day!

Brilliant! The voice…the images…the catchphrase “halftime in America”…
But mainly the voice.
From anyone else except this icon Eastwood, it would seem to be affected.
God help anyone who, like Eastwood, HAS that voice naturally, for he would be accused of doing an Eastwood imitation.
It stirred my patriotism, I gotta say. I dunno exactly what it is I am stirred in the
direction of..certainly not the city of Detroit…I don’t think…but what it represents…in the American Iconography…which is…is…hard to grasp in a few sentences…
the music…the sports teams…the Industry ..the Automobile, ultimate American symbol…
the sweat & toil of hardworking wage-earners of course…the ups &downs & turnarounds of Fortune…
the thunderbird…

thunder bird…
hm.
Anyway, as you can see, the ad had an effect on me, which is pretty tough for an ad to do, to such an avid tvHead who thought he had seen everything.
I can see Obama hangin with Clint. I can also see Clint with that odd simulacrum, Mitt. I can see Dirty harry’s lips smirking as he respectfully shakes that unreal vague Semblance of a homoSapien’s hand.

Oh, Oops . . .
I've been watching
a lovely snowfall.
`
P.S.
`
Gerald Anderson
for:`
`
Best comment ever
I vote G.A. for best
anti-fever G- Cook
and new W.H. Pot
Luck Supper-Cook!
`
huh?
`
I saw a mouse tail
in barn cat's mouth
a tail hanging outs
a dead mouse- ugh!
`
It's snowing here.
I vote Michelle O,
and cross my toes!
`
The snow is pure.
I vote for any hick-
toothpick dangling-
from red-lip sticks!
`
okay . . . Het, Karl Rove?
Ya love Mary McGrory?
I use to speak to Mary.
She's (sad/sigh) dead.
I recall her as`Good.
Mary McGrory R.I.P.`
She was gonna Help`
Kim Doan ref:., thee`
`
PA's lawyer banker
Fraud. Sad memory
She died. Memory.
`
at Oriole baseball
Game . . .
a pigeon
poops
on
ump
shoulder
`
huh . . .
`
Mary McGrory
Karl Rove hate
de' truth sayers
`

I applaud bail outs. I was bailed outta the Big House a coupla times,
in my (arg) Gangsta dayz.....

One of the reasons the commercial is so moving is that the ad is in fact a very accurate description of what's needed to be done about pulling the country out of the massive slump that we're in. More than anything, Eastwood was describing the laws of economics in a way that was truthful and inspiring.

And that's one of the things the GOP cannot stand. The Repugs are steeped in their fantasyland and economic fun parks for decades. Ignore the fact that the government made a PROFIT on the Chrysler deal. Ignore the fact that W set up the "only $800B" money injection to the banksters -- including the auto finance companies.

Yes, we should have all been manly and let GM and Chrysler just die and get an extra 1,000,000+ workers eating dog food, letting the wonders of the market do its thing while we balance the budget.

But then the GOPsters and Obama would actually have to be Herbert Hoover and be stone ignorant of economics in the last 70 years.

But by all means, the Repugs must keep the poltroons living in the fantasyland.

Could it not be just a man saying what he really believes? He is not in the Obama camp but is honest enough to give credit where credit is due. I feel the same way.

The Sheeple of Amerika will gladly follow where their..... actors(?).... lead!!
.

Inspiring.






In a withered, cranky sort of way.

Frank:

Sadly, the ad will lead much of the country to believe the tall tale Old New Lefty and others provided in their comments above. But as an Obama supporter you should be thrilled that much of the country is uninformed about the nuances of bankruptcy laws to comprehend what would have happened if the Government didn’t provide a bailout. They will also come to the erroneous conclusion that Obama’s bailouts saved the auto companies. For a more accurate portrayal of what happened please read the following article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204369404577208982700441686.html

Whether or not this issues swings the election for Obama is very much an unanswered question. Based on an answer to a question I posed to you a while back, I’m of the opinion the independents will see Mitt as welcomed alternative to Obama and the religious right.

☺
Fascinating discussion.

Johnny, we can end this on a note of agreement. I agree with your comment:

Whether or not this issues swings the election for Obama is very much an unanswered question. Based on an answer to a question I posed to you a while back, I’m of the opinion the independents will see Mitt as welcomed alternative to Obama and the religious right.

I want very much for Obama to win...I think a Republican victory will be devastating to our country and to the world. But I see the Obama base as eroded...and the independents leaning toward anyone-but-Obama. I think the folks who agree with me that Obama deserves re-election...and the folks who disagree with that, but consider Obama to be a better choice than a Republican...are about to get a very unpleasant surprise.

And the liberals who are doing their best to damage Obama will regret what they have helped happen very much.

OK, and I loved the ad for another reason. It's a product of Wieden+Kennedy, a Portland ad firm. They're our local boys done good ad firm that has done some really creative work over the last 20 years. They also did last year's "Imported from Detroit" ad for Chrysler, the "Man Your Man Can Smell Like" Old Spice ads, and innumerable ads for Nike, including the tagline "Just Do It."

I love seeing their work, I love the fact that they can get paid for excellent creativity and production. And I love the fact that they're from here. Go Wieden+Kennedy!

Great post, except for the dead turnips. I really like turnips. Couldn't you find a different analogy?

Brilliant commentary on something I, too, had been wondering about. R

I don't know whether this ad was intended for political purposes or not but there is no doubt that the follow up is; and it isn't doing much if anything to educate the public on any important issues.

Typical coming from the propaganda machine.

Stay tuned for a low budget interception; or at least an attempted one.

Well it took a day to get around to finishing it but here's my attempted interception: It's Half Time at Occupy Wall Street

If there is anything wrong here, I would rather blame it on anyone else. There is a special place for Clint in my heart, I never want to think ill of him. R

Ya' really have to hand it to fRANK - he really knows which side is up. Calling fever a reasonable conservative is like calling the Edsel the car of the century.

But, then again, that's fRANK.