Were politics buried inside Eastwood's 'Halftime' commercial?

kidrocks

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Jan 23, 2012
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Clint Easwood's "It's halftime in America, too," has got to be the greatest, most moving commercial played during any superbowl, ever. Brought a tear of pride to my left eye. Thank you Clint Eastwood... your work was superb.





Were politics buried inside Eastwood's 'Halftime' commercial? - CNN.com

Washington (CNN) -- Moments after the energetic Madonna entertained fans during the halftime show at Sunday's Super Bowl, millions of television viewers got an emotional jolt back into reality.

The imagery was powerful: Stern faces of workers and families in Detroit, aged plants rumbling back to work, a city resiliently fighting back from the devastating slump of the auto industry.

The familiar, sandpaper voice of actor Clint Eastwood spoke in the background: "It's halftime. Both teams are in their locker rooms discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half."

"It's halftime in America, too," continued the 81-year-old producer and director. "People are out of work, and they're hurting. And they're all wondering what they're gonna do to make a comeback. And we're all scared because this isn't a game. The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again."

But amid the close-up shots of factory workers and black-and-white photos of Midwest families, were there subtle, political undertones in the two-minute Chrysler commercial? Some political watchers think so.

The narrator seemed to speak directly to today's political climate: "The fog, division, discord and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead."

CNNMoney: Chrysler is king of the Super Bowl spots

The commercial, shown to more than 111 million Americans watching the game Sunday and which has since received more than 550,000 views on YouTube by Monday evening, was similar to last year's Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler featuring rapper and Detroit native Eminem.

Shortly after the ad ran, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer sent a tweet: "Saving the America Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on."...
 
Clint Eastwood Politics

Eastwood registered as a Republican to vote for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952, and supported Richard Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns. He later criticized Nixon's handling of the Vietnam War and his morality during Watergate.[254][255] He has disapproved of America's wars in Korea (1950–1953), Vietnam (1964–1973), and Iraq (2003–2011), believing that the United States should not be overly militaristic or play the role of global policeman. He considers himself too individualistic to be either right-wing or left-wing, describing himself as a "political nothing" and a "moderate" in 1974[255] and a "libertarian" in 1997.[256] Eastwood has stated that he does not see himself as conservative or "ultra-leftist."[257] At times, he has supported Democrats in California, including Representative Sam Farr in 2002, and Governor Gray Davis, whom he voted for in 1998, and hosted a $5,000 per ticket fundraiser for in 2003.[258] A self-professed "liberal on civil rights" (see the 1974 Playboy interview),[259] Eastwood has stated that he is pro-choice on abortion.[260] He has endorsed the notion of allowing gays to marry[257] and contributed to groups supporting the Equal Rights Amendment for women.[261]

As a politician Eastwood has made successful forays into both local and state government. In April 1986 he was elected mayor for one term in his home town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California – a small, wealthy town and artist community on the Monterey Peninsula.[262] During his term he tended towards supporting small business interests and advocating environmental protection.[263] In 2001 Eastwood was appointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission by Governor Davis,[264] then reappointed in 2004 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[264] As the vice chairman of the commission, in 2005 along with chairman Bobby Shriver, he led the movement opposed to a six-lane 16-mile (26 km) extension of California State Route 241, a toll road that would cut through San Onofre State Beach. Eastwood and Shriver supported a 2006 lawsuit to block the toll road and urged the California Coastal Commission to reject the project, which it duly did in February 2008.[265] In March 2008 Eastwood and Shriver's non-reappointment to the commission on the expiry of their terms[265] prompted the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) to request a legislative investigation into the decision.[266] Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Eastwood to the California Film Commission in April 2004.[267] He has also acted as a spokesman for Take Pride in America, an agency of the United States Department of the Interior which advocates taking responsibility for natural, cultural, and historic resources.[268]

During the 2008 United States Presidential Election Eastwood endorsed John McCain, whom he has known since 1973, but nevertheless wished Barack Obama well upon his subsequent victory.[269][270] In August 2010, Eastwood wrote to the British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to protest the decision to close the UK Film Council, warning that the closure could result in fewer foreign production companies choosing to work in the UK.[271] When asked his opinion of the 2012 Republican presidential candidates in February 2012, Eastwood replied that Texas Congressman Ron Paul was "'as good as anybody else' in the race but that he will decide on a candidate in another month or two after 'listening to all that crap on television.'"[272]

Clint Eastwood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

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