I hope your like your Super Bowl with a side of politics
It’s bad enough to watch bailed-out company after bailed-out company spend millions and millions of dollars for the most expensive TV advertising slots of the year. There were all those Chevy (GM) slots, as well as at least two for General Electric, whose financial arm survived 2008 in part because it received a federal guarantee of its debt valued at some $139 billion. At least GE didn’t cash in on that guarantee; GM is still part-owned by Uncle Sam and owes taxpayers some $25 billion according to a recent inspector general’s report. GM’s former financing arm, now known as Ally Financial, remains majority-owned by the federal government and owes about $12 billion.
But the halftime Chrysler commercial starring Clint Eastwood, describing America as being in its own “halftime,” was just overtly politicized. After all, what else could “halftime” have meant, in the year 2012, than halfway through the eight years Barack Obama would be president if re-elected this fall? I’m fairly certain it wasn’t a prediction that the country will break up circa 2248 A.D.
Chrysler of course has a right to political speech. But it would be nice if the company wouldn’t be so brazen about its leanings while still owing the entire country — left, right and center — billions of dollars.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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127 comments Add your comment
Saul Good
February 6th, 2012
3:30 pm
And Kyle…you happen to know that perhaps Clint pay for the video himself (besides producing and directing it)? If so… prove it.
DannyX
February 6th, 2012
3:31 pm
So the 8 billion dollar profit GM expects to post from 2011 is just a government conspiracy Misty?
The $10 billion profit forecast for 2010 is an illusion?
GM’s retaking the world sales lead and nice profits is a sign of a failed business model?
Dusty
February 6th, 2012
3:34 pm
DannyX
“At least, the auto bailouts had a huge economic benefit.”
Yes, indeed. When you gain five yards on the field when you are 90 yards behind, that gain looks good. Real good!
I noticed all those people buying homes, no unemployment lines, less food stamps dsitributed, and cheap food and gasoline everywhere. Nothing like bailouts for benefits……..yes!
Jm
February 6th, 2012
3:47 pm
Buy ford
Not bailed out
Making awesome cars too
Linda
February 6th, 2012
3:49 pm
It’s half-time & we have a stadium with a $15 T mortgage. Half the fans are trying to buy hotdogs with food stamps & the other half is demanding free beer. Actually, THE GAME IS OVER!
Don’t Play Misty For Me again.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 6th, 2012
4:00 pm
We’re all better off because GM got bailed out?
The GM bailout has cost Americans $27 billion that has not been repaid.
In my opinion, stealing the company from its owners, handing the company over to Obozo’s political cronies, and writing said cronies a check for $27 billion is criminal fraud and abuse of taxpayers.
Obozo’s base doesn’t care about that because the parasites don’t pay taxes anyway.
Democrats: Thieving scum.
Real American
February 6th, 2012
4:01 pm
Right wingers whining about a Chyrsler commercial.
ROFLMAO
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 6th, 2012
4:03 pm
DannyX, how much did Obozo Motors pay in taxes?
You must be pretty mad about a corporation with such huge profits not paying their fair share.
Hypocrite.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 6th, 2012
4:04 pm
Linda, ROFL!
Yeah, the Clint Eastwood Ad Was Probably Pro-Obama | The American Pundit
February 6th, 2012
4:16 pm
[...] Wingfield of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes: But the halftime Chrysler commercial starring Clint Eastwood, describing America as being in its [...]
Hillbilly D
February 6th, 2012
4:18 pm
Didn’t see the game or the commercials. Looks more like we’re in the 4th quarter to me, though. Too bad there’s no George Blanda to come off the bench.
Video: Chrysler ad a stealth Obama promotion? « Hot Air
February 6th, 2012
4:18 pm
[...] Wingfield of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found it equally offensive as a piece of taxpayer-funded propaganda: But the halftime Chrysler commercial starring Clint Eastwood, describing America as being in its [...]
quick work break
February 6th, 2012
5:19 pm
Eastwood, for his part, told Fox News producer Ron Mitchell, “There is no spin in that ad. On this I am certain. l am certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama. It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was OK.”
“It has zero political content,” Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told Detroit talk radio Monday morning. “The message is sufficiently universal and neutral that it should be appealing to everybody in this country and I sincerely hope that it doesn’t get utilized as political fodder in a debate.”
Johnny Five
February 6th, 2012
5:28 pm
Kyle Wingfield
February 6th, 2012
12:08 pm
As for the “single party concepts” part: The way those “concepts” were phrased sounded an awful lot to me like the way the president phrased it in his State of the Union address — America wins when it comes together … and it needs to come together behind what he wants to do.
How dare those evil corporate marketing socialists and and evil Kenyan mooslum marxist anti-America dictator preach Unity and American Greatness!!! Oh the outrage!
DannyX
February 6th, 2012
5:42 pm
SCOREBOARD
Brought to you by the good folks at Rasmussen
Obama 49
Romney 42
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 6th, 2012
6:49 pm
Funny, America didn’t need a pep talk until Obozo became the head coach.
Obozo: Loser.
independent thinker
February 6th, 2012
8:27 pm
So Kyle and the conservatives say that corporations are equal to persons as far as individual rights and free speech but have a huge problem when Chrysler does a corporate ad that matches Obama’s claim that American manufacturing is on the rebound and beating the foreign competiton. Would the Repubics prefer a commercial of American auto workers on the unemployment line and everyone buying Hyundais and Toyotas?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 6th, 2012
9:27 pm
independent, do you have a problem with pharmaceutical companies advertising their products? Most libtards do.
Linda
February 6th, 2012
10:08 pm
Independent@8:27, It wasn’t Kyle & the conservatives who said that corporations were people. It was a ruling by the Supreme Court. If you go downtown Atlanta tomorrow with your checkbook, you can become a corporation & presto, you do not loose your rights to free speech.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 6th, 2012
10:30 pm
Let’s also not forget that the Citizens United case overturned a law that banned a movie that some politicians didn’t like.
What other movies would you liberal fascists like to ban?
Liberals wet dreams meet U.S. Constitution. U.S. Constitution wins.
In Defense of Clint Eastwood
February 6th, 2012
10:31 pm
[...] have even analyzed the word “halftime” as it was used in the ad, and come to the conclusion that it was [...]
Joel Edge
February 7th, 2012
6:45 am
Looks like desperation creeping into the Superbowl commercials, Kyle. Not to mention some propaganda. I suspect we’ll be seeing another episode of GM and Chrysler will their hands out.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 7th, 2012
9:59 am
This is at least the second bailout for Chrysler. I’m sure Jimmy Carter and his fellow travelers crowed about the success of his bailout of Chrysler just as Obozo is today. How many times are we going to have to do this?
bu2
February 7th, 2012
11:38 am
IMO the only political thing about the ad was Chrysler saying it was good that you bailed us out. I think they tried to make it look like a political ad to get your attention. “Who would be doing a political ad during the Super Bowl?”
Political people see politics everywhere when its not, just like a lot of people see racism everywhere when its not.
What did stand out was the moral decline of advertisers (or their target market) and their cloistered thinking. They still think killing cats is funny to everyone (wonder how many cat lovers aren’t going to buy Doritos now?) and the sex was everywhere even when it didn’t make sense (Go daddy.com). It actually did make sense in the florist commercial. Who outside alcohol companies think its a good idea to advertise a celebration of the end of prohibition (I’m not against alcohol, but it was over 80 years ago!). Elton John’s pepsi commercial was just stupid. And is a David Beckham underwear commercial going to get American football viewing men to buy underwear (women don’t buy men’s underwear)? Its kind of like politics nowadays. The advertisers think everyone must think exactly like them and they don’t get outside their little circle.
gm
February 7th, 2012
2:05 pm
To bad the right dont like Americans helping other Americans, who had nothing to do with the crash of the economy, these Anit Americans on the right rather for other Americans to be out of a job, home.
The right please put your flags down, you are a disgrace to this country, you and the terrorist have something two things in common you both want Americans to suffer, and you both wish the President of the United States to fail.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 7th, 2012
2:15 pm
When Obozo fails, Americans win.
bu2
February 7th, 2012
5:50 pm
@gm
Obama doesn’t even understand why we have a recession. It was a classic real estate crash. Everyone who bought a house they couldn’t afford or bought one at an inflated price contributed (in other words vast numbers of Americans). Obama wants to point fingers, but if there’s a finger to be pointed its jointly at the Bush administration who didn’t want to regulate and the Democrats who wanted to force banks to make bad loans in order to keep their franchise, in addition to the buyers who got caught up believing prices would always go up.