Clint Eastwood’s Political Super Bowl Commercial Was Insulting

on February 6, 2012 at 7:59 PM

clint eastwood superbowl commercial Between segments of some important sports game on Sunday (the Super Bowl, was it?) viewers were treated to what might as well be known as national commercial day. From naked M&Ms to a nearly naked David Beckham, the Super Bowl commercials for 2012 made us giggle and ogle.

During halftime, one two-minute long commercial sparked immediate controversy across the interwebs -- Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler commercial. The celebrated actor announced that in addition to it being halftime at the Super Bowl, “it’s halftime in America too.”

He continued:

People are out of work and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback … 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.

Seriously? We all ‘came together’ to bailout failing auto companies? I don’t remember that. I remember politicians in Washington doing that, without the popular support of the American people. That’s not coming together, that’s having something rammed down our throats.

I wonder if anyone’s told the residents of Detroit that they’ve become the Mecca of American ingenuity and spirit. Not only is Clint Eastwood lauding Motor City, but also last month in his State of the Union Address, President Obama basically said that Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Raleigh would do well to follow in Detroit’s footsteps.

Mr. Eastwood went on to say that we’ve ‘lost our heart’ and that a ‘fog of division, discord, and blame have made it hard to see what’s ahead,” while the viewers were shown a shot of what looked to be a Tea Party style protest at the foot of the Capitol. Bad conservatives, causing strife! How dare you not hop on board with the status quo of forking over the money you’ve earned for congress to spend as it sees fit!

That’s incredibly insulting. I’m sure that Mr. Eastwood meant this to be an inspirational message to America, that we can come together and do what’s right, and if we can’t find a way through tough times, we’ll make one, but that entire message flies in the face of the auto bailouts. If Americans really have the strength and spirit to find their way out of trials, then they don’t need to be bailed out. They’ll bail themselves out.

Eastwood says this country can’t be knocked to hell in one punch, but common sense says it can be dragged down for years by a government that makes it as difficult as possible to do business. A government that imposes overwhelming regulations on employers, forcing them to shut down or go overseas. A government that will tax our children into the poor house to bail out an auto company that will spend $9 million on a Super Bowl advertisement while still owing taxpayers $1.3 billion dollars.

That’s not the American spirit; that’s just depressing.

Here's the commercial if you missed it:

Image via J5hadow/YouTube

Filed Under: barack obama, cars, corporations, economy, in the news, media, politics, tea party

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Comments (57)

Nonmember comment from MrsShinZero

on Feb 6, 2012 at 8:22 PM

Tell me something. Let's say you are in charge back then. After the auto companies failed and countless lost their jobs, homes, and ways of life, what would you have done next? "Get a job" isn't good enough for the citizens of Detroit when you've just eliminated most of them! Taken for what it is, it's a refreshing commercial, and I enjoyed it. What's wrong with simply saying the worst is over, stay strong.

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Nonmember comment from Jay

on Feb 6, 2012 at 8:29 PM

They still let you write here?

Nonmember comment from Colleen

on Feb 6, 2012 at 8:36 PM

I instantly knew you had written this just by the headline. It's so funny to me how hypocritical you are. "Liberals bad! Conservatives good!" You are the problem with this country.

Nonmember comment from The wife

on Feb 6, 2012 at 8:47 PM

If the worst is over, Then why is police response time 24 minutes in Detroit? National average is 10-14. Why are Detroit citizens arming themselves to the point that justifiable homicides are up >2000% from last year?

Nonmember comment from Laura

on Feb 6, 2012 at 8:53 PM

So that shot that you are having a fit about? That is a shot of MY state Capitol in Wisconsin. When thousands of people stood up to a douchebag governor, who is 'balancing the budget' on the backs of the poor and middle class while turning around and giving corporations tax breaks. It is laughable to think a tea party gathering could ever come close to those numbers. The real irony? You seem to identify with the tea party fools who support said governor. Now I am pretty sure the actual message in the commercial was that we all need to come together and figure this out. Not bitch and moan in a blog, on a site for MOMS not politics. You just lost this site a reader.

WhitneySM

on Feb 6, 2012 at 8:55 PM

Jenny > Haters.

DebaLa

on Feb 6, 2012 at 9:17 PM

I object to the high cost of SB ads as well, but this one was good... better than the fluff put on by your other fat-cat corporations you seem to favor for tax breaks/exemptions.

JennyErikson

on Feb 6, 2012 at 9:55 PM

Aw, thanks Whitney! And anyone that thinks I only criticize liberals is sadly mistaken. :-)

billsfan1104

on Feb 6, 2012 at 10:11 PM

I love the numnuts who say I am done with cafemom, don't do it one their own screenname, which proves they are full of crap. What they want is only the liberal bloggers to have a say, and Jenny not to have a say. Kinda hypocritical.