What are media outlets reporting about the Clint Eastwood Chrysler 'Halftime
in America' ad, especially in response to the political finger-pointing it
inspired Monday? Plenty.
They're asking: Was it politically motivated? Or just a great two-minute
pep talk to motivate consumers to buy some cars?
Here's a quick round-up of the chatter around the web today:
On ABCnews.com writer Z. Byron Wolf said: "Politics cannot be separated
from this type of nationalistic appeal, particularly since the government
bailout of GM and Chrysler promises to play so prominently in the 2012
campaign."
Wolf also points out that Eastwood, who starred in the ad, has said "nice
things" about Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul.
On the Wall Street Journal's web site, in their Washington Wire blog (and
first posted on the MarketWatch Blog) they posted a story under the headline:
Chrysler's Eastwood Ad: Pro Obama?
From that post: "But the political overtones were easy to see as well:
"Halftime in America" could be interpreted as a rallying call for a second
term for President Barack Obama, who pushed ahead with a bailout of Chrysler
and General Motors despite objections from Republicans, including his likely
presidential opponent, Mitt Romney."
The Christian Science Monitor tackled the question "Was it Pro Obama?" as
well and concluded everyone should: "Calm down people. Sometimes an auto ad is
just a promotional tool for vehicles, not another division point in the
endless war of words between the political red and blue. We think ordinary
voters will see the ad as a good example of a common commercial category: the
corporate flag-waver."
The Chicago Tribune pointed out a bit of hypocrisy involved: that an ad
that points out the fine way Americans can come together results in partisan
tongue-lashing. Oh and again, don't forget, they say: Eastwood is a
conservative.
"The ironic thing about the small-scale brouhaha is that Eastwood is a
Republican who opposed the bailout of the industry. (The Chrysler ad never
mentions Washington's capital injection at all, which annoyed some Democrats.)
Asked about his presidential leanings last week at an event, Eastwood only
allowed some fondness for Ron Paul, saying the libertarian was "as good as
anybody else" in the race."
In the Washington Post "In the Loop" blog, writer Emily Heil asked a few
Washington movers and shakers their take on the political twinge to the ad.
Here's one response: "We checked in with a few political ad and image-makers
to get their impressions. Jon Downs, a partner at GOP firm FP1 Strategies,
says viewers might be reading too much into the ad. "It's a pro-America ad,"
he says, and it's only the "oversensitized political climate we're in" that
gives it political meaning. But did it have a pro-Democratic message?
"That was not my take-away," he said.
