http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGMOhOYvcw4
If you haven't seen "Halftime in America", check it out. Then, read on. . .
The first time I watched the video, when it first aired, Eastwood's unmistakable voice took me in. Whatever he is selling, I am buying. He is the epitome of manhood. I wanna be just like him when I grow up. Then comes the "Halftime" commentary. Wow. It didn't take long to put that together with Obama. What an interesting commercial. For the cost of production, air time, etc, there is no way that Chrysler didn't realize the dual meaning behind what they were saying.
What is interesting, above everything is how encompassing the commercial is. Every race, gender, and age is represented. Blue collar workers, middle class families, farmers/ranchers, firefighters. Everything that is prototypically American is in this video. A black man dropping his kids off at school. A white suburbanite mother driving with her daughter. What a powerful message this conveys on so many levels.
The protest scenes are from Wisconsin, against Governor Brown, in support of the unions. The talking head (Wendt sounds off) I haven't been able to figure out yet, and would love some insight. But, at first instinct, it made me think Bill O'Reilly. It was interesting that the image was shot from a television, giving the impression that the commercial viewer was watching this on television, disconnecting the viewer further.
Is the commercial partisan? Or does it just happen to work on several levels? Does it matter if it is political, because isn't that ok under Citizen's United? Ok, maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but. . .
It is interesting to see products becoming more political. Coca-Cola's attempt to save the Polar Bear is interesting, after the fight between environmentalists and the Bush Administration a few years ago.
So, you decide. Is this commercial politicized? Did it cross the line? Write up your thoughts in the comments.
Here are some responses that popped up when I googled for the commercial:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/02/06/clint-eastwood-chrysler-team-for-halftime-in-america-spot/
I like this one for telling both sides.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/karl-rove-offended-by-clint-eastwoods-chrysler-ad/2012/02/06/gIQAYt3HuQ_blog.html
