Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ruffles more political feathers than Reagan's "Morning in America"

The Chrysler ad that made me think Clint Eastwood was running for President, upset Karl Rove while David Axelrod applauded it.

"'I was, frankly, offended by it,' said Karl Rove, strategist behind President George W. Bush’s two presidential campaigns, told Fox News this morning. 'I'm a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, I thought it was an extremely well-done ad, but it is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and the president of the United States and his political minions are, in essence, using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising.'" The opposing team, of course, had an opposing view. 'Powerful spot. Did Clint shoot that, or just narrate it?' David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter.

Karl Rove was on Fox news speaking about the ad.

The ad that is a two-minute long pep-talk, penned by poet Matthew Dickman, Kevin Jones and Smith Henderson has this line at the end:

"This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again, and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines."

Look, I mix metaphors like a duck out of water, but that makes me picture a boxer getting back on his feet and making engine noises. This tells me the boxer has lost his mind, and the fight should be called off.

The LA Times report that Eastwood's Super Bowl ad sparks the discord it decries

"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."

The supposed non political ad also used some footage from the Wisconsin protests, digitally replacing pro-union messages with a picture of an alarm clock instead.

Chrysler - Halftime in America - (2012) 2:00 (USA)

Here's the Madison, WI protest against the SB11 budget repair bill, compare footage here at 2:17 with the signs seen in the Chrysler ad.

Wisconsin "Budget Repair Bill" Protest from Matt Wisniewski on Vimeo.

I think I know what this ad is saying. It's halftime in America, and we sold half of Chrysler to Fiat, so the second half is gonna be soccer. Got it!
Speaking of Fiat, their Super Bowl ad sold sexy & cars not national pride. You might want to try that tactic again, Chrysler.

Last years ad "Imported from Detroit" featuring Eminem was miles better in my humble opinion, even though me and Bill Green disagreed on this during The Beancast last year, with Bill arguing that we've seen this sort of thing before. In time spent we hadn't, as it was the longest Super Bowl ad ever aired then. With the images of Fox theatre, steel workers and the streets of Detroit narrated by a born and bred Detroitian, it reminded Americans to buy American. It seems to me that Chrysler has forgotten what sells cars in tight times: pricing, milage, value for money. People aren't buying a Prius just because they bought the ideal of some "save the earth" hippie-style campaign. The miles per gallon for a Prius is 50, while Eminem's fancy car in this ad does 23 miles per gallon. You think the consumers don't notice this?

Chrysler - "Born of fire" Eminem / Imported from Detroit - (2011) 2 minutes

At some point you just have to make a car that people can afford to buy.

Thirty years ago it was morning in America, under the leadership of president Reagan. Now it's halftime. When's lunch? When is quitting time so I can go home to the offspring? Lemme know, America.