Conservative Clint Eastwood Bit The GOP’s Head Off With Super Bowl Ad…

    …. and it has made the likes of Fake Fox News and Karl Rove flat out lose their minds. It was a really great “ America “ commercial, which really drives Republicans batshit crazy.

 Why the Right Went Insane Over the Clint Eastwood Superbowl Ad

by CaseyGregg    Tue Feb 07, 2012       Original Post

If you go by buzz there is no question that the Clint Eastwood ad “It’s Halftime in America”, for Chrysler was a Superbowl winner. It’s a great commercial that eclipses last year’s version, which itself was pretty good. It is of course the political charges by the Monday Morning quarterbacks in the Republican aparachnik, that give this spot real heat and can make it trend positively for Obama not just this week, but throughout the election season.

It’s strange, but it seems a chance series of elements coalesce to create a perfect election year narrative for Obama.

Combine an action hero living legend, the most depressed big city in America, and a bailed out car company, then drape it in a message of hope and glory and a call to those who are willing to fight hard and win.

“Yeah, it’s halftime in America, and our 2nd half’s about to begin”

Nothing is more American than the football half-time speech, or more political. Every Republican

wants to win one for the “Gipper,” even if Reagan’s policies would virtually disqualify him for party leadership today.

It’s an incredibly powerful narrative. The idea of Barack Obama at the half-way point of his Presidency, refusing defeat and fighting on, and asking you to fight on with him. A national effort to “come from behind, and come together” and be great again. The car companies rescued and now thriving are the perfect illustration of why Obama should be given a second term. Biden may a windbag at times, but I’ll give him credit for his recent statement on why Obama should be reelected, “Bin Laden’s dead and GM is alive.” Good night, game over, drive home safely.

The ad itself is masterfully produced, with it’s placement right at halftime grabbing your attention as Clint Eastwood references the players of the game you are watching. Of course, there is no badder ass than Dirty Harry, as his cinematic speech about the wonders of a .44 Magnum is practically hymnal in these United States.

Seeing it live, about halfway through I myself thought that it seemed politically tinged, referencing the bail-outs, and division within the country, and the fact that people are out of work and hurting. But I quickly realized it was Chrysler’s follow-up commercial similar to last year's spot with Eminem. To a political junkie, or a hyper-sensitive republican operative, it screamed like an Obama ad. Karl Rove and Michelle Malkin quickly registered their offense, even as Clint Eastwood and Chrysler disclaimed any political intention, saying they were simply trying to engender some cheap sympathy, play on people’s patriotism, and ultimately move some iron and make some frackin’ money.

Most people will likely see this commercial for its original intent, to sell cars. Republicans are going through a “purity” phase in their party, and are so quick to witch hunt, they’ll turn on anyone who even talks about an “elephant in the room.” But while the Right may be deranged about Obama, it does know powerful political messaging when it sees it; and it gets positively nauseous when it sees a democrat benefiting from it. The Right's only conclusion can be of conspiracy, even if in this case there is no there, there.

Still that doesn't mean that the Obama reelection effort should just laugh this windfall off as a funny coincidence. This ad, and the concept of “It's Halftime in America,” is a gift from heaven to the Obama reelection effort, and they should pick this up and run with it. Like Robert Duvall’s character in the Paddy Chayefsky film Network says about his TV show “It’s a big fat big-titted hit.” It resonates perfectly with the never say die spirit of football, and America, and it’s a very effective way of framing the argument for Obama’s 2nd term, and against the people who’s only goal is to see him fail.

Football season will be in full season again during the election, “It's Halftime in America” makes people want to see the home team win, and the home team in this case is Obama.

Technorati Tags: 2012.Clint Eastwood,Barack Obama,Chrysler,Super Bowl,Advertising,Current Events,An American Gothic,Republicans,Politics

Newt Gingrich; A Liberal’s Nightmare

    That is what der Standard's Florian Niederndorfer from Austria calls Mr. Gingrich. The reporter forgot to add that Newt has also become the GOP’s recurring nightmare as of this election cycle.

    der Standard      February 1, 2012

Translated By Ron Argentati At WatchingAmerica.com

In spite of Florida, “Comeback Kid” Newt Gingrich reminds us of the darker side of the Clinton years.
The television series “Portlandia” tells us, "The dream of the '90s is alive in Portland," the hipster capital of the United States. According to the program's plot, the liberal Clinton years never died there, but the idyllic image ignores the fact that there's often a dark side to pleasant dreams. Anyone dreaming of a return to the 1990s, as the protagonists in the series do, will have a sleepless night courtesy of Newt Gingrich, Clinton's most determined enemy.
The 68-year-old is a nightmare plaguing liberal Americans both inside and outside Portland's city limits ever since the 1990s, and it's one that stubbornly refuses to let go. Despite his defeat in Florida, Gingrich fights on with determination against his rival Mitt Romney. He has often been on the ropes before in this match, but just as his political career appears to be gradually fading, he shows why he earned the title of “Comeback Kid” in his battles with Clinton.
Liberal America is obliged to take part in these flashbacks that recall the darker side of the Clinton years. As Speaker of the House, Gingrich criticized Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, a 23-year-old White House aide. He did so at the same time he was cheating on his wife, who was ill with multiple sclerosis, by carrying on his own affair with an assistant 23 years his junior. And he also attacks a prudish Mitt Romney for his supposedly improper role as an investment banker in the 1990s, while he himself was earning millions from the bankrupt Freddie Mac mortgage company.
Newt Gingrich, the Scourge of the '90s, is still alive and kicking, at least until Super Tuesday, and he still sees his fight against liberal America as unfinished.

Technorati Tags: Newt Gingrich,2012 Elections,Liberals,Democrats,Republicans,Mitt Romney,Current Events,An American Gothic,Politics,Watching America

 

Mitt Romney and Wife Ann: Offshore Accounts

   You all know about GOP front-runner Mitt’s offshore banking interest, but, it looks as if his wife also has had a Swiss bank account with $3 million in it.

Ann Romney: $3M Swiss Bank Account for fun and pleasure

Fri Feb 03, 2012      By Polecat @ Daily Kos

Mitt Romney's wife had $3M in a secret UBS Swiss Bank Account through 2010.  This was not reported on Federal Disclosure Forms.

link and here's a Google cache because the other link is very slow.

The release of the tax returns shows Romney neglected to disclose some required financial information in his personal disclosure form filed with the Office of Government Ethics last year. His team apparently timed the release of his tax records with the hope that State of the Union hooplah would dominate news coverage and result in his finances getting less attention than they might otherwise. And that appears to been correct. His failure to divulge information about 23 investments, and more important his use of secret Swiss bank accounts, has been given a free pass.

23 Investments were not declared on his Federal Disclosure in 2011.

From the LA Times

An examination by the Los Angeles Times/Tribune Washington Bureau found that at least 23 investments detailed in the couple's 2010 tax returns did not show up or were not listed in the same fashion on Romney's most recent financial disclosure, including 11 based in low-tax foreign countries such as Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg.

(my emphasis)

Among the assets omitted is a Swiss bank account in Ann Romney's blind trust that held $3 million until it closed in 2010. The account was listed on a financial disclosure Romney filed in 2007, but it was mistakenly named as an asset held by the couple, not as part of Ann Romney's trust. A campaign spokeswoman said Thursday that Romney will file amendments to both his 2007 and 2011 financial disclosures to correctly identify the bank account.

The Romney campaign dismissed the omission of information as inadvertent and inconsequential, noting he has released more than 600 pages of details about his finances. Indeed, among the hundreds of investments listed on his recent financial disclosure are many foreign funds.

Inconsequential.  $3M in a Swiss Bank Account for your wife.

And she has a blind trust?  Is this blind trust also run by your close friend that runs your own trust, Mr. Romney?

The part that I find the most interesting is that it was closed in late 2010: "I'm running for office, for Pete's sake!"

Yeah.

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney,Ann Romney,Taxes,Offshore Banking,UBS,Federal Disclosure,2012 Elections,Current Events,An American Gothic

President Obama’s Economy…

…. may not be improving as fast as many of us would it to, but, it is going much better than what the Republican Party would like for you to hear.

50,000 New Manufacturing Jobs, GM is #1, Gas Use @ 2001 Levels, Thank You President Obama

  Original Post  By FISHOUTOFWATER  on Friday, February 3, 2012

The reports of the death of American manufacturing were premature. President Obama stopped the long hard decline in U.S. manufacturing that began under President G.W. Bush. U.S. durable goods manufacturing added 50,000 jobs in January for a total of 418,000 jobs over the past 2 years. Hours worked in manufacturing were up 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, giving a boost to worker pay. President Obama's decision to save GM and Chrysler, which was strongly attacked at the time by Republicans, saved America's manufacturing sector leading to today's good news. If GM had been allowed to shut down the ripple effect through the supply chain would have permanently damaged a large sector of American manufacturing. Today GM is the worlds number 1 producer of automobiles and Chrysler, which Republicans declared dead, is profitable again.

Auto sales were so strong that auto dealers added 7,000 new jobs in January.

In the goods-producing sector, manufacturing added 50,000 jobs. Nearly all of the increase occurred in durable goods manufacturing, with job growth in fabricated metal products (+11,000), machinery (+11,000), and motor vehicles and parts (+8,000). Durable goods manufacturing has added 418,000 jobs over the past 2 years.

The really good news that hasn't been reported with the auto jobs data is the large reduction in U.S. gasoline consumption. In January, gas consumption plummeted to levels not seen since the weeks after September 11, 2001. This is solid evidence that the Obama administration's bold initiative to turn GM into a producer of smaller fuel efficient cars is a resounding success. Clearly, the high price of gas has encouraged use of mass transit, car pools and more efficient trips, but no one can blame cold winter weather for the low gas consumption. Obviously, buyers are replacing old inefficient vehicles with new fuel efficient ones. Because people put off auto buying during the recession, pent up demand will continue this trend of replacing gas guzzlers with gas sippers. This isn't just good news for the environment. It's good for the economy. The U.S. economy will be less prone to go into a recession as oil prices rise because consumers who are using less fuel will be less sensitive to price hikes.

Total U.S. fuel consumption dropped to 1999 levels, putting strong downward pressure on the price of "West Texas" crude sold at Cushing, Oklahoma. The price of Brent crude, which is of similar high quality, was $16.74 higher at close of business today than West Texas Intermediate. President Obama's success in raising vehicle fuel economy standards will help further reduce consumption and will help keep gas prices from rising more.

Rising Cushing inventories also helped widen Brent’s premium over WTI, which has almost doubled this year, said Gene McGillian, an analyst and broker at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD) plans to start shipping oil from Cushing to the U.S. Gulf Coast June 1 after the Seaway pipeline’s flow is reversed.

“Cushing stocks are increasing and there won’t be new pipelines until later this year,” McGillian said. He added that Asian demand is boosting Brent.

Crude prices may fall next week, a Bloomberg News survey showed. Fourteen of 34 analysts, or 41 percent, forecast oil will drop through Feb. 10. Twelve respondents, or 35 percent, predicted prices will increase and eight estimated there will be little change.

Total petroleum demand in the U.S., the biggest oil consumer, fell to 17.7 million barrels a day last week, the lowest level since May 1999, according to the Energy Department. Gasoline consumption decreased to 7.97 million barrels a day, the lowest level since September 2001.

Strong demand in Asia is driving up the price of Brent crude. Republicans are pressing for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline so that the Koch Brothers can sell fuel they refined in Texas to Asia and world markets. Completion of additional pipeline capacity is not required to meet falling demand in the U.S. If the pipeline is built West Texas prices will rise to Brent levels.

President Obama is helping keep the price of gas down by not approving the Keystone XL pipeline.

Also republished by The Federation and Climate Hawks.

Technorati Tags: U.S. Manufacturing,Barack Obama,GM,General Motors,Chrysler,The Economy,Employment,Current Events,An American Gothic