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Snark Amendment: Not the Brightest Light: Author Buzz Bissinger Backs Mitt Romney with Baffling Homage
Huffington Post: A New Slogan for Mitt
It's Mitt Romney's campaign trail twist on the inspirational slogan from "Friday Night Lights," the gritty but poignant TV series about football at fictional Dillon High School in rural Texas. The popular version – simply "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!" – has become a rallying cry for a resurgent Romney campaign.
Romney has repeated a version of the line for several days straight on the campaign trail. His campaign sent fundraising email with the motto in the subject line. And it's now plastered at the top of his Facebook page, overlaid on a black-and-white photo of the candidate standing in the rain, his back to the camera, at a rally in Virginia on Monday.
"Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose," Romney said Tuesday in Iowa as he recalled a young teenager facing certain death from cancer. "This is something that we share in this country, men and women of clear eyes and full hearts and America can't lose."
Mitt Romney's Facebook Featuring the Phrase "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose."
Letter from Peter Berg, Creator of Friday Night Lights TV Show on Hollywood Reporter
Gov. Romney:
I created the show "Friday Night Lights" and came up with the phrase "Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose."
I was not thrilled when I saw that you have plagiarized this expression to support your campaign by using it on posters, your facebook page and as part of your stump speeches. Your politics and campaign are clearly not aligned with the themes we portrayed in our series.
The only relevant comparison that I see between your campaign and “Friday Night Lights” is in the character of Buddy Garrity — who turned his back on American car manufacturers selling imported cars from Japan.
Your use of the expression falsely and inappropriately associates “Friday Night Lights” with the Romney/Ryan campaign. Mitt, we all wish you and your family all the best. We are grateful for your support of our beloved show, but we are not in any way affiliated with you or your campaign. Please come up with your own campaign slogan.
Sincerely,
Peter Berg.
"I wrote Coach Taylor. I knew Coach Taylor. Coach Taylor was played by the extremely dreamy Kyle Chandler. Governor, you're no Coach Taylor. And your wife is no Connie Britton. So ... there."
~ comment by MsMichelleR on Jezebel
The funny thing is, they might've stolen it from Parks and Recreation. There was an episode last season in which Leslie used that exact phrase in the context of her political campaign. Although I doubt Peter Berg cares too much about a one-off reference on a sitcom.
~ comment by juansmith on Jezebel
Apparently this slogan has been in a Tennessee high school gym wall since around the 70's. If Berg did not trademark it then it is fair game to use it. From some of the articles I have read it is not trademarked.
~ comment by GuessWho on Yahoo News
Mitt should be sued simply by the fact that he is implying that he is like (Coach) Eric Taylor.
~ comment by Lili An-noln on TVLine
Being Texas, a lot of the minor characters would vote for Romney. But if Romney was put in charge of Dillon, he’d cut the football program, reduce the amount of teachers and staff and slash school budgets. All in the name of giving a tax break to the rich. If you actually watched the show, you would see that the importance of what an educator is capable of doing is monumental in terms of shaping futures and lives.
~ comment by TigerNightmare on TVLine
On Trade: "Save the open market, save the economy"
On Taxes: "Cut 'Em, Dano"
On Healthcare: "Live long and prosper under state-regulated insurance."
~ Alternate Slogans from TVLine
I liked Buddy too. I also like Mitt Romney. I don't like Peter Berg now because he is a big baby. I think he needs to take a nap.
~ comment by Lydia on Entertainment Weekly
I'm only four episodes in, but god I hate Buddy Garrity. #FNL
— Alex Nguyen (@alexvnguyen) October 13, 2012
Hilarious!!! “@comicsreporter: anyone else slightly upset that Peter Berg would throw Buddy Garrity under the bus like that?”
— Karen Gordon (@squeakywheelcom) October 13, 2012
Romney is indeed Buddy Garrity, trying to ride on the coattails of the show's sincerity. Sleazebag.huff.to/TcYlABvia @huffpostpol
— Chris B (@SidooRabbit) October 13, 2012
It’s not plagiarism to repeat a line of TV dialogue and it’s not copyright infringement to repeat a piece of dialogue either! This is just another Hollywood limo liberal trying to use his influence to smear a Republican candidate. Oh how dirty those liberal democrats play! Berg, this ONLY makes YOU look like a petty, pompous, ass! Please sit down and stick to writing.
~ comment by Joey P. on Deadline Hollywood
Smash’s mom worked at Planned Parenthood. Becky had an abortion. Tami had a job. Coach Stan was gay. And there were black people. That doesn’t sound very Republican to me.
~ comment by Elwood on Deadline Hollywood
You have to give it up to the Republican candidate for making a savvy move here. By using that revered motivational mini-speech, he immediately wins the full hearts of the “Friday Night Lights” crowd. And those who don’t watch the show still might be moved by the phrase because it’s just fantastically pithy. Frankly, I’m not sure why it hasn’t replaced the Pledge of Allegiance since it makes most of us feel just as proud to be Americans and also: huuuge time-saver.
~ Jen Chaney on Washington Post
If Romney continues, Coach Taylor is going to have to make him run up and down a hill in torrential rain and then walk home. #FNL
— ishira kumar (@ishirakumar) October 12, 2012
Can't believe Mitt thought he could co-opt "Clear Eyes Full Hearts Can't Lose." Meanwhile, I'm going to write in Coach Taylor for president.
— Breena Wiederhoeft (@EaselAintEasy) October 13, 2012
“Friday Night Lights” is the most genuinely bipartisan piece of art American mass culture has produced in the last decade. It’s a Texas-set ode to the importance, integrity and strength of the hetero-normative family and community do-it-yourself-ism that’s also a paean to public schools and public servants and the safety nets they provide for the young and underprivileged. Coach Eric Taylor is a great man, but who could say if he votes Republican or Democrat? Depending on your political persuasion it’s possible to read “FNL” as a “red” or “blue” series — to extract the message you want out of it, to ascribe your preferences to its characters — but not because it is one or the other. Rather, it is truly both red and blue, deeply respectful of all of its characters, however one imagines they would vote.
~ Willa Paskin on Salon
