Mitt Romney has been using Friday Night Lights’ signature phrase “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” as part of his campaign, despite strenuous objections from the show’s executive producer, Peter Berg. In fact, after Berg’s angry letter, rather than back down, the Romney campaign actually started selling Livestrong-style bracelets containing the slogan on its website (which beyond being a pretty un-chill thing to do, may have violated Berg’s trademark and opened Romney up to legal action).
But now he really went and did it. OH, NOW HE HAS DONE IT, INDEED. He pissed off Mrs. Coach, y’all.
In an op-ed in this weekend’s USA Today, Connie Britton (who played Tami Taylor on the show) had this to say about the whole situation:
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose,” was the battle cry for the high school football teams of Dillon, Texas, on the TV show Friday Night Lights for five seasons. But the show wasn’t just about football. And “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose” wasn’t just about winning games. Rather, it was a rallying cry of hope and optimism in a community where everyone had a fair shot — no matter their background, no matter their parents, no matter their gender. And no matter their politics.
So it has been surprising that the phrase has been usurped and co-opted by Mitt Romney and his campaign for their gain. And it got us thinking: What would the women of Dillon think about this?
Dillon is a classic American town filled with hard-working, middle-class Americans, who just want to lead productive, healthy lives. And the women we represented on the show — the women we are in real life — are like the millions of women across the nation. Women who want to make our own health care decisions. Women who want to earn equal pay for the work we do. Women who want affordable health care. […]
So as women, let’s take “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” back and use it as it was always intended — as a motivator for progress, power, and greatness. Let’s use our clear eyes and full hearts to vote early. Let’s use our clear eyes and full hearts to tell every friend, family member and neighbor about what’s at stake for women in this election. What’s at stake for all of us.
If we women make ourselves aware of the issues and make our voices heard, we most certainly cannot lose. [USA TODAY]
And, in case there was any doubt:
