Monday, October 29, 2012

Connie Britton & FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Exec Producer Write Editorial: Romney Wrong To Use "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts"

In an editorial co-written by Connie Britton with FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS executive producer Sarah Aubrey, the question "What would the women of Dillon think about this?" regarding Romney's use of "Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose" is asked. Britton brilliantly played Tami Taylor on FNL for five season and is currently winning rave reviews for her role as Rayna James in NASHVILLE. Read the editorial published in USA Today below:

Romney may have co-opted the show's motto, but the women of "Friday Night Lights" know we need Obama.

"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.

In fact, it is President Obama who has shown his values to be more closely aligned with those represented by the phrase. The first measure he signed into law after becoming president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- so a female high school counselor or physical education teacher can fight for equal pay for equal work. This law makes it possible for women such as the character that I (Britton) played of Tami Taylor -- to fight for the same wages as men no matter what they do or where they live, from Dillon to Philadelphia, where Tami was able to pursue her dream job as a college admissions counselor.

And President Obama's landmark Affordable Care Act has been transformative for women. For the first time in our lives, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition — our insurers can't charge us more for having breast cancer or being the victim of domestic violence. This law fully covers the cost of our preventive care, our annual check-ups, our birth control. And on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, quarterback Matt Saracen's grandma would have then been able to get the affordable health care she needed.

Romney actually wants to throw the entire law -- and every benefit -- out, and while he's at it, get rid of Planned Parenthood—the health care provider that nearly three million Americans rely on for their life-saving cancer screenings, well-woman visits and affordable birth control. Planned Parenthood was well represented on the show, too -- Brian "Smash" Williams' mom worked there, Tami got a pregnancy test there, and, after being abandoned by her parents, Becky Sproles was able to get a safe and legal abortion there.

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.

6 comments:

  1. Good grief. No, no, NO. It made me sick to see Romney using that slogan, but it is no better to assign it to the Obama camp. Gross. Leave Friday Night Lights alone. Its message soars far above anything Tweedledee and Tweedledumb have to offer.

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  2. Agreed. This site is no place for a politcal post of any kind. Please stop.

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  3. This is my site and I will continue to post items I feel are worth sharing, political or otherwise.

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  4. Let's look at how they are actually voting in Texas......Romney by 16.7 according to the REal Clear Politics average!

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  5. Marilyn, it's always sad to see people voting against their own self interest especially women.

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  6. It's actually nice to see Connie speak her mind almost Tami-esque.

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