One aspect of the creation of the United States Constitution is miraculous – the fact that through much diversity and contention, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were successful in creating a document that saved America.
They saw the obstacles that threatened the future of the United States and with clarity, selflessness and hard- won harmony, they protected the fledgling country.
After all, God had given them two other miracles, the courage and insight to declare independence and the bravery and ability to beat the most powerful country on earth.
Today, during an election year and times of bitter party division, it is brazen to forgo demagoguery for the sake of the country.
One example of such a challenge is the Super Bowl Chrysler commercial starring actor and movie mogul Clint Eastwood, a self-declared non-partisan American.
Many conservatives cringed at the commercial’s doublespeak and the fact that it was paid for indirectly by the Obama administration, which means, with tax dollars.
Yes, Chrysler received a bailout and yes, the bailout was not the most effective response and yes, romancing the success of the bailout somewhat endorses socialism.
Yet, there was a message within the commercial that warrants all Americans to take a deep breath and see the bigger picture – much like our founding fathers.
In a culture where more people watch the Super Bowl than vote, in a culture that glorifies football over civic service, in a culture where Super Bowl ads consist of sex, booze and rock and roll, a time-out to recognize the necessity of unity, to acknowledge soberly the tough times we are experiencing, is not all bad.
Even Gov. Mitch Daniels, a conservative’s dream, echoed such sentiments in his State of the Union (SOTU) response:
“As in previous moments of danger, we Americans are all in the same boat. If we drift, quarreling and paralyzed, over a Niagara of debt, we will all suffer, regardless of income, race, gender or other category.”
Taking time out of athletic revelry to state, “we’re all scared because this isn’t a game,” is important. Eastwood was the perfect person to deliver such a message.
“This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do the world’s gonna hear the roar of our engines,” he said in the ad. Americans need this hope.
It is halftime in America and Republicans and Democrats are in “their locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half.” But let us not forget, it is “we the people” who rule this country. James Madison said, “The people are the fountain of all power.”
George Washington warned that the party system would yield more power and loyalty to party than to America. Hence, remaining in a “fog of division, discord and blame,” as the Chrysler commercial states, it will be, “hard to see what lies ahead.”
America is sustaining herself on borrowed time, or as Daniels stated in his SOTU response, “we have a short grace period to deal with our dangers.”
During an election year, unity doesn’t sit well with opposing teams who want to win. Yet, we must unite and use our collective genius to save ourselves. If Washington is a mess, it is our fault.
The Chrysler ad made Americans stop and think during a game of mindless moments distracting from America’s pain: We “acted as one because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one.”
Our miraculous achievements in history, when we created, built and saved America, were not borne from division, they were borne from unity. It is halftime in America.
Will we win or lose? The stakes are higher than a super bowl ring or a souvenir t-shirt, being a Republican or Democrat. The stakes affect our Republic and our liberty.
Examiner contributor Janine Turner is a longtime actress and talk radio show host on KLIF in Dallas. She appears frequently on Friday editions of Fox News’ “O’Reily Factor.”
