Peter Berg, the creator of the "Friday Night Lights" television series and movie, has sent Mitt Romney a scathing letter demanding the Republican candidate cease use of the show's "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose" slogan.
In the letter, which was obtained exclusively by The Hollywood Reporter, Berg writes that "the only relevant comparison 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."
In noting that the "politics and campaign" of the Romney ticket "are clearly not aligned with the themes we portrayed in our series," Berg echoed a similar rebuke aimed at Paul Ryan by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. In August, Morello wrote an op-ed denouncing Ryan, who he cited as "the embodiment of the machine our music rages against."
Mitt Romney has been using the "Friday Night Lights" slogan in speeches. Ann Romney has also made use of the inspirational motto, which figures prominently in the series. The Huffington Post has reached out to Romney's campaign and will update this post if we receive comment.
While Berg -- who came up with the phrase -- is quick to rebuke the Romneys, the author of the book the series and movie are based on recently endorsed the candidate in a column posted by The Daily Beast. Buzz Bissinger wrote that Barack Obama's poor debate performance and what Bissinger sees as Romney's emerging, moderate platform led him to make that decision.
In a follow-up piece, Bissinger says he has been vilified by the "liberal media" and his own friends, some of whom he believes he'll never feel the same about.
For more on Berg's letter, head over to The Hollywood Reporter.
With popular taglines now being wrapped into official presidential campaigns, what's next? Below are some other options the candidates could adopt as they head toward Election Day. Vote on our choices and give us your own suggestions in the comments below.
