dismissing him as an embarassment or just some old man is quite disrespectful.
Meh. I figure anyone who puts themselves out there in front of millions of people and tells jokes like "Oprah was crying" to riotous applause and then essentially does the Bob Newhart bit has left themselves wide open. And that's just what he did.
But the REAL thing that he did was derail the whole message of the night. While Romney and Rubio were really hoping everyone would be talking about their speeches, the national dialogue has been about what a mess Clint was. And for that, they're all just going to have to soak in it.
The comparison to Britney Spears was a good one. She was a mess, was unprepared and looked like crap. And performed in front of millions of people and that became a bigger story than the performance. Kinda how the entertainment world works.
that wasn't all of my quote. I wasn't just being "leave him alone! don't be mean". I honestly didn't think there was anything wrong with his speech. I thought he was kind of funny, and it was refreshing to not just have all the "rah rah! america!" bullshit you usually see at these conventions, especially when it's the party trying to get into office. I don't care if he "borrowed" the bit from Newhart, Newhart made a joke about that. He doesn't care.
I thought his statement saying "if the guy in office isn't doing the job right it's time to get someone new to do it". very simple. very effective. I don't support Romney. But I think if Clint had come out for the democrats this thread would be QUITE different. you can tell it's nothing but people being partisan. that's the real joke here, not an "old white man".
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I thought he was brilliant ...
what really bothered me was how the candidates and their families received it...
thanks but no thanks attitude, just rude...
they best learn when the cameras are on them... smile
maybe they don't get the humor, don't get the man.
I mean he's 82 and stills got it
:fp:
You said you didn't really care for him before this - one of the greatest and most talented movie icons of our time, both as an actor and a writer/director, and one of the most well-liked and respected person within his own industry - and THIS incident is what finally made you really appreciate the man. :fp: :fp: Yeah, okay. Fine. Whatever.
Do you really think that the candidates have anything to be thankful for, considering the tone that his performance set? I don't. If anything, their negative reactions showed me that they actually know more about manipulating audiences than I gave them credit for. They immediately understood what was going to happen after, and, for good reason, were displeased about it.
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
dismissing him as an embarassment or just some old man is quite disrespectful.
Meh. I figure anyone who puts themselves out there in front of millions of people and tells jokes like "Oprah was crying" to riotous applause and then essentially does the Bob Newhart bit has left themselves wide open. And that's just what he did.
But the REAL thing that he did was derail the whole message of the night. While Romney and Rubio were really hoping everyone would be talking about their speeches, the national dialogue has been about what a mess Clint was. And for that, they're all just going to have to soak in it.
The comparison to Britney Spears was a good one. She was a mess, was unprepared and looked like crap. And performed in front of millions of people and that became a bigger story than the performance. Kinda how the entertainment world works.
that wasn't all of my quote. I wasn't just being "leave him alone! don't be mean". I honestly didn't think there was anything wrong with his speech. I thought he was kind of funny, and it was refreshing to not just have all the "rah rah! america!" bullshit you usually see at these conventions, especially when it's the party trying to get into office. I don't care if he "borrowed" the bit from Newhart, Newhart made a joke about that. He doesn't care.
I thought his statement saying "if the guy in office isn't doing the job right it's time to get someone new to do it". very simple. very effective. I don't support Romney. But I think if Clint had come out for the democrats this thread would be QUITE different. you can tell it's nothing but people being partisan. that's the real joke here, not an "old white man".
I really don't think it was his intended message that has everyone laughing at him (regrettably but understandably). There was nothing super wrong with his intended message (vote for Romney, I want Obama out of the office because I don't support him). It was his awful delivery. Rambling to say the least. Disjointed. Awkward. Odd. He made a joke about Obama suggesting Romney go and jerk off I'm pretty sure. And it was 8 full minutes longer than anyone had asked him to be up there for. The people he was there to represent had no clue he would do it - he went rogue at an inappropriate time. His performance was not rousing, which is what they wanted from him. It was strange and vague instead. I mean, there was some artistic subtlty to it that did strike me as very typical of Clint Eastwood and that I can appreciate from the artistic viewpoint, but it was far beyond the situation and the target audience considering the reason he was asked to speak. That's why people were uncomfortable, and that's why the ones he was there to bolster looked miffed and confused.
I've made it pretty clear that i have a real sentimental soft spot for Clint and his talents, and I don't enjoy all the teasing because it's undignified for such a dignified man. But I can still get real about it - it's very obvious to me why his little routine has pretty much completely hyjacked the entire RNC's message while still managing to shed jovially negative light on the whole thing in a hard to define yet palpable way, which Romney's camp really must be FURIOUS about on the inside. The visual that has defined the RNC is not one of Romney looking all presidential and inspiring or anything like that. It is and always will be a picture of an empty chair .... which leads me to think, actually, upon further thought: "bravo Clint! Well fucking done!!"
PS Hugh - mine isn't a biased opinion. I really really don't think, either, that dems would be cool with it if someone turned the DNC into a laughing stock either. I think anyone coming out and trying to suggest this incident was in any way , shape, or form a success for the Republican convention is absolutely kidding themselves and look a bit foolish. Frankly, Romney falling head first off the stage couldn't have been a bigger distraction from their intended message, and at least that wouldn't have garnered ridicule. Any defense of the performance from the Reps is pure damage control.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
I thought he was brilliant ...
what really bothered me was how the candidates and their families received it...
thanks but no thanks attitude, just rude...
they best learn when the cameras are on them... smile
maybe they don't get the humor, don't get the man.
I mean he's 82 and stills got it
:fp:
You said you didn't really care for him before this - one of the greatest and most talented movie icons of our time, both as an actor and a writer/director, and one of the most well-liked and respected person within his own industry - and THIS incident is what finally made you really appreciate the man. :fp: :fp: Yeah, okay. Fine. Whatever.
Do you really think that the candidates have anything to be thankful for, considering the tone that his performance set? I don't. If anything, their negative reactions showed me that they actually know more about manipulating audiences than I gave them credit for. They immediately understood what was going to happen after, and, for good reason, were displeased about it.
Some people are huge Eastwood fans, not me was all I said.
Sorry about that
I liked his skit though ... thought it was creative and funny ... deep too...
brought out a playful side of him for me.
It was refreshing because it was not just another speech.
Disagree the candidates were not manipulating anyone they were just not liking the performance
pure and simple and got caught looking rude and fuddy duddy ish.
Would have done far better to have been laughing and gracious
smiles all around. A shrug off.
But you misunderstand yet again I did not say the candidates had anything to be thankful for :?
whatever...
But I think if Clint had come out for the democrats this thread would be QUITE different. you can tell it's nothing but people being partisan. that's the real joke here, not an "old white man".
you know, I'm not totally sure it would be.
While I'm sure many (but not all) conservatives would have gone on the attack to call out the "liberal Hollywood elite" and all that, I'm quite sure that many liberals would also have shaken their heads and what a horrible judgement call it was to send a dramatic actor on stage to do improv comedy while taking 9th grade jabs at a Republican president.
There was a brief and bright moment when some Democrats started a petition to get Betty White to come on stage and do the same thing, but immediately the majority of us loudly stomped that out. While a political convention shouldn't be a sad, dull and uninspiring dirge, it's also not the place to stage the kind of comedy you'd expect on a Morning AM radio show.
It's a political convention, not SNL.
I remember when Barack Obama had his inauguration and some people were upset there were fewer big-name stars performing. I know I personally had said we should get Diana Ross to come on and sing "Everybody Rejoice" from The Wiz (aka "can you feel a brand new day"), Bruce Springsteen to do a cover of "Defying Gravity" and Pearl Jam to come and perform "Brain of J."
But in retrospect, there's a difference between celebrating your message and gloating. There's a difference between building your own party and message up and tearing the other party down by doing a skit where the president tells Clint Eastwood to tell Mitt Romney to go fuck himself.
And the BIG thing wasn't just Clint Eastwood himself, it was that the whole skit stank of "we don't have much of a message and we don't have much to offer and Paul Ryan has already been called out for his pearl necklace of lies two days ago so let's just take pot shots at the Democrats and see how low we can sink this barge."
And THAT... now that I've had a couple days to marinate on it.... is what was REALLY wrong with that performance. It just felt unbecoming of the kind of event it was.
But I think if Clint had come out for the democrats this thread would be QUITE different. you can tell it's nothing but people being partisan. that's the real joke here, not an "old white man".
you know, I'm not totally sure it would be.
While I'm sure many (but not all) conservatives would have gone on the attack to call out the "liberal Hollywood elite" and all that, I'm quite sure that many liberals would also have shaken their heads and what a horrible judgement call it was to send a dramatic actor on stage to do improv comedy while taking 9th grade jabs at a Republican president.
There was a brief and bright moment when some Democrats started a petition to get Betty White to come on stage and do the same thing, but immediately the majority of us loudly stomped that out. While a political convention shouldn't be a sad, dull and uninspiring dirge, it's also not the place to stage the kind of comedy you'd expect on a Morning AM radio show.
It's a political convention, not SNL.
I remember when Barack Obama had his inauguration and some people were upset there were fewer big-name stars performing. I know I personally had said we should get Diana Ross to come on and sing "Everybody Rejoice" from The Wiz (aka "can you feel a brand new day"), Bruce Springsteen to do a cover of "Defying Gravity" and Pearl Jam to come and perform "Brain of J."
But in retrospect, there's a difference between celebrating your message and gloating. There's a difference between building your own party and message up and tearing the other party down by doing a skit where the president tells Clint Eastwood to tell Mitt Romney to go fuck himself.
And the BIG thing wasn't just Clint Eastwood himself, it was that the whole skit stank of "we don't have much of a message and we don't have much to offer and Paul Ryan has already been called out for his pearl necklace of lies two days ago so let's just take pot shots at the Democrats and see how low we can sink this barge."
And THAT... now that I've had a couple days to marinate on it.... is what was REALLY wrong with that performance. It just felt unbecoming of the kind of event it was.
who the fuck are you and what have you done with PoD?
My god, well thought out, entirely nonjudgemental and on point. WTF?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I thought he was brilliant ...
what really bothered me was how the candidates and their families received it...
thanks but no thanks attitude, just rude...
they best learn when the cameras are on them... smile
maybe they don't get the humor, don't get the man.
I mean he's 82 and stills got it
:fp:
You said you didn't really care for him before this - one of the greatest and most talented movie icons of our time, both as an actor and a writer/director, and one of the most well-liked and respected person within his own industry - and THIS incident is what finally made you really appreciate the man. :fp: :fp: Yeah, okay. Fine. Whatever.
Do you really think that the candidates have anything to be thankful for, considering the tone that his performance set? I don't. If anything, their negative reactions showed me that they actually know more about manipulating audiences than I gave them credit for. They immediately understood what was going to happen after, and, for good reason, were displeased about it.
Some people are huge Eastwood fans, not me was all I said.
Sorry about that
I liked his skit though ... thought it was creative and funny ... deep too...
brought out a playful side of him for me.
It was refreshing because it was not just another speech.
Disagree the candidates were not manipulating anyone they were just not liking the performance
pure and simple and got caught looking rude and fuddy duddy ish.
Would have done far better to have been laughing and gracious
smiles all around. A shrug off.
But you misunderstand yet again I did not say the candidates had anything to be thankful for :?
whatever...
You said he was never a big favorite of yours but now he is. For that. :?
I didn't say that the candidates were manipulating the crowd with their reaction. That would not even make sense. I said that their real reaction showed that they understood crowd manipulation, which is why they looked so unimpressed, since Clint was failing and they recognized what the fallout would be with audiences immediately.
You said they had a "thanks but no thanks" thing going on. So I said they had nothing to be thankful for.
No misunderstandings here. And i certainly do "get" what Eastwood was doing. It was not a good thing to do. OBVIOUSLY.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
But I think if Clint had come out for the democrats this thread would be QUITE different. you can tell it's nothing but people being partisan. that's the real joke here, not an "old white man".
you know, I'm not totally sure it would be.
While I'm sure many (but not all) conservatives would have gone on the attack to call out the "liberal Hollywood elite" and all that, I'm quite sure that many liberals would also have shaken their heads and what a horrible judgement call it was to send a dramatic actor on stage to do improv comedy while taking 9th grade jabs at a Republican president.
There was a brief and bright moment when some Democrats started a petition to get Betty White to come on stage and do the same thing, but immediately the majority of us loudly stomped that out. While a political convention shouldn't be a sad, dull and uninspiring dirge, it's also not the place to stage the kind of comedy you'd expect on a Morning AM radio show.
It's a political convention, not SNL.
I remember when Barack Obama had his inauguration and some people were upset there were fewer big-name stars performing. I know I personally had said we should get Diana Ross to come on and sing "Everybody Rejoice" from The Wiz (aka "can you feel a brand new day"), Bruce Springsteen to do a cover of "Defying Gravity" and Pearl Jam to come and perform "Brain of J."
But in retrospect, there's a difference between celebrating your message and gloating. There's a difference between building your own party and message up and tearing the other party down by doing a skit where the president tells Clint Eastwood to tell Mitt Romney to go fuck himself.
And the BIG thing wasn't just Clint Eastwood himself, it was that the whole skit stank of "we don't have much of a message and we don't have much to offer and Paul Ryan has already been called out for his pearl necklace of lies two days ago so let's just take pot shots at the Democrats and see how low we can sink this barge."
And THAT... now that I've had a couple days to marinate on it.... is what was REALLY wrong with that performance. It just felt unbecoming of the kind of event it was.
very well said. But my point is still that I think he was trying to be funny, and I don't think all the jabs about him being a crazy old man were justified. maybe the message was lost, but maybe that was the initial intention, to make it a little lighter. But as you said, it didn't come off that way.
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Once again, I didn't think the speech was really that bad, just awkward and kind of funny. And probably inappropriate for the occasion. I just can't believe nobody has yet posted this image.
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I am sure that he wasn't reading off a prompter, unlike the chosen one.
I'm sorry... what were you saying?
The liberal voice Bill Maher just gave him credit for not using a tele prompter.
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I am sure that he wasn't reading off a prompter, unlike the chosen one.
I'm sorry... what were you saying?
The liberal voice Bill Maher just gave him credit for not using a tele prompter.
He didn't have a teleprompter. The guy went rogue. He was supposed to be up there for 3 minutes (perhaps that 3 minute speech was on the teleprompter), but the other 8 minutes was all him.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
He didn't have a teleprompter. The guy went rogue. He was supposed to be up there for 3 minutes (perhaps that 3 minute speech was on the teleprompter), but the other 8 minutes was all him.
That's what I'd said. That he was - from what it looked like to me - trying to read the teleprompter but couldn't so he just started to improv. And that's when it all went... wrong.
:fp:
You said you didn't really care for him before this - one of the greatest and most talented movie icons of our time, both as an actor and a writer/director, and one of the most well-liked and respected person within his own industry - and THIS incident is what finally made you really appreciate the man. :fp: :fp: Yeah, okay. Fine. Whatever.
Do you really think that the candidates have anything to be thankful for, considering the tone that his performance set? I don't. If anything, their negative reactions showed me that they actually know more about manipulating audiences than I gave them credit for. They immediately understood what was going to happen after, and, for good reason, were displeased about it.
Some people are huge Eastwood fans, not me was all I said.
Sorry about that
I liked his skit though ... thought it was creative and funny ... deep too...
brought out a playful side of him for me.
It was refreshing because it was not just another speech.
Disagree the candidates were not manipulating anyone they were just not liking the performance
pure and simple and got caught looking rude and fuddy duddy ish.
Would have done far better to have been laughing and gracious
smiles all around. A shrug off.
But you misunderstand yet again I did not say the candidates had anything to be thankful for :?
whatever...
You said he was never a big favorite of yours but now he is. For that. :?
I didn't say that the candidates were manipulating the crowd with their reaction. That would not even make sense. I said that their real reaction showed that they understood crowd manipulation, which is why they looked so unimpressed, since Clint was failing and they recognized what the fallout would be with audiences immediately.
You said they had a "thanks but no thanks" thing going on. So I said they had nothing to be thankful for.
No misunderstandings here. And i certainly do "get" what Eastwood was doing. It was not a good thing to do. OBVIOUSLY.
Sorry not a Dirty Harry fan... totally not into Eastwood and his past movies,
more of a Walken, Pacino, Arnold fan. Never paid much attention
but I really liked his performance here just wish the candidates
would have appeared to have liked it more. At least have been gracious and cool.
It was a cool creative skit in my eyes, unexpected and even endearing.
the thanks but no thanks was what Clint would say to them... :fp:
I may not be a Clint fan but I don't want his feelings hurt.
Even tough guys get their feelings hurt. :(
If compared against other celebrities who are given a public stage to voice out their political opinions ... say a certain front man of a band we may know ... let's just say some of us are throwing stones in a glass house.
If compared against other celebrities who are given a public stage to voice out their political opinions ... say a certain front man of a band we may know ... let's just say some of us are throwing stones in a glass house.
Well you know he wouldn't you a teleprompter either...and likely they would have to bleep about half of what he says. It does amaze at the amount of people that care about the opinions of rich people...none of them are walking in the shoes of the average american...so none of them really know.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
If compared against other celebrities who are given a public stage to voice out their political opinions ... say a certain front man of a band we may know ... let's just say some of us are throwing stones in a glass house.
Well you know he wouldn't you a teleprompter either...and likely they would have to bleep about half of what he says. It does amaze at the amount of people that care about the opinions of rich people...none of them are walking in the shoes of the average american...so none of them really know.
Oh, those evil rich!
How about..."successful". Perhaps some, many, earned their wealth. Perhaps some, many, were your "average American" and worked for what they now have. How is this a bad thing? Why would their opinions be declared null and void?
Me, I don't tack worthiness based on how much someone has, or has not, in the bank. I've learned from people from all walks of life. My discounting the opinion of someone because they're affluent would be just as short-sighted as dismissing that of one who's not.
Some people are huge Eastwood fans, not me was all I said.
Sorry about that
I liked his skit though ... thought it was creative and funny ... deep too...
brought out a playful side of him for me.
It was refreshing because it was not just another speech.
Disagree the candidates were not manipulating anyone they were just not liking the performance
pure and simple and got caught looking rude and fuddy duddy ish.
Would have done far better to have been laughing and gracious
smiles all around. A shrug off.
But you misunderstand yet again I did not say the candidates had anything to be thankful for :?
whatever...
You said he was never a big favorite of yours but now he is. For that. :?
I didn't say that the candidates were manipulating the crowd with their reaction. That would not even make sense. I said that their real reaction showed that they understood crowd manipulation, which is why they looked so unimpressed, since Clint was failing and they recognized what the fallout would be with audiences immediately.
You said they had a "thanks but no thanks" thing going on. So I said they had nothing to be thankful for.
No misunderstandings here. And i certainly do "get" what Eastwood was doing. It was not a good thing to do. OBVIOUSLY.
Sorry not a Dirty Harry fan... totally not into Eastwood and his past movies,
more of a Walken, Pacino, Arnold fan. Never paid much attention
but I really liked his performance here just wish the candidates
would have appeared to have liked it more. At least have been gracious and cool.
It was a cool creative skit in my eyes, unexpected and even endearing.
the thanks but no thanks was what Clint would say to them... :fp:
I may not be a Clint fan but I don't want his feelings hurt.
Even tough guys get their feelings hurt. :(
Well finally we agree on something - I don't want to see Clint Eastwoods feelings hurt either. I hope he doesn't feel stupid or anything.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Well finally we agree on something - I don't want to see Clint Eastwoods feelings hurt either. I hope he doesn't feel stupid or anything.
Hopefully he hears from the people who liked his creativity...
feeling stupid as one grows older is a given.
We are humbled.
But its nice when the younger generation is respectful, kind and forgiving.
Something I don't think the GOP candidates were for him but perhaps now that
it is water under the bridge they are, hopefully and extended a thank you though
it was not what they expected.
[quote]Eastwood says his convention appearance was 'mission accomplished'
By PAUL MILLER
Published: September 7, 2012
AFTER A week as topic No. 1 in American politics, former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood said the outpouring of criticism from left-wing reporters and liberal politicians after his appearance at the Republican National Convention last Thursday night, followed by an avalanche of support on Twitter and in the blogosphere, is all the proof anybody needs that his 12-minute discourse achieved exactly what he intended it to.
“President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” Eastwood told The Pine Cone this week. “Romney and Ryan would do a much better job running the country, and that’s what everybody needs to know. I may have irritated a lot of the lefties, but I was aiming for people in the middle.”
Breaking his silence
For five days after he thrilled or horrified the nation by talking to an empty chair representing Obama on the night Mitt Romney accepted the Republican nomination for president, Eastwood remained silent while pundits and critics debated whether his remarks, and the rambling way he made them, had helped or hurt Romney’s chances of winning in November.
But in a wide-ranging interview with The Pine Cone Tuesday from his home in Pebble Beach, he said he had conveyed the messages he wanted to convey, and that the spontaneous nature of his presentation was intentional, too.
“I had three points I wanted to make,” Eastwood said. “That not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of the promises he made when he took office, and that the people should feel free to get rid of any politician who’s not doing a good job. But I didn’t make up my mind exactly what I was going to say until I said it.”
Eastwood’s appearance at the convention came after a personal request from Romney in August, soon after Eastwood endorsed the former Massachusetts governor at a fundraiser in Sun Valley, Idaho. But it was finalized only in the last week before the convention, along with an agreement to build suspense by keeping it secret until the last moment.
Meanwhile, Romney’s campaign aides asked for details about what Eastwood would say to the convention.
“They vett most of the people, but I told them, ‘You can’t do that with me, because I don’t know what I’m going to say,’” Eastwood recalled.
And while the Hollywood superstar has plenty of experience being adored by crowds, he said he hasn’t given a lot of speeches and admitted that, “I really don’t know how to.” He also hates using a teleprompter, so it was settled in his mind that when he spoke to the 10,000 people in the convention hall, and the millions more watching on television, he would do it extemporaneously.
“It was supposed to be a contrast with all the scripted speeches, because I’m Joe Citizen,” Eastwood said. “I’m a movie maker, but I have the same feelings as the average guy out there.”
Eastwood is a liberal on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, but he has strongly conservative opinions about the colossal national debt that has accumulated while Obama has been president, his failure to get unemployment below 6 percent, and a host of other economic issues.
“Even people on the liberal side are starting to worry about going off a fiscal cliff,” Eastwood said.
Last minute decisions
But what — exactly — would he say to the Republican delegates about the $16 trillion national debt and 8.3 percent unemployment rate?
Friends and associates weren’t as much help as he had hoped.
“Everybody had advice for me, except the janitor,” Eastwood said.
Early Thursday morning, when Eastwood left San Jose Airport on a private jet headed for Florida, he was still making up his mind. And even with his appearance just a few hours away, all Eastwood could tell Romney’s campaign manager, Matt Rhoades, and his aides, was “to reassure them that everything I would say would be nice about Mitt Romney.”
It was only after a quick nap in his hotel room a few blocks from the convention site, Eastwood said, that he mapped out his remarks — starting with his observation about politics in Hollywood, then challenging the president about the failure of his economic policies, and wrapping up by telling the public “they don’t have to worship politicians, like they were royalty or something.”
But even then, with just an hour before he appeared on stage, it still hadn’t occurred to Eastwood to use an empty chair as a stand-in for the president.
“I got to the convention site just 15 or 20 minutes before I was scheduled to go on,” he said. “That was fine, because everything was very well organized.”
After a quick trip through airport-style security, he was taken to a Green Room, where Archbishop Dolan of New York sought him out to say hello. Then he was taken backstage to wait for his cue. And that was when inspiration struck.
“There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down,” Eastwood said. “When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I’ll just put the stool out there and I’ll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn’t keep all of the promises he made to everybody.”
He asked a stagehand to take it out to the lectern while he was being announced.
“The guy said, ‘You mean you want it at the podium?’ and I said, ‘No, just put it right there next to it.’”
Then, with the theme song from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” as a musical introduction, and a huge picture of him as Josey Wales as the backdrop, Eastwood walked out to tremendous applause.
“The audience was super enthusiastic, and it’s always great when they’re with you instead of against you,” he said.
‘Enjoying themselves’
Speaking without any notes, Eastwood recalled the good feelings the whole nation had when Obama was elected, but said they had been dashed as the economy stayed in the doldrums despite massive stimulus spending. He decried the “stupid idea” of closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and putting terrorists on trial in New York City, joked about Vice President Joe Biden’s intellect and quizzed empty-chair Obama about what he says to people about his failed economic policies. He pretended Obama told Romney to do something “physically impossible” to himself, said it’s time to elect a “stellar businessman” as president instead of a lawyer, and, as a final point, told the people, “You own this country.”
When an elected official doesn’t “do the job, we’ve got to let ‘em go,” he said, and the crowd ate it up.
“They really seemed to be enjoying themselves,” Eastwood said.
Originally, he was told he could speak for six or seven minutes, and right before he went on, he was asked to keep it to five, but he said, “When people are applauding so much, it takes you 10 minutes to say five minutes’ worth.”
Also, there were no signals or cues of any kind, so “when you’re out there, it’s kind of hard to tell how much time is going by.”
He also said he was aware he hesitated and stumbled a bit, but said “that’s what happens when you don’t have a written-out speech.”
As he wrapped up his remarks, he was aware his presentation was “very unorthodox,” but that was his intent from the beginning, even if some people weren’t on board.
“They’ve got this crazy actor who’s 82 years old up there in a suit,” he said. “I was a mayor, and they’re probably thinking I know how to give a speech, but even when I was mayor I never gave speeches. I gave talks.”
Backstage, it was all congratulations and glad-handing, he said. And then he returned to the Green Room, where he listened to speeches by Marco Rubio and Mitt Romney. It wasn’t possible for him to watch the media coverage of his presentation.
But the country was listening as the television reporters and commentators covering his speech reacted to it. And they hated it.
“I have to say, as a fan, a movie fan, this was exceedingly strange. It just seemed like a very strange, unscripted moment,” said a shocked Andrea Mitchell on NBC.
“That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention in my entire life,” said Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, barely concealing the condescension in her voice.
Bob Schieffer of CBS said it was “a big mistake to put Clint Eastwood on before Mitt Romney.”
On the Washington Post website, reporter Chris Cillizza wrote that “‘awkward’ may be the kindest term we can think of” to describe Eastwood’s speech.
“He hemmed. He hawed. He mumbled. He rambled,” Cillizza wrote.
And on CNN, Piers Morgan said Eastwood was “going bonkers” on the stage and said his presentation “looked like complete chaos.” He pressured his guests with questions like, “Weren’t you in pain while he was up there?”
But Eastwood wasn’t aware of any of it, and after the speeches were over, Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, came backstage to thank him.
“They were very enthusiastic, and we were all laughing,” Eastwood said.
When he went outside to his car, a large crowd cheered and chanted lines from his speech.
An overnight rebellion
Back at his hotel, Eastwood had a room service dinner and went to bed. The next morning, he got up early and went straight to the airport, still unaware that his appearance was the No. 1 political topic in the nation.
“I read the Tampa newspaper, and every article said something negative about the convention, but there wasn’t much about me,” Eastwood said.
He had no idea that overnight, a rebellion had erupted online against the media’s condemnation of him, with thousands of bloggers, Twitterers and commentators calling him, “a genius,” “1,000 times more brilliant than the media,” and saying he’s “only gotten better with age.”
They also started posting their own versions of Eastwood’s empty chair in droves (“eastwooding”), and, on YouTube, replays of his remarks at the convention were being viewed millions of times.
Even into his 80s, Eastwood has an unprecedented record of success in Hollywood, and is still making two movies a year. He’s currently starring in “Trouble with the Curve,” and is about to direct a remake of “A Star is Born” — things he obviously couldn’t do if he were a befuddled senior citizen. To locals who know him, the idea that he is uninformed or senile is laughable.
Nevertheless, the bitter criticism has continued.
On Tuesday, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, called Eastwood “the perfect icon of the Republican tea party: an angry old white man spewing incoherent nonsense.”
Eastwood said people, including reporters, who were shocked by his remarks “are obviously on the left,” and he maintained that, while many Americans didn’t like the way he handled his convention appearance, millions more have something else on their minds.
If compared against other celebrities who are given a public stage to voice out their political opinions ... say a certain front man of a band we may know ... let's just say some of us are throwing stones in a glass house.
Well you know he wouldn't you a teleprompter either...and likely they would have to bleep about half of what he says. It does amaze at the amount of people that care about the opinions of rich people...none of them are walking in the shoes of the average american...so none of them really know.
Oh, those evil rich!
How about..."successful". Perhaps some, many, earned their wealth. Perhaps some, many, were your "average American" and worked for what they now have. How is this a bad thing? Why would their opinions be declared null and void?
Me, I don't tack worthiness based on how much someone has, or has not, in the bank. I've learned from people from all walks of life. My discounting the opinion of someone because they're affluent would be just as short-sighted as dismissing that of one who's not.
while i agree with you that discounting someone's opinion based on wealth is silly, do you have any stats on social class mobility? by that i mean how many "average americans" have gone from 50% or lower on the class scale to the top 10%...5%...1%... point1%? Conversely how many 1%, or the children of 1%, fall to under 80% or 50%? I honestly don't know, and this probably isn't the thread for it - but I'm definitely interested.
How about..."successful". Perhaps some, many, earned their wealth. Perhaps some, many, were your "average American" and worked for what they now have. How is this a bad thing? Why would their opinions be declared null and void?
Me, I don't tack worthiness based on how much someone has, or has not, in the bank. I've learned from people from all walks of life. My discounting the opinion of someone because they're affluent would be just as short-sighted as dismissing that of one who's not.
while i agree with you that discounting someone's opinion based on wealth is silly, do you have any stats on social class mobility? by that i mean how many "average americans" have gone from 50% or lower on the class scale to the top 10%...5%...1%... point1%? Conversely how many 1%, or the children of 1%, fall to under 80% or 50%? I honestly don't know, and this probably isn't the thread for it - but I'm definitely interested.
First off, thanks for the article, norm! Good read, and I still fucking love Mr. Eastwood.
RW, I don't have stats, and no disrespect to you, but I really don't care about them. I'm sure my own world/life is but a small example, but I've seen many in my family go from coming here or growing up here with close to nothing and making very successful lives for themselves, along with others - some very close to me - who were working hard, living quite well, and then got fucked by these times.
this is a copyrighted phrase. You must cease and desist describing anyone as bat shit crazy.
Signed,
The office of Michelle Bachmann..
In all seriousness, to describe his speech that way demeans him and the message a little bit too much. People can disagree with the statements, and call it what it was, amateur, but calling him crazy is too much.
I wonder if he was 45 would people be calling him the same thing?
I realize yours was a joke and all, but some of the reaction to this speech by some on the left is pretty telling of what those individuals think of people on the right and how intolerant and deaf to the ideas coming from that side they are...
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that wasn't all of my quote. I wasn't just being "leave him alone! don't be mean". I honestly didn't think there was anything wrong with his speech. I thought he was kind of funny, and it was refreshing to not just have all the "rah rah! america!" bullshit you usually see at these conventions, especially when it's the party trying to get into office. I don't care if he "borrowed" the bit from Newhart, Newhart made a joke about that. He doesn't care.
I thought his statement saying "if the guy in office isn't doing the job right it's time to get someone new to do it". very simple. very effective. I don't support Romney. But I think if Clint had come out for the democrats this thread would be QUITE different. you can tell it's nothing but people being partisan. that's the real joke here, not an "old white man".
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You said you didn't really care for him before this - one of the greatest and most talented movie icons of our time, both as an actor and a writer/director, and one of the most well-liked and respected person within his own industry - and THIS incident is what finally made you really appreciate the man. :fp: :fp: Yeah, okay. Fine. Whatever.
Do you really think that the candidates have anything to be thankful for, considering the tone that his performance set? I don't. If anything, their negative reactions showed me that they actually know more about manipulating audiences than I gave them credit for. They immediately understood what was going to happen after, and, for good reason, were displeased about it.
I've made it pretty clear that i have a real sentimental soft spot for Clint and his talents, and I don't enjoy all the teasing because it's undignified for such a dignified man. But I can still get real about it - it's very obvious to me why his little routine has pretty much completely hyjacked the entire RNC's message while still managing to shed jovially negative light on the whole thing in a hard to define yet palpable way, which Romney's camp really must be FURIOUS about on the inside. The visual that has defined the RNC is not one of Romney looking all presidential and inspiring or anything like that. It is and always will be a picture of an empty chair .... which leads me to think, actually, upon further thought: "bravo Clint! Well fucking done!!"
PS Hugh - mine isn't a biased opinion. I really really don't think, either, that dems would be cool with it if someone turned the DNC into a laughing stock either. I think anyone coming out and trying to suggest this incident was in any way , shape, or form a success for the Republican convention is absolutely kidding themselves and look a bit foolish. Frankly, Romney falling head first off the stage couldn't have been a bigger distraction from their intended message, and at least that wouldn't have garnered ridicule. Any defense of the performance from the Reps is pure damage control.
Sorry about that
I liked his skit though ... thought it was creative and funny ... deep too...
brought out a playful side of him for me.
It was refreshing because it was not just another speech.
Disagree the candidates were not manipulating anyone they were just not liking the performance
pure and simple and got caught looking rude and fuddy duddy ish.
Would have done far better to have been laughing and gracious
smiles all around. A shrug off.
But you misunderstand yet again I did not say the candidates had anything to be thankful for :?
whatever...
you know, I'm not totally sure it would be.
While I'm sure many (but not all) conservatives would have gone on the attack to call out the "liberal Hollywood elite" and all that, I'm quite sure that many liberals would also have shaken their heads and what a horrible judgement call it was to send a dramatic actor on stage to do improv comedy while taking 9th grade jabs at a Republican president.
There was a brief and bright moment when some Democrats started a petition to get Betty White to come on stage and do the same thing, but immediately the majority of us loudly stomped that out. While a political convention shouldn't be a sad, dull and uninspiring dirge, it's also not the place to stage the kind of comedy you'd expect on a Morning AM radio show.
It's a political convention, not SNL.
I remember when Barack Obama had his inauguration and some people were upset there were fewer big-name stars performing. I know I personally had said we should get Diana Ross to come on and sing "Everybody Rejoice" from The Wiz (aka "can you feel a brand new day"), Bruce Springsteen to do a cover of "Defying Gravity" and Pearl Jam to come and perform "Brain of J."
But in retrospect, there's a difference between celebrating your message and gloating. There's a difference between building your own party and message up and tearing the other party down by doing a skit where the president tells Clint Eastwood to tell Mitt Romney to go fuck himself.
And the BIG thing wasn't just Clint Eastwood himself, it was that the whole skit stank of "we don't have much of a message and we don't have much to offer and Paul Ryan has already been called out for his pearl necklace of lies two days ago so let's just take pot shots at the Democrats and see how low we can sink this barge."
And THAT... now that I've had a couple days to marinate on it.... is what was REALLY wrong with that performance. It just felt unbecoming of the kind of event it was.
My god, well thought out, entirely nonjudgemental and on point. WTF?
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Oh. shit.
Yeah, I'm supposed to save the well-thought-out political and social commentary for my column on Huffington Post.
Fuck, they're gonna fire me before it even launches.
OK, just pretend I said something about who changed his diapers.
I didn't say that the candidates were manipulating the crowd with their reaction. That would not even make sense. I said that their real reaction showed that they understood crowd manipulation, which is why they looked so unimpressed, since Clint was failing and they recognized what the fallout would be with audiences immediately.
You said they had a "thanks but no thanks" thing going on. So I said they had nothing to be thankful for.
No misunderstandings here. And i certainly do "get" what Eastwood was doing. It was not a good thing to do. OBVIOUSLY.
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another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
very well said. But my point is still that I think he was trying to be funny, and I don't think all the jabs about him being a crazy old man were justified. maybe the message was lost, but maybe that was the initial intention, to make it a little lighter. But as you said, it didn't come off that way.
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The liberal voice Bill Maher just gave him credit for not using a tele prompter.
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That's what I'd said. That he was - from what it looked like to me - trying to read the teleprompter but couldn't so he just started to improv. And that's when it all went... wrong.
more of a Walken, Pacino, Arnold fan. Never paid much attention
but I really liked his performance here just wish the candidates
would have appeared to have liked it more. At least have been gracious and cool.
It was a cool creative skit in my eyes, unexpected and even endearing.
the thanks but no thanks was what Clint would say to them... :fp:
I may not be a Clint fan but I don't want his feelings hurt.
Even tough guys get their feelings hurt. :(
Well you know he wouldn't you a teleprompter either...and likely they would have to bleep about half of what he says. It does amaze at the amount of people that care about the opinions of rich people...none of them are walking in the shoes of the average american...so none of them really know.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
How about..."successful". Perhaps some, many, earned their wealth. Perhaps some, many, were your "average American" and worked for what they now have. How is this a bad thing? Why would their opinions be declared null and void?
Me, I don't tack worthiness based on how much someone has, or has not, in the bank. I've learned from people from all walks of life. My discounting the opinion of someone because they're affluent would be just as short-sighted as dismissing that of one who's not.
feeling stupid as one grows older is a given.
We are humbled.
But its nice when the younger generation is respectful, kind and forgiving.
Something I don't think the GOP candidates were for him but perhaps now that
it is water under the bridge they are, hopefully and extended a thank you though
it was not what they expected.
By PAUL MILLER
Published: September 7, 2012
AFTER A week as topic No. 1 in American politics, former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood said the outpouring of criticism from left-wing reporters and liberal politicians after his appearance at the Republican National Convention last Thursday night, followed by an avalanche of support on Twitter and in the blogosphere, is all the proof anybody needs that his 12-minute discourse achieved exactly what he intended it to.
“President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” Eastwood told The Pine Cone this week. “Romney and Ryan would do a much better job running the country, and that’s what everybody needs to know. I may have irritated a lot of the lefties, but I was aiming for people in the middle.”
Breaking his silence
For five days after he thrilled or horrified the nation by talking to an empty chair representing Obama on the night Mitt Romney accepted the Republican nomination for president, Eastwood remained silent while pundits and critics debated whether his remarks, and the rambling way he made them, had helped or hurt Romney’s chances of winning in November.
But in a wide-ranging interview with The Pine Cone Tuesday from his home in Pebble Beach, he said he had conveyed the messages he wanted to convey, and that the spontaneous nature of his presentation was intentional, too.
“I had three points I wanted to make,” Eastwood said. “That not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of the promises he made when he took office, and that the people should feel free to get rid of any politician who’s not doing a good job. But I didn’t make up my mind exactly what I was going to say until I said it.”
Eastwood’s appearance at the convention came after a personal request from Romney in August, soon after Eastwood endorsed the former Massachusetts governor at a fundraiser in Sun Valley, Idaho. But it was finalized only in the last week before the convention, along with an agreement to build suspense by keeping it secret until the last moment.
Meanwhile, Romney’s campaign aides asked for details about what Eastwood would say to the convention.
“They vett most of the people, but I told them, ‘You can’t do that with me, because I don’t know what I’m going to say,’” Eastwood recalled.
And while the Hollywood superstar has plenty of experience being adored by crowds, he said he hasn’t given a lot of speeches and admitted that, “I really don’t know how to.” He also hates using a teleprompter, so it was settled in his mind that when he spoke to the 10,000 people in the convention hall, and the millions more watching on television, he would do it extemporaneously.
“It was supposed to be a contrast with all the scripted speeches, because I’m Joe Citizen,” Eastwood said. “I’m a movie maker, but I have the same feelings as the average guy out there.”
Eastwood is a liberal on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, but he has strongly conservative opinions about the colossal national debt that has accumulated while Obama has been president, his failure to get unemployment below 6 percent, and a host of other economic issues.
“Even people on the liberal side are starting to worry about going off a fiscal cliff,” Eastwood said.
Last minute decisions
But what — exactly — would he say to the Republican delegates about the $16 trillion national debt and 8.3 percent unemployment rate?
Friends and associates weren’t as much help as he had hoped.
“Everybody had advice for me, except the janitor,” Eastwood said.
Early Thursday morning, when Eastwood left San Jose Airport on a private jet headed for Florida, he was still making up his mind. And even with his appearance just a few hours away, all Eastwood could tell Romney’s campaign manager, Matt Rhoades, and his aides, was “to reassure them that everything I would say would be nice about Mitt Romney.”
It was only after a quick nap in his hotel room a few blocks from the convention site, Eastwood said, that he mapped out his remarks — starting with his observation about politics in Hollywood, then challenging the president about the failure of his economic policies, and wrapping up by telling the public “they don’t have to worship politicians, like they were royalty or something.”
But even then, with just an hour before he appeared on stage, it still hadn’t occurred to Eastwood to use an empty chair as a stand-in for the president.
“I got to the convention site just 15 or 20 minutes before I was scheduled to go on,” he said. “That was fine, because everything was very well organized.”
After a quick trip through airport-style security, he was taken to a Green Room, where Archbishop Dolan of New York sought him out to say hello. Then he was taken backstage to wait for his cue. And that was when inspiration struck.
“There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down,” Eastwood said. “When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I’ll just put the stool out there and I’ll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn’t keep all of the promises he made to everybody.”
He asked a stagehand to take it out to the lectern while he was being announced.
“The guy said, ‘You mean you want it at the podium?’ and I said, ‘No, just put it right there next to it.’”
Then, with the theme song from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” as a musical introduction, and a huge picture of him as Josey Wales as the backdrop, Eastwood walked out to tremendous applause.
“The audience was super enthusiastic, and it’s always great when they’re with you instead of against you,” he said.
‘Enjoying themselves’
Speaking without any notes, Eastwood recalled the good feelings the whole nation had when Obama was elected, but said they had been dashed as the economy stayed in the doldrums despite massive stimulus spending. He decried the “stupid idea” of closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and putting terrorists on trial in New York City, joked about Vice President Joe Biden’s intellect and quizzed empty-chair Obama about what he says to people about his failed economic policies. He pretended Obama told Romney to do something “physically impossible” to himself, said it’s time to elect a “stellar businessman” as president instead of a lawyer, and, as a final point, told the people, “You own this country.”
When an elected official doesn’t “do the job, we’ve got to let ‘em go,” he said, and the crowd ate it up.
“They really seemed to be enjoying themselves,” Eastwood said.
Originally, he was told he could speak for six or seven minutes, and right before he went on, he was asked to keep it to five, but he said, “When people are applauding so much, it takes you 10 minutes to say five minutes’ worth.”
Also, there were no signals or cues of any kind, so “when you’re out there, it’s kind of hard to tell how much time is going by.”
He also said he was aware he hesitated and stumbled a bit, but said “that’s what happens when you don’t have a written-out speech.”
As he wrapped up his remarks, he was aware his presentation was “very unorthodox,” but that was his intent from the beginning, even if some people weren’t on board.
“They’ve got this crazy actor who’s 82 years old up there in a suit,” he said. “I was a mayor, and they’re probably thinking I know how to give a speech, but even when I was mayor I never gave speeches. I gave talks.”
Backstage, it was all congratulations and glad-handing, he said. And then he returned to the Green Room, where he listened to speeches by Marco Rubio and Mitt Romney. It wasn’t possible for him to watch the media coverage of his presentation.
But the country was listening as the television reporters and commentators covering his speech reacted to it. And they hated it.
“I have to say, as a fan, a movie fan, this was exceedingly strange. It just seemed like a very strange, unscripted moment,” said a shocked Andrea Mitchell on NBC.
“That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention in my entire life,” said Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, barely concealing the condescension in her voice.
Bob Schieffer of CBS said it was “a big mistake to put Clint Eastwood on before Mitt Romney.”
On the Washington Post website, reporter Chris Cillizza wrote that “‘awkward’ may be the kindest term we can think of” to describe Eastwood’s speech.
“He hemmed. He hawed. He mumbled. He rambled,” Cillizza wrote.
And on CNN, Piers Morgan said Eastwood was “going bonkers” on the stage and said his presentation “looked like complete chaos.” He pressured his guests with questions like, “Weren’t you in pain while he was up there?”
But Eastwood wasn’t aware of any of it, and after the speeches were over, Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, came backstage to thank him.
“They were very enthusiastic, and we were all laughing,” Eastwood said.
When he went outside to his car, a large crowd cheered and chanted lines from his speech.
An overnight rebellion
Back at his hotel, Eastwood had a room service dinner and went to bed. The next morning, he got up early and went straight to the airport, still unaware that his appearance was the No. 1 political topic in the nation.
“I read the Tampa newspaper, and every article said something negative about the convention, but there wasn’t much about me,” Eastwood said.
He had no idea that overnight, a rebellion had erupted online against the media’s condemnation of him, with thousands of bloggers, Twitterers and commentators calling him, “a genius,” “1,000 times more brilliant than the media,” and saying he’s “only gotten better with age.”
They also started posting their own versions of Eastwood’s empty chair in droves (“eastwooding”), and, on YouTube, replays of his remarks at the convention were being viewed millions of times.
Even into his 80s, Eastwood has an unprecedented record of success in Hollywood, and is still making two movies a year. He’s currently starring in “Trouble with the Curve,” and is about to direct a remake of “A Star is Born” — things he obviously couldn’t do if he were a befuddled senior citizen. To locals who know him, the idea that he is uninformed or senile is laughable.
Nevertheless, the bitter criticism has continued.
On Tuesday, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, called Eastwood “the perfect icon of the Republican tea party: an angry old white man spewing incoherent nonsense.”
Eastwood said people, including reporters, who were shocked by his remarks “are obviously on the left,” and he maintained that, while many Americans didn’t like the way he handled his convention appearance, millions more have something else on their minds.
“A lot of people are realizing they had the wool pulled over their eyes by Obama,” Eastwood said.
http://www.pineconearchive.com/120907-1.html[/quote]
I had no idea of his sense of humor or insight ...
RW, I don't have stats, and no disrespect to you, but I really don't care about them. I'm sure my own world/life is but a small example, but I've seen many in my family go from coming here or growing up here with close to nothing and making very successful lives for themselves, along with others - some very close to me - who were working hard, living quite well, and then got fucked by these times.
My point was that neither should be villified.
RW81233,
LEGAL ACTION
this is a copyrighted phrase. You must cease and desist describing anyone as bat shit crazy.
Signed,
The office of Michelle Bachmann..
In all seriousness, to describe his speech that way demeans him and the message a little bit too much. People can disagree with the statements, and call it what it was, amateur, but calling him crazy is too much.
I wonder if he was 45 would people be calling him the same thing?
I realize yours was a joke and all, but some of the reaction to this speech by some on the left is pretty telling of what those individuals think of people on the right and how intolerant and deaf to the ideas coming from that side they are...
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