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‘One Man’s Vulgarity Is Another Man’s Lyric’: Clint Eastwood Attacks Obama in No Uncertain Terms in Rambling Monologue at the Republican Convention. Love It or Hate It, It Was Certainly Unconventional. If You Missed It We Have the Video

Aug 31, 2012  •  Post A Comment

"It doesn’t matter what stripe your politics are, or whether you thought last night was a victory or disaster, Clint Eastwood stole the night. He stole it with the expertise and facility of a veteran actor who knew exactly what he was doing – stealing a scene, and stealing it with utter conviction."

So writes our good friend Verne Gay, the veteran TV columnist at Newsday, referring to Eastwood’s speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, Aug. 30, 2012.

Gay continues, "There is but one thing anyone will remember from this week – one thing and one thing only: The sight of Dirty Harry addressing an empty chair. Let the big minds address whether this remarkable TV moment was good or bad for the Republican ticket and they already have: Bob Schieffer last night said it was a political disaster, shifting attention from the candidate to a loopy actor addressing an empty chair. His colleague Norah O’Donnell said this morning that it was the ‘not good, the bad and the very ugly.’ "

Gay adds, "Political conventions are TV shows, only TV shows, and the one from Tampa last night starred a silver-maned screen icon named Clint Eastwood who drifted wildly off-script, addressed an empty chair, put words in the mouth of an invisible “president” that were vaguely – no, very distinctly – scatological, rambled for seven minutes, drove event organizers to drink….and in the process .totally, irrevocably heisted the entire week."

For the TV viewer, Gay notes that "[W]e got Clint and it was electrifying – a glorious, bizarre, fun, wild, weird, kooky, incendiary moment that threatened to throw the entire convention into a complete tailspin – and just before the nominee spoke. Now THAT’S entertainment, friends."

As they say, let’s go to the video,from the PBS NewsHour:

4 Comments

  1. No, that’s not “entertainment.” That is complete stupidity.

  2. He was speaking to a president who I voted for but who has really let me down. A president who has turned his entire administration, and all his lackeys, into one grand theme. Not the stated theme of “Forward” but “LIE AND DENY”. I was so enthused when he was elected. I am so disappointed now. So much promise. So many lies to hide the failures. Where is Hillary when we need her?

  3. Clint was the only honest speaker at the convention, showing what the rest of them wouldn’t, that they are crazy and are campaigning against an imaginary Barack Obama that doesn’t exit. Thanks, Clint.

  4. I happened to glance at the TV while Clint was on stage and my wife and I asked the same question: WTF? My personal respect for Eastwood sank by the second. I never cared about his politics before and everything I ever saw about his own public service seemed to be fairly even-handed & reasonable but man, that “performance” was just painful. It’ll go down in convention infamy.

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