Political conventions occasionally produce memorable moments that endure. The Chicago riots in 1968, Cuomo's "Tale of Two Cities" speech in 1984, Al kissing Tipper in 2000, Obama's "audacity of hope" in 2004 -- these are memories that quickly entered the political history books, reminding us why conventions still matter.
Last night, we saw another such moment, when Clint Eastwood decided to argue with an empty chair.
Chances are you've at least heard about Eastwood's "speech," but for those who missed it, trust me when I tell you it's worth your time. As Rachel explained on the air once it was over, "That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen at a political convention in my entire life, and it will be the weirdest thing I've ever seen if I live to be 100."
Apparently, the Romney campaign thought it would be a good idea to send an 82-year-old man onto the stage without prepared remarks. Eastwood was an odd choice anyway -- he's pro-choice and supports gay rights -- but I can appreciate the fact that the man enjoys an iconic status. He was the "surprise" guest, and convention organizers scrapped a compelling Romney bio film, just so Americans could see the Hollywood star's remarks.
Oops.
Jamelle Bouie, in arguably my favorite line of the convention, said, "This is a perfect representation of the campaign: an old white man arguing with an imaginary Barack Obama."
And even if we look past the bizarre chair shtick and the rambling remarks, the points Eastwood tried to make were a mess. The actor wants to withdraw quickly from Afghanistan, which is the opposite of Romney's position. Eastwood thinks it's a bad idea "for attorneys to be president," overlooking the fact that Romney has a law degree. He even felt comfortable mocking Joe Biden's speeches, even while delivering a meandering, cringe-inducing speech of his own.
But what helped make this a truly epic convention moment was the realization among Republicans that they'd made a horrible mistake. Paul Ryan was shown on camera looking deeply uncomfortable; Romney aides were overcome with a sense of dread; and it only took a few minutes for the campaign to start telling reporters that they weren't responsible for this train wreck.
A month from now, no one will remember a word from Romney's speech, but a decade from now, we'll still be talking about the time a confused Clint Eastwood had a debate with an empty chair, and lost.
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On Maddow commenting on Eastwood's comments at the Republican convention-unfortunately Rachel you should get out more. Not one person I talked with today felt that the Eastwood speech was anything but charming and relatively true. The difference between you and me is that I am an average American citizen and you are a media hack. It is obvious from your comments that you do not understand us nor will you ever.
"Charming and relatively true"?!?!? Bwahahahahahahaha!
I respect and admire Clint Eastwood, and his body of work continues to speak for itself, and for him. I blame the Romney campaign for putting him in the position of speaking while totally unprepared to do so. Clint is entitled to his vote and his opinion.
Clint could have said no. I think he wanted to support Mitt and I loved it. So what that it was rough in spots. Who said everything has to be perfect.
The "empty chair" said it all, didn't it?
romney/ryan
NerdBrick. I am the mom of a soldier, and I also want Afghanistan ended... today.....
Obama had a chance to do it, and didn't. Same as with Gitmo.... Obama is a total failure.
Like Clint said, we have to let him go.. :)
"Why didn't you bring the troops home from Afghanistan?"... Who was it who put them there? Who has kicked and screamed like a little bunch of girls when you tried to draw down troops? The republicans. "We broke it, and we have to fix it" someone once said.
I want all the troops home now too. We just have to beg with the republicans to make it happen now. And when they call POTUS weak on defense, we need to remind them they can't have it both ways.
once again, someone imagining what was not said so to make believe a point.
Clint's comment was about the timeline. The point is simple, as President, if you want them home then give the order and DO it. Candidate Obama said a lot of things that have yet to happen. THAT is the point, the only point, that was it, stop there.
Obama's party had both houses of Congress and the WH for two years, and two of those three power centers after that. If he wanted them home, they'd be home. Imagining blame on the GOP for that is really strange.
Eastwood would never treated Obama like that if Obama was white. Implying that Obama told Romney to go f-himself? There is no excuse for treating our President that way. Eastwood went beyond an old man making a fool of himself. He should be ashamed of himself and apologize for his disgraceful behavior. I believe it was racist; he would never, ever have said that to a white man.
Racist or not, it was extremely disrespectful, 'nuf said.
you can't be serious. Sadly, maybe you are.
Wow, you are implying that using the F word proves blackness. Your accusation is the racist comment.
When I hear crude language it is just that, crude language. that is it. The F word is not owned by one race or another. Also, as a Republican, the decades of name calling from the left makes your plea for respect sound insanely naive.
When all else fails -- scream racist! That is the liberal answer to everything.
Your messiah got a lot of white votes to get into office promising he would change things. Yes he changed things, but unfortunately it was not what he promised. They must be racist if they want to fire him. He is not and has never been what he promoted himself to be.
You can fool me once but a second time I will not be the fool.
heather said, "Eastwood would never treated Obama like that if Obama was white." Obama is as much white as he is black. It is Obama and the left who act as if he isn't white.
Beyond that, I'm old enough to remember how the left treats those presidents they hate, beginning with LBJ. So spare me the sanctimonious self-righteousness. It's total BS.
I've finally seen an awkward political moment to rival Admiral Stockdale emerging onto stage and asking (rhetorically?) "Who am I? Why am I here?" This may only be topped if the DNC convention decides to scrap a video of Obama's accomplishments as President to have Joe Biden come out onto stage and juggle for 12 minutes.
Still, you got to admit, That this was the best thing about the RNC, William Munny's preformance. Now, Clint is really is the "Unforgiven."
I sat today on my patio "Eastwooding" w/ Clint, "Dirty Harry" himself, my Undone Movie Hero. He joins the list of Undone Heroes who, for one reason or another, tarnished their image with fans. People like Mark McGuire, Pete Rose, O.J. Simpson, Jose Canseco, and Lance Armstrong. We were discussing possible titles for his next film...we narrowed it down to our top 5 possible titles, but would like your vote to help decide which one to go with...
1. "The Senile, The Bad, and The Ugly"
2. "A Fistful of Aricept"
3. "Magnum Farce"
4. "In The Line Of Ire"
5. "Any Gig For A Few Dollars More"
They all have their good points, but I vote for #3.
JenRed and Entropy (aka "Takers") - think for yourselves. The Republicans in Congress who have any courage and intellectual integrity will block anything they can that is introduced by Mr. Obama (except a budget which he has not introduced). There is a good reason for it. His world view is contrary to the principles that founded our country. What is wrong with working hard and being successful? Why are people who work hard and take care of their families villified by this President? He is acting like a third-world dictator. Soft dictatorship -- taking away our freedoms because government knows better than we do. Encouraging people to despise their neighbors who have worked hard and become successful by claiming that their success came at the expense of these poor people. It helps them to rationalize the theft they commit through the government every day. My hope is that some day you will grow up and realize that our Constitution was designed to protect us against an overreaching regime like Obama's. I'm looking forward to getting him out of the White House. Maybe he can scoot over to the UN and use his community agitator skills to fleece other countries for a change.
I have no idea what I posted that could possibly lead you, or anyone else to believe that I am a "Taker".
You have demonstrated in your little rant here, exactly what I was talking about. Name calling and belittling people that may or may not share your views.
I just read Entrophy's comments...LOL He was mocking me as well, so you really have it bass-akwards.
Philthyham -
Where do you get this stuff? Aside from the fact that the Constitution you claim to honor specifies that budgets originate in the House—you know, where they've voted on 30+ bills restricting abortion but not one "Jobs" bill—go here.
Anyone who refuses to understand that the American right is openly and aggressively malevolent is part of the problem. (not directed at George Martin)
E.R. - If what you say wasn't obvious before, Robert Draper's book "Do Not Ask What Good We Do:Inside the U.S. House of Representatives," now featured on Huffington Post, about the Inauguration Day dinner including Ryan, Cantor and co-conspirators vowing to block Obama and, famously, (McConnell, but absent) "make him a one-term President," should make it very clear.
BTW, I saw quite some time ago a spray-painted graffito, "Entropy Cares." It took me years to figure out the fact that we're here at all proves that.
So the Repub leadership of the house meets on Inauguration Day and plans. Need I remind you that on Inauguration Day, the Repubs were about 30 seats down. I could meet and plan the weather to the same effect.
Every party plans to block the initiatives of the other party with which they disagree. If Obama had put forth a free market plan for health care, he might have gotten some support. (Remember he put forth no plan; just turned it over to Pelosi & Reed). But his response was, "We won, you lost, that's what elections are for". If he had embraced Simpson-Bowles, there might have been some negotiating. But he just ignored Simpson-Bowles. This repeat of a mind-numbed talking point is juvenile. It reflects the liberal worldview that can't imagine anyone different than themselves and therefore relegates dissent from their own orthodoxy as non-legitimate. (Remember when dissent was the highest form of patriotism?)
And need I remind you, that the Dem attempt to make Bush II a one term president was work for American defeat in war.
Philthyham - What are you smoking???? I have no idea how or where you can possibly get to your line of thinking from our current President. Grow up and learn to read and put on your listening ears!!! Because you are certainly missing a lot, if you believe what you stated ... you have a real disconnect.
P.S. If Clint Eastwood did this about Romney at the DNC.... can you imagine the uproar.
Jasmine Mayo I bet I was the only chick on Twitter, listening to the TV, and did not see the chair until the next day. Clint Eastwood was a HOT-MESS!
12 minutes ago · Like
Why hasn't there been more media and comment attention given to the unspoken offensive comment that Eastwood attributed to Obama in this messy failed improv?
Wow, how "clever" of Eastwood to put crude words in Obama's mouth, without actually saying them; that provides the ultimate deniability for him and the Romney campaign as well. Wow. What a great way to show respect for the office of President of the United States! This should be shown in the schools, don't you think? Then we could teach our children how to blamelessly tear down people they don't like, and we can all have a good laugh.
This was a shameful performance.
Those on the right love being shameful.
After a generation of the left saying that Republicans hate this, hate that, want pollution, hate women, blah blah...... so what.
If the Left wants more respect, well, when did that start?
It was sooo uncomfortable watching Eastwood stammer, free associate, and deliver points that were, to say the least, ambiguous. Even the delegates would laugh nervously in parts. The most bizarre parts were when he attributed rude responses to Obama. If anyone has listened to Obama over time, one of the outstanding things about him is that his responses are measured and respectful. If anyone was saying, "Shut up" to Eastwood, it was the little, imaginary Eastwood sitting on his shoulder telling him that his performance was excrement.
so when Obama uses pretty words to say his lies that the Republicans are anti jobs, anti-women, anti-earth, whatever.... those are ok?
Obama's caracatures of Republicans are not respectful in the slightest way.
Oh, yes, the messiah is just so respectful. Like when he criticizes someone who is in his audience but who has no chance to respond. That's so respectful. Like when he flips the bird during a debate. Like when he releases photos of himself with his feet on his desk while talking to a foreign leader, that's so respectful. Like when he terms those not like himself as bitter clingers. Obama is a thin-skinned, arrogant, mean, bullying little twerp.
Found out who was REALLY in the chair today....
http://qkme.me/3qqcu2
Eastwood was great! For an 82-year old guy improvising that entire bit, is pretty amazing. It was funny. It was snarky in all the right places. And his comedic timing is something Obama wished he had.
You know Clint succeeded beyond all expectations because the Democrats have spent days trying to tell us all how bad he was. If he was really that bad, he would have been of no consequence and ignored. But anyone who watches Eastwood and the empty chair, if they were really honest with themselves would have to say he was better than at least 50% of every SNL skit nowadays, and while it wasn't the funniest or best speech ever made, it certainly doesn't rise to the level of destroying the entire RNC, and setting some grand meme about the GOP as dottering fools. The pathetic dems are just grabbing at anything.
Obama has been an empty suit from day one, and now he's an empty chair too. The symbolism is spot on. The Democrats who voted for that idiot were drinking the Kool-Aid from day one, and now they are in the position of continuously defending the indefensible record of Obama. Face it, he's a failure.
Eastwood's schtick was funny and a great success. You can tell be how it has whipped the left up into such a tizzy. Hehehehehehehehehe.
5 trillion in new debt in the last 4 years and you people will continue to support the spender in chief. PS. Take a quick look at the Muslim Brotherhoods actions in Egypt, looks like the Arab spring is a tornado sucking up freedoms and oppressing Christians. And one last thing, why has Obama spent millions to keep his personal records private? I realize none of this matters to those who live in the echo chamber.
-and Steve knows losers, can spot a loser at a mile away, he sees one every time he looks in the mirror. Hell, he works at MSNBC, Loser Central.
The best part is that millions will watch the video, and maybe think a moment about the 23 million unemployed being a disgrace. Remember--Eastwood is an ACTOR. I think it was brilliant that 1) it got alot of people to watch, 2) going viral even more people will watch (outside the context of the RNC), 3) it's just "wierd" enough to draw attention, but sincere enough to make several good points, the main one being it's time to let someone else take charge. Don't analyze it to death, it's simple marketing.
Leading from behind = empty chair
Clint said it best: Obama is an empty chair and Biden is the intellectual leader of the democrat party. I laughed so hard at its truth I started to cry, like Oprah, then stopped and realized 23 million Americans are unemployed and started to cry again.
It doesn’t matter if you are Republican, democrat or Libertarian. In America when politicians who work for us don’t do the job, we’ve got to let 'em go. Obama has failed, time to let him go.
Well, actually not all of his acting career was very good. Where he served as his own director, there was nobody to tell him when something was just being done the wrong way. Like in Gran Torino, where Clint as the main character uses graphic words constantly to depict the character casting aspersions on the Hmong. Had he been directed by someone, he would've toned it down, some, and would have had some more subtle manifestations of racism. It was just too unrealistic to be depicted using direct aspersions directly to people. In real life, people who do that directly do not live very long. However, going ahead without a director, Clint had to depict himself "doing racism" in the most direct manner possible - impossible in real life, without getting some direct retaliation. Thus, it was not that surprising that he might be a loose cannon as a speaker.
In the 1770's "redcoats" = >:(
In the 1950's "red commies" = >:(
today "red states" = :(
is it no surprise that warning labels and hazard markers are also red?
Perhaps we should take note on our political path forward, that stop signs too, are red.
It was awesome and it was freaking hilarious!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
trasnslation of MSNBC's attitude about Clint, and Republicans too:
"We have a stereotype view of what Republicans are, should be, and will always be. Anything different is to be attacked. Our political bigotry must prevail. The fact that Clint has some views that are different from Romney must be reported as hypocrisy and laughed at. The fact that some leading Republicans appeared visibly uncomfortable must not be viewed as a triumph of free speech but as something we can attack. And we earnestly believe that Obama has the power to change the geology of the Earth and any disagreement there is heresy to be hated."
Yes, I am very confident in calling it political bigotry. The refusal to see individuals, just stereotypes, and infer qualities from that basis.
LOL! Clint Eastwood was wonderful. And you can tell how effective by the frenzy and hysteria coming from Obama and his minions, especially Obama's reelection network NBC/MSNBC. The folks at MSNBC are nearly demented in their comments, and I hope the elderly are noting the ugly age related attack coming from Obama and his minions. These folks won't hesitate a second refusing to spend healthcare dollars for the eldery so they can fund Obamacare. My favorite line from the convention came from Clint Eastwood. Its simple and yet needs to be memorized by every American as they go to the polls in November: “When someone doesn’t do the job you gotta let them go”!!!!