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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Clint Eastwood makes the Democrats day at GOP convention, but not Mitt Romney’s -VIDEO

Posted on Friday, August 31, 2012 at 08:05 AM

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Clint Eastwood speaking at the Republican National Convention on Thursday

When the streamers have all been taken down and the party balloons burst, the memory of Irish American Clint Eastwood’s speech will be paramount in most people’s minds after the Republican convention.

Now I know why the parties insist on such tightly scripted remarks from every speaker before they go live on air to millions of Americans.

Clint, alas, looked like a confused old uncle who had wandered into the convention by accident.

Utah senator Orrin Hatch said he thought the teleprompter went on the blink but it looked to me like Clint had no intent to use it anyway.

Pretending to tell the President of the United States to go f*** himself live on air was a new low for American politics no matter who delivered the lines.

It was a sad moment for a great actor and even better director and whoever gave him the green light to speak should be fired.

It was un-American and downright demeaning and showed no respect for the office of the president.

What are we to tell our kids after such an outburst? That we can imply vulgarisms on national television not once but several times because we disagree with a man’s policies?

Read more: Clint Eastwood's empty chair a perfect metaphor for the 2012 GOP

It was beneath the GOP and beneath Eastwood as well, a man with a stellar reputation - and also very sad.
Speaking to an empty chair was bad enough but some of his lines were downright embarrassing such as:

“What do you mean, ‘Shut up?’”

“What do you want me to tell Romney? I can’t tell him to do that to himself. You’re getting as bad as Biden.”

“You thought the war in Afghanistan was OK. I mean, you thought that was something that was worth doing.

"We didn’t check with the Russians to see how they did there for 10 years. But we did it.”

(Er.. George Bush started the war in Afghanistan and the nation was right behind him after 9/11)

Here’s an example of his mental meanderings, to put it nicely:

“I think if you just kind of stepped aside and Mr. Romney can kind of take over. You can still use the plane. Though maybe a smaller one, not that big gas one when you’re going around to colleges and talking about student loans and stuff like that. You’re an ecological man. Why would you want to drive that truck around? OK.”

“I’m not going to shut up. It’s my turn.”

“I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be president anyways… I think it’s maybe time for a businessman. How about that? A stellar businessman.” (Romney is a lawyer also as was Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln)

“OK, you wanna make my day? Alright. I’ll start it. You finish it. Go ahead, make my day.”

I think most Democrats would agree he made theirs.

Here's the clip of Clint Eastwood's speech:

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90 comments

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Oldwildrover | Aug 31, 2012, 11:36 PM EDT

I suggest everyone go see "2016 Obama's America". It will help you decide who to vote for

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Nicopernicus | Aug 31, 2012, 10:50 PM EDT

More Clueless Irish crap written about American politics...Go Figure..in the age of political insanity what a nice fresh breath of brutally honest flare delivered with such ridiculous irony. Thank God for unscripted SOB's showing up to put some regular feel to an otherwise iniquitous affair.

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cillowen | Aug 31, 2012, 09:52 PM EDT

romney and wife laughed their arse off at demented clinty lunatic - what a nice flourish was his slash obama's throat gesture . Media never made anything of it. Those ad monies must be the reason. The system is sicker than I ever imagined. Let go forth and spread the shiite everywhere.

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borefield | Aug 31, 2012, 09:16 PM EDT

Not to worry, the Democrats have a few loose nuts of their own. Biden, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the plouff (not the correct spelling) woman that wants the taxpayer to fund her contraceptives so she can enjoy an active sex life, al Sharpton, Charlie Rangel just to name a few.

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seanomelb | Aug 31, 2012, 07:17 PM EDT

That's the point Briano he was dribbling out of both sides of his mouth at the same time. Poor old Clint has lost it. Two delegates were ejected for throwing peanuts at a black camera woman,typical teabagger racist stuff.

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BrianO | Aug 31, 2012, 06:58 PM EDT

At 82 it was nice to see aman talk, some stuff might have dribbled out but in the end clint was right, This country belongs to its citizens and not to some ruling class of law makers they work for us not the other way around.

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The Commentator | Aug 31, 2012, 06:42 PM EDT

I think the GOP should have had Rush Limbaugh speak as well on behalf of Romney. A repugnant Republican who not only maligned a female university student, but now is insisting Obama is responsible for the weather channel forecasts. Why does anyone listen to this insignificant excuse for a human being? How many outspoken Republican pieces of garbage does it take before the world realizes what a horrible group of people the Republicans are?

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The Commentator | Aug 31, 2012, 06:21 PM EDT

I really like Clint Eastwood and his previous performances. What a sad day for him fumbling and forgetting his lines; mixed up and out of touch with reality. Unfortunately Clint is typical of the Republicans. Confused on the facts and spouting misinformation as gospel. If his mind is really as bad as it appears to be, the NRA should take away his card or he should only be allowed to go hunting with Dick Cheney. Although he may have intended to be humorous, the delivery was poor and the material even worse. I’m sure the real comedians are down on their knees praying for the Republicans to win the election. At least that way, they will have ample material and steady employment for four years. Perhaps Trump, Akin, Ryan and Romney watched Clint and realized how stupid they sound when they spew their garbage. Just saying!!!

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eiriamach | Aug 31, 2012, 05:59 PM EDT

Clint says, "I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be president anyway." I'm inclined to give Hollywood crackpots a pass, unless they decide to run for president. I never thought it was a good idea for Hollywood crackpots to be president, not since Reagan anyway.

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The Commentator | Aug 31, 2012, 05:50 PM EDT

I think the party is over. Clint said it all. He demonstrated the uninformed, misguided, misinformation spewing from the Republicans is laughable and sad at the same time. It's not Clint's fault that he can't keep up with the overnight changes in rhetoric and policy that is being spewed daily. Eastwood, Akin, Trump, Ryan and others just can't stop themselves from making absurd and irresponsible comments. It's time for politicians and supporters to be held accountable for their actions and comments. Jail the liars and hatemongers. The comedians are surely hoping the Republicans win. At least four years of priceless material. Just saying !!!

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EphraimKibbey | Aug 31, 2012, 05:46 PM EDT

Except for a break when my wife called me to dinner with the comment - "Why are you watching that boring political stuff?" - I watched last night from 7PM until 1:30AM on MSNBC. I was VERY impressed with the speakers who explained Romney's religious faith and his good works. I was was puzzled by Newt and Calista's Academy Awards Ceremony technique and thought it detracted from their VERY fact challenged message. I thought that Jeb Bush and Marcio Rubio both delivered great speechs but wondered how many people in the audience, both in Tampa and watching on TV, knew that their methods would deliver the exact opposite of their STATED goals? I think that Romney succeeded in coming off as a real person and added immensly to his depth in the eyes of viewers. With all of that said, we are taking about a ten minute spot that was to have run two minutes according to the RNC program. This little primetime error of judgement by some convention planner threatens to wipe out all the "good" that the rest of the three days did for the GOP. The country is again off the message on which the GOP hoped we would be talking.

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EphraimKibbey | Aug 31, 2012, 05:23 PM EDT

I then wondered if he knew what Romney's latest positions were on the topics of the swipes he was taking at Obama. John McCain said in an interview, after his "5 New Wars" speech, that Romney was on the same page as he was on foreign affairs. Condi Rice seemed to be there too in her speech, and, at the end of Romney's VERY WELL DELIVERED (if somewhat fact challenged) SPEECH, Romney himself seemed to be arguing for more wars. Why then did Clint knock Obama for waiting until 2014 to remove our combat troops from Afganistan saying that a President Romney would remove them TOMORROW MORNING? Does he not know that Romney has joined the NEOCON CHENEY/BUSH HAWKS who argue for an American presence indefinitely or was he intentionally drawing attention to Romney's change in position? Likewise what was his point about flying airforce one and the ecology. Does he believe a President Romney would be more ecologically friendly??? Curiouser and curiouser!

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manhattan | Aug 31, 2012, 05:13 PM EDT

P.S. Clint is not Irish American even so he is the man.

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manhattan | Aug 31, 2012, 05:11 PM EDT

Clint Eastwood for President. This should make the lefty's more angry then they already are.

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ProudCanadian | Aug 31, 2012, 05:07 PM EDT

Just another good ol boy spotting rhetoric and not doing a very good job of it. Only ignoramus's like Murph46 would have understood the stupidity that came out of old Clints mouth. Eastwood is a terrible actor and a worse speaker. Keep this up and old Mitt will be lucky to finish 4th in a two man race.

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