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I just re-watched the speach.
Still don't see it as bumbling at all. Ad libbed, yep - off the cuff; but pretty honest and refreshing (I think he had to catch himself at times from including the previous administration in his jabs). Didn't totally though; took a shot at even going into Afghanistan in the first place.
I guess y'all see what you want to see.
I liked it when he repeated Obama telling him to shut up. I didn't see much after that and I'll bet there were more funny moments.
The inference was a little more graphic than that.
Transcript of Eastwoods speech/dialog with chair:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...d89_story.html
EASTWOOD: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Save a little for Mitt.
(APPLAUSE) I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, what’s a movie tradesman doing out here? You know they are all left wingers out there, left of Lenin. At least that is what people think. That is not really the case. There are a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, Republicans, Democrats, in Hollywood. It is just that the conservative people by the nature of the word itself play closer to the vest. They do not go around hot dogging it.
(APPLAUSE)
So -- but they are there, believe me, they are there. I just think, in fact, some of them around town, I saw Jon Voight, a lot of people around.
(APPLAUSE)
Jon’s here, an academy award winner. A terrific guy. These people are all like-minded, like all of us.
So I -- so I’ve got Mr. Obama sitting here. And he’s -- I was going to ask him a couple of questions. But -- you know about -- I remember three and a half years ago, when Mr. Obama won the election. And though I was not a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they were talking about hope and change and they were talking about, yes we can, and it was dark outdoors, and it was nice, and people were lighting candles.
They were saying, I just thought, this was great. Everybody is trying, Oprah was crying.
(LAUGHTER)
EASTWOOD: I was even crying. And then finally -- and I haven’t cried that hard since I found out that there is 23 million unemployed people in this country.
(APPLAUSE)
Now that is something to cry for because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace, and we haven’t done enough, obviously -- this administration hasn’t done enough to cure that. Whenever interest they have is not strong enough, and I think possibly now it may be time for somebody else to come along and solve the problem.
(APPLAUSE)
So, Mr. President, how do you handle promises that you have made when you were running for election, and how do you handle them?
I mean, what do you say to people? Do you just -- you know -- I know -- people were wondering -- you don’t -- handle that OK. Well, I know even people in your own party were very disappointed when you didn’t close Gitmo. And I thought, well closing Gitmo -- why close that, we spent so much money on it. But, I thought maybe as an excuse -- what do you mean shut up?
(LAUGHTER)
OK, I thought maybe it was just because somebody had the stupid idea of trying terrorists in downtown New York City.
(APPLAUSE)
I’ve got to to hand it to you. I have to give credit where credit is due. You did finally overrule that finally. And that’s -- now we are moving onward. I know you were against the war in Iraq, and that’s okay. But you thought the war in Afghanistan was OK. You know, I mean -- you thought that was something worth doing. We didn’t check with the Russians to see how did it -- they did there for 10 years.
(APPLAUSE)
But we did it, and it is something to be thought about, and I think that, when we get to maybe -- I think you’ve mentioned something about having a target date for bringing everybody home. You gave that target date, and I think Mr. Romney asked the only sensible question, you know, he says, “Why are you giving the date out now? Why don’t you just bring them home tomorrow morning?”
(APPLAUSE)
And I thought -- I thought, yeah -- I am not going to shut up, it is my turn.
(LAUGHTER)
So anyway, we’re going to have -- we’re going to have to have a little chat about that. And then, I just wondered, all these promises -- I wondered about when the -- what do you want me to tell Romney? I can’t tell him to do that. I can’t tell him to do that to himself.
(APPLAUSE)
You’re crazy, you’re absolutely crazy. You’re getting as bad as Biden.
(APPLAUSE)
Of course we all now Biden is the intellect of the Democratic party.
(LAUGHTER)
Kind of a grin with a body behind it.
(LAUGHTER)
But I just think that there is so much to be done, and I think that Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are two guys that can come along. See, I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to the president, anyway.
(APPLAUSE)
I think attorneys are so busy -- you know they’re always taught to argue everything, and always weight everything -- weigh both sides...
MORE
(INSERT ZACH)
*** I think attorneys are so busy -- you know they’re always taught to argue everything, always weigh everything, weigh both sides.
EASTWOOD: They are always devil’s advocating this and bifurcating this and bifurcating that. You know all that stuff. But, I think it is maybe time -- what do you think -- for maybe a businessman. How about that?
(APPLAUSE)
A stellar businessman. Quote, unquote, “a stellar businessman.”
And I think it’s that time. And I think if you just step aside and Mr. Romney can kind of take over. You can maybe still use a plane.
(APPLAUSE)
Though maybe a smaller one. Not that big gas guzzler you are going around to colleges and talking about student loans and stuff like that.
(APPLAUSE)
You are an -- an ecological man. Why would you want to drive that around?
OK, well anyway. All right, I’m sorry. I can’t do that to myself either.
(APPLAUSE)
I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we -- we own this country.
(APPLAUSE)
We -- we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.
(APPLAUSE)
And -- so -- they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize , that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.
(APPLAUSE)
Okay, just remember that. And I’m speaking out for everybody out there. It doesn’t hurt, we don’t have to be
(AUDIENCE MEMBER): (inaudible)
(LAUGHTER)
I do not say that word anymore. Well, maybe one last time.
(LAUGHTER)
We don’t have to be -- what I’m saying, we do not have to be metal (ph) masochists and vote for somebody that we don’t really even want in office just because they seem to be nice guys or maybe not so nice guys, if you look at some of the recent ads going out there, I don’t know.
(APPLAUSE)
But OK. You want to make my day?
(APPLAUSE)
All right. I started, you finish it. Go ahead.
AUDIENCE: Make my day!
EASTWOOD: Thank you. Thank you very much
:lol
a few years ago, a certain eskimo lady called it "the white flag of surrender"......and republicans fell all over themselves cheering.
:lmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by Drachen
Do you agree with Clint that there shouldn't be an orderly evacuation? And I don't see how much "progress" we were making before...Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Cobra
I was amazed people applauded that 101A. Like... uhm people, you realize that Russian jab meant we shouldn't have gotten involved at all, right? :lolQuote:
Originally Posted by 101A
I think my problem with it was he had a bit of a slur and I totally didn't catch that he was supposed to be talking to Obama. during most of his skit I kept thinking "who is this ride person in the crowd who keeps interrupting him and why doesn't Clint ignore him?
Quote:
Originally Posted by scott
:lolQuote:
Originally Posted by scott
I thought it was a bit odd too. More like a stand up routine than a convention speech. But, he did touch on some good themes, if only it hadn't been while portraying the crazy, senile, old uncle. But, oh well, it was what it was.Quote:
Originally Posted by LnGrrrR
Since Obama abandoned any sincere effort to prosecute the war. Now he's just leaving our soldiers there to be shot in the back.Quote:
Originally Posted by LnGrrrR
Ronald Reagan was an actor and Clint Eastwood was a politician (Mayor of Carmel, California).Quote:
Originally Posted by baseline bum
I actually thought it was pretty funny. The media outrage that he had the audacity to poke fun at the President is even funnier.
That's why Eastwood questioned the rationale of giving a timeline -- why not just pull them out tomorrow, if you're going to pull them out.Quote:
Originally Posted by LnGrrrR
And, yes, giving a timeline does cause your enemies to just wait you out. So, if you're not going to fight the war bring our soldiers home.
He definitely was the only one that didn't look like a drone out there...
How 'bout 20 minutes from now.Quote:
Originally Posted by mercos
:lol :lol
After a Gunslinger Cuts Loose, Romney Aides Take Cover
Clint Eastwood's rambling and off-color endorsement of Mitt Romney on Thursday seemed to startle and unsettle even the candidate's own top aides, several of whom made a point of distancing themselves from the decision to put him onstage without a polished script.
"Not me," said an exasperated-looking senior adviser, when asked who was responsible for Mr. Eastwood's speech. In late-night interviews, aides variously called the speech "strange" and "weird." One described it as "theater of the absurd."
Finger-pointing quickly ensued, suggesting real displeasure and even confusion over the handling of Mr. Eastwood's performance, which was kept secret until the last minute.
A senior Republican involved in convention planning said that Mr. Eastwood's appearance was cleared by at least two of Mr. Romney's top advisers, Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens. This person said that there had been no rehearsal, to the surprise of the rest of the campaign team.
But another adviser said that several top aides had reviewed talking points given to Mr. Eastwood, which the campaign had discussed with the actor as recently as a few hours before his appearance. Mr. Eastwood, however, delivered those points in a theatrical, and at times crass, way that caught Romney aides off guard, this person said.
Mr. Stevens, in an interview, said he would not discuss internal decision making but described Mr. Eastwood's remarks as improvised.
"He spoke from the heart with a classic improv sketch which everyone at the convention loved," Mr. Stevens said.
He called it "an honor that a great American icon would come and talk about the failure of the current president and the promise of the future one." :lol
Mr. Eastwood delivered one of the more unusual moments in Republican convention history - a speech in which he pretended to have a sarcasm-filled conversation with President Obama sitting by his side in an empty chair.
"Mr. President, how do you handle promises that you made when you were running for election?" the onetime Dirty Harry said, mumbling to a befuddled crowd of thousands in the convention hall and millions of television viewers.
As thousands of "OMG!" tweets started flying, Mr. Eastwood, 82, asked the invisible Mr. Obama why he had not closed the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
"What do you mean, shut up?" he said, continuing to talk to his imaginary companion. A moment later, he stopped again, saying, "What do you want me to tell Mr. Romney?"
"I can't tell him that. He can't do that to himself," Mr. Eastwood said. "You're getting as bad as Biden."
Mr. Eastwood was scheduled to speak for about five minutes but stayed onstage much longer, throwing off the schedule for Mr. Romney, a stickler against tardiness.
Aides said Mr. Eastwood does not like teleprompters and was trusted to deliver an on-message endorsement.
"He made a last-minute decision to ad-lib, and I don't think people knew," said Ari Fleischer, a former adviser to George W. Bush, who said he had spoken with people involved in planning the convention.
Two aides said that Mr. Eastwood had been booked weeks ago and that the expectation was that he would deliver a more standard endorsement, as he did earlier this year in Sun Valley, Idaho.
After that endorsement, Mr. Romney himself asked Mr. Eastwood to come to the convention, one of these people said.
As they hopped from party to party late Thursday and early Friday, celebrating the end of the Republican convention, Romney advisers tried gamely to find an upside. Several said that the Eastwood appearance offered a moment of improvisation in a convention that was otherwise surprise-free.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/09/01...peech.xml?f=19
Agreed. Although, Rubio writes his own stuff and only used the teleprompter because he didn't want to screw up. Usually, his speeches are extemporaneous. I enjoyed his and Bush's speech. I think Romney gave the speech he needed to give for independents and fence-sitters. Republicans are already voting for him. We'll see if he gets a bounce from it.Quote:
Originally Posted by elbamba
The GOP bench is deep and diverse going into the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by elbamba
I'm kind of looking forward to it myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by elbamba
Yeah the crazy liberal reaction to it has made me change my mind from thinking it was just entertaining to thinking it was brilliant. Chris Mathews is claiming it was racist, Obama himself responded to a comedy routine, the MSM is "fact checking" it...freaking hilarious. Best of all the crazed obamabots are going all out attacking an american icon.Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicCowboy
:rollinQuote:
Originally Posted by Drachen
Works for the libs too... another distraction and they get to talk about a guy that's not even running...Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBoy
Clint isn't a icon for his Repug convention speechmaking. :lolQuote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBoy
Nobody forced him up there, into a political trashing session, so, if he's a Real Man (and not just ACTING like one), then he should be able to take the pushback.