__
Well, it’s certainly going to be talked about, probably more than the sorry dishonest boilerplate Romney dribbled out afterwards. As you can see from the still, Mr. Eastwood looked every one of his 82 hard-lived years, and he sounded even worse. If you squirmed at the scenes in Bowling for Columbine where Michael Moore confronted a visibly addled Kirk Douglas Charlton Heston, don’t even try to watch this speech.
The audience — and what a well-fed, sweat-glazed, self-satisfied herd of extremely white people the cameras caught for us — ate up the whole “doddering Alzheimers victim talks to an empty chair (and hears it talking back to him)” like it was dessert night at the Applebee’s salad bar. They laughed at the idea of Oprah crying. They laughed, and applauded, at the mention of 23 million unemployed Americans. They wet themselves laughing at the idea of “Joe Biden, you know, he’s the real intellect of the Democrat party”, and how President Obama could still redeem himself by humbly turning the Oval Office over to a “real businessman” right now, and that ‘businessman’ would even permit him to “keep riding around in the plane, talking to college kids… not the big plane, a’course… “
The big standing-ovation line of the evening was “We OWN this country”, and it was clear that “we” extended no farther than the people sitting in that arena and their families, fellow party members, and handlers. This was a public spectacle harkening back to those glorious days when the Emperor Nero could win the crowd’s heart by matching dwarves against cripples in the gladitorial arena as a special treat.
Just Some Fuckhead
Five wives takes a lot out of a man.
NancyDarling
Anne, I think Eastwood is 82 and it was an addled Charlton Heston in Columbine.
Hunter Gathers
It was Charlton Heston, not Kirk Douglas, btw.
It was also the strangest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. And I’ve eaten my fair share of LSD.
Chris
Joining the fray – Charlton Heston, not Kirk Douglas! None of these other clowns can hold a candle to Kirk Douglas!
BGinCHI
Make my day, punk.
Wait, what day is it?
Studly Pantload, the emotionally unavailable unicorn
Our resident fact checkers are correct.
“probably more than the sorry dishonest boilerplate Romney dribbled out afterwards.”
This gived me a happy.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@NancyDarling: Correct on both counts.
Anne Laurie
@NancyDarling: Thanks, fixed.
danah gaz (fka gaz)
Upon reflection, I did find this a little sad.
I mean, the guy is like 88 or 89 or something.
This is likely one of the last things he’ll do publicly, and one of the things he’ll be remembered for.
I kinda feel bad for him. A little, at least.
MoeLarryAndJesus
Halfway through his “speech,” Eastwood Mitt in his pants.
jl
All I care about now is that I saw some pics of pet #Eastwooding, and they are hilarious. Some one on twitter said there was already a blog devoted to it.
If that is not a joke and the blog exists, I want that link.
jwb
And now invisible Obama is everywhere on Twitter. He created a fucking legend.
Southern Beale
Just saw this TV spot for Eastwood’s new movie. He kicks a table, acts crotchety and cranky. I’m starting to think this whole thing was a marketing ploy.
Hal
Watched the end of MSNBC coverage tonight and caught part of the Clint Eastwood speech along with Rachel Maddow’s reaction. Which of course leads to one very important questions…
What the fuck happened to Al Sharpton!? He looks like a sucker. Giant bobble head attached to Karen Carpenter’s body. Of course this important discussion will be drowned out by Clint Eastwood’s chair talk. I haven’t seen such finesse with an empty chair since Paula Abdul’s Cold Hearted Snake video. Here’s hoping his Neurologist has an appointment first thing Monday morning.
Southern Beale
@jl:
Is there a Tumblr yet?
BGinCHI
Romney reminds me of the Fred MacMurray of My Three Sons. As a candidate.
For the real Fred MacMurray see Double Indemnity or The Apartment.
NancyDarling
Pointing out that the crowd is extremely white is not the same as accusing them of being racist. You can draw your own conclusions. My conclusion is the Repub demographic is soon going to be their undoing. They know it, but they keep doubling down.
RaflW
I officially do not give one shit that Clint Eastwood at some point said he’s OK with gay people.
He’s lost it. Gone.
Buh-by.
Southern Beale
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha …..
Southern Beale
@Hal:
I’ve noticed he looks like he’s lost a lot of weight and I wondered if he’d been ill.
amk
AL, did ya kick the troll out?
SatanicPanic
I can’t watch this. I prefer to remember Clint as the guy in Fistful of Dollars. Or even the guy in Gran Torino. This is just sad.
? Martin
@Southern Beale: No, he just lost a lot of weight. Went vegetarian. Good on him – that’s a big life change.
PeakVT
Edit: the troll-be-gone worked while I was typing.
jl
What Reince Priebus considers out of bounds bizarre behavior by Chris Matthews.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/priebus-chris-matthews-was-bizarre-hysterical-during-heated
Not a big Chris Matthews fan, but sometimes he does get sick of the BS and just calls people out, which is good.
What I think is interesting is Priebus’ BS weak unconvincing reply. Followed by whining, ’cause ol’ Reince couldn’t handle it.
Just Some Fuckhead
@danah gaz (fka gaz): I like it when these fools reveal who they really are. Remember how Eastwood bragged that celebrity conservatives like him like to play it “close to the vest”?
Now we know the reason.
Southern Beale
@SatanicPanic:
In all fairness, the guy in Gran Torino would have shown up at the RNC and yelled at an empty chair.
The prophet Nostradumbass
So, using the clown’s name sends your comment into the crapper? Uh, okay.
Trentrunner
What’s being overlooked in all the senility humor is that Eastwood’s bit included the (invisible) President telling Mitt/Clint to go fuck themselves.
Yup.
Yutsano
@Southern Beale: That is sheer win. Although I bet Willard fails the ones who booked him upwards.
(Watches for moderation. And FYWP.)
Southern Beale
@? Martin:
Oh really? Vegetarian? Well I’m glad he’s not ill. The weight loss has been dramatic.
GregB
Clint looks like he should have addressed the stool in his pants.
What a sad and pathetic performance.
Who knew we’d witness a real life Sunset Boulevard moment and that it would be man playing the part of Nora Desmond.
Ira-NY
If you can’t run the nomination night at your own convention competently, how can you run a country?
This is how Obama should use this Eastwood debacle. Stay away from Eastwood, but attack the incompetentcy of putting him on the stage.
? Martin
Love this president. How many previous presidents would have responded in that way?
the Conster
We’re in the wingularity event horizon. Shit’s fucked up and bullshit. So many huge fucking problems to deal with – food policy, resource scarcity, health care, climate change, peak oil, ocean degradation and everyone has to talk about Clint Eastwood’s FAIL because it’s just that weird. Holy shit, I don’t think I can take much more of this.
Violet
@Southern Beale: Yeah, I was almost waiting for him to mention his movie.
I think suggesting he has early Alzheimers is making an excuse for Clint. There’s no other reason to suspect that and he could have been promoing his movie, or he might just be an entitled jerk who refused to write or practice a speech. Wouldn’t be the only white guy who thought he was special there at the RNC.
amk
@the Conster: And the entire credit for all of it, including the clint fuck up, goes to the rethugs. So take heart.
Eric k
You fixed it but that was a really unfortunate typo.
Besides being a much better actor than Charlton Heston Kirk Douglas was also a big time liberal activist,
Joshua Norton
Eastwood/Chair 2012
Kane
Classic. The incoherent ramblings and disconnect were a brilliant example of art imitating the republican party.
Mandalay
I think Chris Rock has the best twitter so far:
Joshua Norton
Watching a cranky old dude yelling at an empty chair is the perfect metaphor for the republican party.
SatanicPanic
@Southern Beale: In the end that man died a hero. In spite of this I still respect Clint and I hope he doesn’t have to go out in a hail of bullets to redeem himself.
Soonergrunt
Too early in your excellent thread for a new one, so I’ll just comment here:
I don’t know whether to laugh to to cry.
That’s right. America cares more about a redneck toddler and her family of gap-toothed, slack-jawed yokels on one channel, than all the coverage of the RNC combined.
That’s what the water cooler discussion will be tomorrow. Not Clint Eastwood’s …whateverthefuckthatwas, but Honey Boo Boo.
the Conster
@amk:
I know. They need to be crushed at the ballot box and the earth salted where each one of them ever stood so we can do something! Instead they’re trying to re-litigate the progress we’ve made in the last 700 years. There’s no time!
lamh35
Ann, DougJ or JC or any other FP
You’ve got to post the tweet by the Obama campaign with the pic attached
“This sit already taken”
The picture is classic!
ETA: or what @? Martin said.
I do love this campaign staf
Ash Can
@Southern Beale:
@Trentrunner:
OK, now you guys have me wondering.
Violet
@Trentrunner: Al Sharpton didn’t overlook that and neither did the rest of the MSNBC panel. They all said the President didn’t talk like that and they thought it was out of bounds for Clint Eastwood to suggest he did in his “comedy” bit.
feebog
Heard a little of Eastwood’s speech on the radio and it sounded completey disjointed and rambling. I have always been a big Clint Eastwood fan, but this was like the Hindenberg.
SatanicPanic
@? Martin: Obama is so badass that part of the right’s problem is that they can’t accept how badass he is.
Yutsano
@Soonergrunt: Kan I haz meteor naow? Our civilisation is finished.
Chris
@Eric k:
Spartacus beats the shit out of The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur combined, also too.
Ash Can
@? Martin: Not only that, but you just know that tweet is going to send the entire “uppity ni-CLANG” crowd into a frenzy of mouth-foaming and pants-peeing. Like I said in the last thread, badass president iz badass.
jl
Not twitter savvy enough to copy the right link, but TPM political editor tweeted the Eastwood had a scripted speech, but threw it out before he went on.
Jeebus, maybe Romney Inc. did piss him off before the speech.
Should have wheeled Trump out and had him do a short diatribe and yell “Barry, you’re FIRED!”
Would have been a big hit at the convention, and take less then five, easy.
What were they thinking?
amk
@Soonergrunt: clint is going to be pissed off. Again.
MikeBoyScout
BREAKING – Special guest to speak Thursday night at Republican convention!
Update – – Thursday night guest to exhibit “special” problem some seniors have with dementia and chairs.
Southern Beale
@Soonergrunt:
That’s not true. Americans CAN walk and chew gum at the same time. I’m watching Project Runway right now but that doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention to politics.
Jeezus. Sometimes I’m glad people are watching Honey Boo Boo just to turn off all of the RNC crap.
This is why I listen to smooth jazz on the radio most of the time. I can’t stand politics 24-7. It’s fucking toxic.
Anya
Joe Klein, via Sully:
Still complaining about big crowds. I swear, sometimes I feel the pundit and the republicans forget that this is not 2008.
Rafer Janders
Someone like George W. Bush or Dick Cheney, say? That turned out so well last time, after all.
GregB
Bonus Quote of the Day
“The demographics race we’re losing badly. We’re not generating enough angry white guys(who yell at chairs) to stay in business for the long term.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by the Washington Post, on the Republican party’s challenge.
There, fixed it.
Violet
@Soonergrunt: No, Clint Eastwood is a very well known actor and director. His epic meltdown on a large, public stage will be water cooler talk tomorrow, for sure. Some people may talk about Honey Boo Boo, but EVERYONE will know about Eastwood. Even people who didn’t watch the RNC on TV will have seen it trend on Twitter and will have looked at clips. It’s everywhere.
The Dangerman
@Ash Can:
Yup; my jaw hit the floor.
gwangung
@Anya: Really? Really? Can’t they find something more rational to make a critique on? Particularly after this train wreck of a convention?
Some folks should pull their head out of the nether regions and get a better sense of the rest of America.
El Cid
He was supposed to be comedy relief. Unfortunately for the RNC, he was.
Rafer Janders
@Anya:
I am really trying and failing to see the mental connection Klein’s making between “these difficult times” and a football field filled with 74,000 people. Would 47,000 be OK? How about 7,000? Would 74 people total, including stage techs and Secret Service, be more appropriate to these difficult time? Will adding or subtracting more or less people to the crowd make the times more or less difficult? Or is it the football field itself that’s the problem? What if it was a soccer pitch? An indoor hockey arena? The beach vollebyall court at Horse Guards Parade at the London Olympics?
Help me out here, people.
? Martin
@Anya:
Yes, why do you insist on including all of those common people? Aren’t us very special people special enough for you?
Spiffy
@gwangung:
We’re talking Joe Klein here. Once in a blue moon he has a sane thought, but raging douchebag is his M.O.
He and Chuck Todd should both go take a long vacation.
El Cid
@Rafer Janders: 5 people, among whom Klein was the most honored invitee, would be much more dignified and appropriate in these troubled times.
MikeJ
@Southern Beale: The joke displays a poor understanding on Venn diagrams.
amk
@? Martin: Nice.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Spiffy:
with Luke Russert in the trunk.
ETA: Why’d you edit that?
Ash Can
@jl:
Also very interesting. It makes me wonder if the thrown-out speech had actually been vetted, and Eastwood really did punk these putzes.
Spiffy
@The prophet Nostradumbass:
Yikes, I think I meant to add it and ended up deleting part of it.
Ex: Take a long vacation and drive off the cliff together
Damn commenting system lol
patrick II
If you add that to other, earlier convention speeches asserting they wanted to “take our country back” it makes it very clear what they think of the rest of us — we are the help.
Ash Can
@MikeJ:
I may be falling asleep and missing your (well placed) snark, but I’m sure that display was intentional, since it’s meant to mimic a Venn diagram on the Romney campaign site that was indeed fucked up.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@jl: I’m sure you’re absolutely crushed that guy blocked you on Twitter.
Jewish Steel
@? Martin: That is awesome.
But in the cruelty category, nobody beats TBogg:
Suffern Ace
@Rafer Janders: The president shouldn’t be spending money on his reelection period. Only people on the cracker bay should spend money. He should also talk like a daffy duck and tie his arm behind his back before hitting back.
Joseph Nobles
Bob Newhart tweeted that his lawyers were looking into Clint Eastwood stealing his act. I’m sure Newhart was joking, but that’s exactly what he was going after in his little skit.
Anya
@Ash Can:
By turning himself t into an object of pity & ridicule?
g
Christ, this was the saddest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Fucking Clint. What a sad end.
Bubblegum Tate
I don’t know what y’all are seeing, but the wingnuts I know aren’t talking about Clint’s…whatever the hell that was…at all. They are, however, beating off like crazy over Mitt’s speech, but definitely in that overcompensating way like they’re trying to convince themselves that this is how they really feel.
Anya
@ gwangung @Rafer Janders: For some weird reason some pundits are highly uncomfortable with large crowds around the president. Maybe it interferes with their lack of enthusiasm narrative or something, but they really annoy me.
@? Martin: All 74,000 are un-American.
jl
@Anya:
Clint’s rep won’t hang on this speech and if he has a good movie or two left in him, neither will his career.
But it’s a little different for Mitt.
So, I will watch for gossip and maybe even some real reporting on this. If a pissed off Eastwood ratfucked them, why? Did they eff around with his speech? Want some stuff in there he did not like? Generally diss him?
Interesting, if true.
TS
@Jewish Steel:
You say cruel, I say truth
YellowJournalism
@TS: Sarah Palin would insinuate that the chair came from Ikea and demand to see its birth certificate.
Death Panel Truck
@jl:
Reince and repeat.
Waynski
@Hunter Gathers: This. I’m late to the thread, but it completely, metaphorically encompasses the entire Romney campaign and the party… it’s not even that they’re setting up a straw man… they’re arguing against an illusion.
Death Panel Truck
@? Martin: Truman might have, if he’d had the technology. He didn’t suffer fools.
BarbCat
@Anya: The GOP plan for seniors of the future is that.
Anonymous
@Jewish Steel:
The chair has the winning strategy. Just keep letting her talk and it’s a clean sweep for the chair.
Another Halocene Human
@feebog: Not THE Hindenberg, but Hindenberg himself, who was going senile by the time the Nazis blackmailed him into making failed presidential candidate Hitler chancellor (Reichskanzler) from which office he would execute a coup and take supreme power in Germany.
I’m told when the Nazis put on a parade celebrating their coming to power that von Hindenberg still had enough of his wits about him to glare at the upstart Hitler.
Another Halocene Human
@Anonymous: There was a period in the very early 2000s when restless crowds at media (well, anime, but I heard it had started at another con) conventions would start yelling “Chair! Chair! Chair!” as if the chair would provide the entertainment.
The tech guys would obligingly bring out the chair and put it on stage while the angry crowd got their maenad on.
CaliCat
“the sorry dishonest boilerplate Romney dribbled out afterwards”
Finally, an accurate description of the speech. It was nothing more than a huge offensive pander/SHAKE THE ETCH-A-SKETCH again. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an absolute fool.
AnonPhenom
…and that, as George Carlin pointed out, IS THE FUCKIN’ PROBLEM!
Lost in America
From Zwoof on Kos:
Everyone will be talking about it tomorrow, and that is exactly what they want.
Everyone will have forgotten the lineup of job creators that built something on their own when in reality most had government help. See, you already forgot that didn’t you.
Everyone will be talking about ‘the chair’ and not the bullshit from Lyin’ Ryan.
And then everyone will be talking about how mean the left is for piling on an old man.
Forget Clint, stay on message.
Bobby Thomson
@Rafer Janders: You’re overthinking it. Joke Line is just an idiot.
Spending money locally on anything, and especially something that puts that many butts in the seats, is exactly what the economy needs right now and not contractionary “belt tightening.” Keynes wept.
kellbell
@Hunter Gathers: hahahaha :)
xian
@El Cid: or some quiet rooms
NCSteve
Single greatest Cole post ever! Okay, at least since that “tire rims and anthrax” thing.
LAC
Any asshats from yesterday getting all snarky about Eastwood want to comment on that demented display? No?
I bet Romney wished that some Oscar “get off the stage” music played during that hot mess.
Harry
Enjoyed Eastwood movies too, but most all of them are revenge pornography, better done then Bronson flicks, but formulaic and easy.
I’ve always thought Clint Eastwood is highly overrated as an artist. Not hard to act a hard ass, and not hard to write a hard ass movie.
enlightened liberal
This guy referred to “Mr. Obama” several times- its President Obama you old fool. Have some respect for the office.
Elie
@the Conster:
I think that in part, the focus on Clint instead of the many very difficult issues is that Clint’s selection, or the selection of the proper speakers for this convention, is a RELATIVELY EASY THING TO DO. AND THEY COULDNT EVEN MANAGE THAT!!! So how in aich will they be able to even think about the other stuff if by some horrible fate, they were to be elected. They are 100% effups — a progression of incompetancy that we have seen in Republicans in their last three campaigns.. They can’t seem to get the small things done!
Montana
So Willard Mitt Romney tells us that he is a success, its easy when you start with Dad’s money and dad’s contacts (kinda like Trump) and did not do it on your own, but ok, success.
Willard Milton Romney tells us that Bain was his first success, a company without a product (unlike Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison among others who created jobs by the success of their products). What’s even funnier is Bain owns “Clear Channel” who has under contract both “Rush Limbaugh” and “Glen Beck”, how do you think they will do after the election. Bain preyed on weak companies and even when Bain took these companies into bankruptcy Bain made money (Willard still gets a check from Bain) not to mention the jobs that were outsourced or their dealings with RED CHINA, but ok maybe Willard did not know that Bain was in to that, sure, why not, right?
Willard Milton Romney then tells us that his second success is 2002 Winter Olympics. All 2002 Winter Olympics financials have been destroyed, but ok lets take his word, success.
This is Willard Milton Romney calling card that what our country needs now is someone like him a supposed successful business man. This “Business Success” and how that will translate into “Public Sector” success has already been tested.
So given all of Willard Milton Romney, supposed success, don’t you expect to see an extraordinary success in his position as governor of Massachusetts, his one and only public sector job? If you look at the majority of his statements as to why he should be governor of Massachusetts, they almost mirror his current ones, mainly “I am a successful business man”. But when we look at Massachusetts, it was an ordinary mediocrity, to the point that he could only survive one term, that how good this guy was, but ok according to him he was a success.
Now he wants the top public sector job, hmmm, no not on my watch!