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What Happened to Clint Eastwood at the RNC?

M

Mark Giardina

Being a Clint Eastwood fan for many years I was waiting in anticipation for this award-winning actor and director to make his speech at the Republican National Convention. Needless to say I was both shocked and sadden at the performance Mr. Eastwood gave.

His "debate" with President Obama was about as amusing as a third-rate vaudeville routine playing at a local theatre in Podunk Illinois.

Stick with making and directing films Clint.
 
Mark_Giardina said:
Being a Clint Eastwood fan for many years I was waiting in anticipation for this award-winning actor and director to make his speech at the Republican National Convention. Needless to say I was both shocked and sadden at the performance Mr. Eastwood gave.

His "debate" with President Obama was about as amusing as a third-rate vaudeville routine playing at a local theatre in Podunk Illinois.

Stick with making and directing films Clint.
Click to expand...
I didn't see this. People are speculating that maybe it's his age. But I have seen Eastwood interviewed over the years, and he's not very verbally articulate. I don't know if what he did for the RNC was scripted or not, but I can tell you that he needs a script. Perhaps that accounts for his poor performance.
 
Politics aside, I felt badly for him. His speech was, at times, incoherent. He rambled on and on and tried in vain to do a comedic mock interview with President Obama. Clint seemed to struggle for words and even the strength to talk. Has he been in ill health lately?
 
As a Clint fan, I thought it was very sad. At age 82, it's obvious that something isn't right with him now.
 
To be honest, I didn't recognize his voice. It's not the firm, solid voice we knew from Dirty Harry. It's instead the weaker, older voice from Grand Torino. Get off my lawn! If this is the voice of the GOP, it's not very appealing.
 
Leaving aside my own politics I actually didn't think it was that bad. Sure we have to take into account the fact he is 82, and hence struggled a bit to give a big hitting performance. But the unscripted style of it actually appealed to me.

Over here, British Conservatives Boris Johnson and Ken Clarke have a similar speaking style, and they seem to be two of the most popular Conservatives among floating voters.
 
I liked it. I was in another room and decided I wanted to finish doing something else if Romney himself wasn't speaking. But now that I know who it was and what happened, I'm taking advantage of the Internet next time I can have sound.
 
Yes, the performance was... was.... peculiar.

In addition to the various possibilities already expressed in this thread, let me offer another one.

Back before there were cameras and recorders and microphones everywhere, we as a society tolerated... maybe even embraced... what I call "Ethnic Humor". We told jokes where the people of Polish ancestory were assumed to have some kind of unusual mentality. In the South, many Baptist preachers often included anecdotes in their sermons which began: "Did you hear about the Colored Preacher who.... ". In Indiana we used to tell "Kentuckian jokes".

Call it dignity, call it being courteous, call it political correctness... we shy away from that these days.... at least in public.

Certainly Democrats have speech patterns at times that could use some clean up, but my observation is that withing Republican/Conservative circles, particularly in meetings where the general public is almost non existent, there is a style of humor that I think of as "snarky" that is very much in vogue. I suspect Clint Eastwood is surrounded so much of the time by people who agree with his political views and people who never push back with a "that might be a bit abrasive for public meetings, Clint" that if someone today tried to explain to him that he was a bit too edgy last night... he might have trouble understanding what they were talking about.

O.K. At the next meeting of our club, we will discuss the edgy comments of Joe Biden. ;D
 
The thing is - Eastwood is not a hard right-winger. He's said that politically he leans fiscally conservative but socially libertarian (not the party - he is a registered Republican) in several interviews over the years. More like Barry Goldwater than the average Republican today.
 
Clint Eastwood reminded me of watching Foster Brooks.....without the humor.

But it wasn't an act. Sad. Clint went clunk.

And, it is said, Mitty was the one who actually invited him. Perhaps Mitts had not seen Clint in the years since Dirty Harry. If so it doesn't bode well for Mitty's judgement.
 
Eastwood's bit had a bit of a Bob Newhart quality to it, I thought.
 
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
Yes, the performance was... was.... peculiar.

In addition to the various possibilities already expressed in this thread, let me offer another one.

Back before there were cameras and recorders and microphones everywhere, we as a society tolerated... maybe even embraced... what I call "Ethnic Humor". We told jokes where the people of Polish ancestory were assumed to have some kind of unusual mentality. In the South, many Baptist preachers often included anecdotes in their sermons which began: "Did you hear about the Colored Preacher who.... ". In Indiana we used to tell "Kentuckian jokes".

Call it dignity, call it being courteous, call it political correctness... we shy away from that these days.... at least in public.

Certainly Democrats have speech patterns at times that could use some clean up, but my observation is that withing Republican/Conservative circles, particularly in meetings where the general public is almost non existent, there is a style of humor that I think of as "snarky" that is very much in vogue. I suspect Clint Eastwood is surrounded so much of the time by people who agree with his political views and people who never push back with a "that might be a bit abrasive for public meetings, Clint" that if someone today tried to explain to him that he was a bit too edgy last night... he might have trouble understanding what they were talking about.

O.K. At the next meeting of our club, we will discuss the edgy comments of Joe Biden. ;D




While I certainly do not agree with the first part of your post, and would agree that the comments that Biden has made over the years be discussed. It always amazes me that when a conservative "offends" someone the whole liberal establishment gets up in arms but when "Old Joe" makes a stupid comment it is just shrugged off as " well that is old Joe". The double standard in this area is sickening.
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FRR said:
While I certainly do not agree with the first part of your post, and would agree that the comments that Biden has made over the years be discussed. It always amazes me that when a conservative "offends" someone the whole liberal establishment gets up in arms but when "Old Joe" makes a stupid comment it is just shrugged off as " well that is old Joe". The double standard in this area is sickening.
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And you can always tell when they're busted by how "sad sad sad" it all is, and of course by the attacks on the mind of the offender. Clint Eastwood was unscripted, perfectly lucid and funny as all get out.

As for Clint Eastwood being "sad", "lost it", "pathetic" and "it's his age", the White House was very quick to respond by posting pictures of their own empty chair.

Perfectly delightful was the "speech".
 
Silkie said:
Clint Eastwood was unscripted, perfectly lucid and funny as all get out.
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Unscripted = definitely.

Perfectly lucid = only if you consider prolonged vocal stumbling "lucid".

Funny = only if your definition of 'funny' includes "pathos".
 
TheBigA said:
Like most Hollywood types, I believe the speech was to promote his next movie, where he plays a dottering old baseball scout:
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Perhaps but I think the crowd was expecting Dirty Harry and not a doddering old baseball scout who had obvious trouble connecting simple sentences.
 
Lets Hope Eastwood is Okay after that speech or rant took place. He was Mayor of Carmel at one time. I'm not sure when.
 
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