2 things to remember about Clint Eastwood when he speaks tonight (maybe 3)

[graham4anything]

I do love Clint Eastwood (as an actor) from the start. Loved him even more as the years go on as a director and sometimes actor.

I loved Gran Torino and the anti-gun, anti-violence and thought Clint got robbed at the Oscars by everyone thinking he was a sure shot so much, that they didn't bother to write him down as their #1 favorite so he wasn't even nominated in the acting category.
(Same theme won him best director for UNFORGIVEN).

Loved the Halftime in America ad during the Super Bowl and how it backed Obama's saving Detroit.But aside from the Halftime ad, one can say politically Clint never appeared to be a democrat to begin with.


move toward tonight's anticipated appearance- and one has to remember 2 or 3 things

That being he has a new movie coming out, where he only stars (with Amy Adams) and does not direct, and this is being thought of as his last chance to take home the Oscar statue for acting (he won 2 best director awards, and was nominated for acting but did not win).

He needs this movie to be a hit, therefore, he needs 100% of the audience and not just the democrats to go see it, and he appeared to really piss off the right after the Halftime ad

Number two is- when you get right down and are honest- Clint fits right in personally in his personal life, with today's republicans.
It is a written fact that the women in his life (prior to his current wife), dealt with alot of issues from Clint one after the other time and again.

Just like a republican/tea/libertarian in 2012, Clint was old school in that regard- seems like a woman's place is ...(well, you get what I mean)
That is Clint.

So it don't surprise me that in 2012 he would side with that team.

(and I do hope he wins the acting Oscar IF when I see it, his role is worthy(or even if not).
but politics, I really have no interest in hearing what he says tonight, because like just about every single speaker at the repub convention, they have ulterior motives for themselves, and will do anything to achieve those goals.


(this whole thread of course assumes Clint will be at the convention tonight as rumor has it, not sure if it is confirmed at this time as it appears he is the surprise guest(though some say there will be a hologram of Ronald Reagan...)

[JI7]

1. i don't really care, he has been a republican forever

unless he says some shit about Obama like the birther crap.

if he just says pro republican or pro romney crap i'm not going to care much.

but who cares about him.

tonight should be about Romney. it's funny how romney hasn't really come up.

[2pooped2pop]

2. not me, I will never watch the stupid bastard again

You gotta be a fuckin idiot or a traitor to vote republican today. Fuck him.

It pains me to let him go, but I no longer support anyone stupid enough or traitorous to vote republican. May they all roast in hell.

Into my pile of Chuck Norris trash you go Clint. Fuck you.

[Waiting For Everyman]

4. I agree.

I don't want to see him act, or watch his directing, or help him out in any way. He is aiding and abetting the horror in our real world. Fuck him, Chuch, Charlton, and whoever else wants to join up with them.

[chimpymustgo]

19. What you said. You gotta be a stupid - MEAN - bastard.

[KarenS]

31. I'm with you on this,,,, n/t

[liberal N proud]

3. The get off my lawn old man played in Gan Torino fits the republican

So yea, Clint makes the perfect republican. They can have him because if were counting stars and their politics, the Democrats have some outstanding people in their corner.

[graham4anything]

6. not the last 1/3 of the movie he didn't

he realized everything he thought (ala the republican/teaparty/libertarians) was a lie and he redeemed himself.
That redemption was the growth that unfortunately was just a written role.

The role in Gran Torino was racist hating at the start.
Until he got to know the people and quickly changed from his entire lifes thoughts, to a man in the end who armed only with a finger gave himself up to save the others.

And most insiders in Hollywood believe the role in Gran Torino was thinly disguised from Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry movies, thereby it was Harry himself who was attempting redemption.

It is ashame it wasn't real life it appears.

(again, assuming he goes repub. political at the convention tonight.)

If I were Clint, I would have gone to NYC and watch the US Open tennis, as I believe he has in the past.

[Tom Ripley]

7. But that "redemption of Harry Callahan" schtick is just recycled from Magnum Force

from 39 freaking years ago

[progressivebydesign]

16. For the record. everyone KNOWS Eastwood did NOT write Gran Torino, right????

He merely directed in it and acted in it. He was not at all responsible for the message of the film.. He did NOT write Dirty Harry, either.

"Gran Torino - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_TorinoGran Torino was written by Nick Schenk and directed by Clint Eastwood."

[kctim]

11. No

May lose the liberal/progressive vote, but doubt that he would even notice.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Eastwood should go to this circus. If the man is the kind of person who can

rub elbows with racist people, and still call himself Republican, well, I just wish I had known sooner.

[mulsh]

9. Clint grew up in Piedmont, Ca, at the time it was a Republican town.

When my folks moved there in 1965 & tried to register as Democrats the welcome wagon lady, Dorie ( Clint's cousin) who brought voter registration forms quickly packed them away, along with the welcome basket and departed. My parents and us kids were ostracized by most of our neighbors. At that time there were maybe as many as 20 democrats in that town.

Times have changed and that town, which is surrounded by the nicer Oakland neighborhoods, has drifted to the Democratic party.

[redwitch]

37. Seriously?

How awful.

[ellenfl]

10. he's always been a repub, just not a fanatic. hopefully he won't pander. eom

[progressivebydesign]

15. No he's a libertarian. n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

25. Nope. Sorry, if he really were he'd be out stumping for Gary Johnson.

That's just a polite way for him to appear not of either major party while he continues to endorse, and vote for Republicans.

[ellenfl]

38. and not speaking at the repub national convention. eom

[Lone_Star_Dem]

42. Yeah, and that too.

I get sick of Republicans hiding behind a Libertarian tag to look less offensive. We have a lot of them in my area. When you talk to them it becomes clear they're really mainstream Republicans who don't want to be associated with their wacko fringe.

You support Republicans, you vote for Republicans and you spew Republican ideology, you're a damn Republican. You're just too cowardly to admit it in polite company.

[Zoeisright]

12. I think he's a lousy actor

and a lousy human being.

[graham4anything]

13. I just want to add-I am NOT a fan of Clint's politics and never was

I am a big Jerry Brown fan for decades.
I am NOT a Clint fan of his politics though I did get a kick out of the Halftime ad, and the way the other side was blowing smoke out of their ears fuming about it.

and it has been confirmed he will be there tonight.

I won't watch but may try to hear his words just to hear it (no way am I watching Jeb).

if anything Clint will overshadow Mitt won't he? (as have the others it appears).

looking forward for next weeks convention better.

[progressivebydesign]

14. Clint in a libertarian, and very unpleasant person in real life. Lest anyone get misty over him.

Ugh. he's NOT going to call out the republicans. he's not going to do anything but bag on the President, and talk about the EVIL big Govt. He is not a champion for gay rights.. he is an anti govt, angry old white man. Period.

Maybe I'm biased, but I've witnessed him being a total asshole to people that were staying at his hotel in Carmel.. numerous times. And know someone who did a film with him. Complete asshole.

[RebelOne]

23. My boss (now ex), Gary was an admirer of Eastwood.

He and his wife went to Clint's hotel in Carmel. Clint walked into the dining room and Gary rushed up to him and shook his hand. Gary said that Clint was very amiable and cordial.

[LeftinOH]

17. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" should be the intro song...

and Jessica Walter (dressed as Uncle Sam) could make a cameo..!!!

[renate]

18. if he's angling for an Oscar by doing this, he must be some kind of idiot

I also doubt he's doing it to get people to go see his movie. It's hard to keep it a secret if you're the surprise guest speaker at the Republican national convention and anybody who'll go see it solely as a result of his appearance will be counterbalanced by those who won't.

Which leads me to guess that he's doing it because he believes in what he'll be saying. Which is depressing.

[TexasBushwhacker]

20. #1, 2 & 3 - HE'S AN ACTOR

I feel the same way about Jane Fonda. Unless you have the opportunity to really spend time with them and they let their guard down, you have to assume that everything is a performance. It doesn't make them bad people, but they make believe for a living. I have no doubt Clint will come off as strong, patriotic, sincere, and every other positive adjective you can think of because he's a good actor and he knows what the part calls for. It's mighty convenient that he has a movie coming out.

He's more independent/libertarian than Republican. He supported Perot in 1992.

[ellenfl]

39. but has voted repub since ike. eom

[Enrique]

21. there are millions of Republicans in the country

Clint Eastwood is one of them.

[hamsterjill]

22. Sean Penn

I wonder what Sean Penn thinks about this. They did Mystic River together. I'd be very interested in Mr. Penn's "take" on Eastwood's appearance at the RNC.

[RagAss]

33. Sean's too busy helping people.

[rbrnmw]

24. The last time an aging Cowboy actor spoke to the RNC we got 8 years of Raygun

the following election cycle

[FarCenter]

26. Clint was mayor of Carmel, CA for one 2-year term.

http://www.clinteastwood.net/mayor

[hlthe2b]

27. He's an old school Republican... If he started talking like a damned teabagger or fundy nut

like Steven Baldwin or Mel Gibson, I'd have a much harder time. But, Clint is Clint... just a relic of his time.

[Lex]

30. Will be interesting to see if he pisses off

the tea-bagger fundies with what he chooses to say tonight.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

28. Gran Torino! That's the other one of his movies I enjoyed.

Thanks. It was in there niggling away at the back of my brain driving me crazy.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

29. I hope they use subtitles. Can't ever hear a damn word he says. nt

[matt819]

32. What a fool

You know, I had no idea of Clint Eastwood's personal life. Didn't know about his relationship with women. Didn't know his politics. I knew he was the mayor of Carmel, but I didn't know which party. And I was fine with that. I didn't care about his politics, and that was fine. I could enjoy his movies and the characters he created without reference to his personal life, his personal/political agenda, etc.

And now? Now all I can think is that he's just another old fool. A brilliant film maker. A pretty good actor. But, at the end of the day, just another old fool. What a shame.

[loyalsister]

34. He supported and lobbied for a Leddbetter in reverse law

One of many intended to gut the ADA

Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley's proposed ADA Notification Act would ease the pain for businessmen like Eastwood charged with access violations. The Act would require that a disabled person who wished to file suit under the ADA give 90 days' notice first.

With Eastwood noisily involved and the media looking on, Foley's proposal moved onto the fast track. Rep. Charles Canady, chair of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, extracted it from the legislative mire where so many bills languish and scheduled it for a hearing in just a few weeks.....

http://www.makethemgoaway.com/eastwoodreevexcerpt.html

[Gabi Hayes]

40. thanks! WHAT an asshole! he's, as has been mentioned, a notorious

misognyist, treating all his women (including his first wife) horribly (he was OK during divorce/settlement, but only to minimize said settlement)

everyone else he's been involved with who's talked about him HATES his guts

and he's a lousy actor.....his only emotional range goes from suppressed anger to rage.

ever seen any of his 'comedies?'

[loyalsister]

43. I haven't but I saw Million Dollar Baby

AFTER attacking people with disabilities legislatively, he went on to make a controversial film about euthanasia of a young disabled woman. There are many in the disability who either ardently oppose or have mixed feelings on the subject.
He's an asshole.

[bigwillq]

35. I have no problem with Clint speaking

it's his choice as to which party or which issues he supports. I may not agree with them all, but it's his choice and his right.

And I'll still go see his movies because, in my opinion, he's a gifted film maker. I don't really care for his acting so much, but he usually makes a good film.

[meanit]

36. Damage control

Clint Eastwood is being brought in for damage control. The GOP has been in the headlines constantly with lunatic rantings by Conservatives and arrogant and out of touch statements by Romney. Now they are grappling to appear more "moderate". They are trying to put a more moderate yet dominant Republican speaker up there to "prove" that they are not all loonies.

Sort of a Reagan strategy without Reagan.

[cynatnite]

41. Clint Eastwood is pro-choice...

By all rights he should be a liberal Dem. He's pro-choice, he supports marriage equality, very anti-war (most especially Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, and a fan of Chomsky.

He's really out of step with today's republican party. What keeps him there, IMO, is he wants more tax fairness (i.e. less taxes for wealthy like himself) and less regulation.

This is where he's at.

[ellenfl]

44. why are the 'manly-men' actors all repubs?

schwarzenegger, willis, selleck, eastwood, dennis quaid, denzel washington, chuck norris, van damme, the duke, sorbo, mcconnaughey, gibson, duvall, caan, the rock, dean cain, ll cool j . . . and not-so-manly non-actor meatloaf?

i don't get it.

ellen fl

[graham4anything]

45. What the hell was that???

totally bizarre
almost as if the democrats planted him there

all anyone will be talking about will be Clint. Mitt who???

reminds me of when Frank Sinatra went on the grammy's the very last time and CBS had to yank him off the stage because he was obviously off

or other times an elderly star was clearly not there or out of it

or was it a dead pan comedy act from the 1950s?

reminds me of an SNL skit from years ago
from youtube