I have watched political conventions from both parties since 1976. Never have I seen such an idiotic and incomprehensible moment as that which took place when Clint Eastwood stood before the GOP convention.
Earlier I posted some of the political cartoons that are making the newspapers.
Here is the second batch of gold.
I suspect there will be a third.
There is enough egg on the Republican Party this morning from the Clint Eastwood episode to make a national omelet.
But how did it happen? What short-sightedness within the GOP took place to allow an aging and clearly unprepared man to take the national stage just minutes before Mitt Romney was to speak?
There are lots of theories and commentary this morning.
From Mark Halperin
Convention planners had assumed the Hollywood legend would reprise the powerful and typically gruff/charming performance he delivered at the beginning of August when he showed up out of the blue at a Romney fundraiser in Idaho and said he was backing the Republican.
Romney aides played down the impact Eastwood’s odd turn might have on Tampa’s positive impact, but they acknowledge that the empty-chair monologue came as a complete surprise to them. They simply turned the podium over to an iconic superstar and expected him to stand and deliver.
Hollywood is talking and plenty is being said.
What WAS that thing Clint Eastwood just did?” tweetedactress Mia Farrow. “How could they let it happen?”
Film critic Roger Ebert said the actor had come across as “sad and pathetic“.
Adam Levine of pop band Maroon 5 suggested that the veteran Dirty Harry star had gone “nutterbutters”.
US actor Zachary Quinto purporting to be “legitimately scared” after his contribution.
“Is Clint Eastwood meant to instil confidence in Republicans?” mused Quinto, best known for his role as Mr Spock in 2009’s Star Trek film.
“Apparently Clint Eastwood had an argument with an empty chair regarding its political standpoint,” remarked Simon Pegg, another member of the current Trek crew.
“Maybe Clint is a sleeper agent for the Democrats sent in under deep cover to make the Republicans look stupid. No wait, that’s Romney.”
“Clint Eastwood became huge star as a man of few words,” tweeted NBC veteran Tom Brokaw. “As a surprise guest on the Tampa stage he had too many words.”
“‘Clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic,‘
legendary Chicago film critic Roger Ebert said in a message on Twitter.com. ‘He
didn’t need to do this to himself.’
Former Romney adviser Mike Murphy tweeted: ‘Note to file: Actors need a script.'”
Joe Scarborough-“This was a terrible mistake, terrible staging”
As reported here this week, a despicable racist incident took place at the Republican National convention.
Now Patricia Carroll, the CNN camerawoman who was assaulted with peanuts and called an animal by two attendees at the Republican National Convention is speaking out about the event.
“I hate that it happened, but I’m not surprised at all.”
Carroll, who agreed to be named for the first time, said she does not want her situation to be used for political advantage. “This situation could happen to me at the Democratic convention or standing on the street corner. Racism is a global issue,” she said by telephone from Tampa.
Carroll said no one took the names of the attendees who threw peanuts at her Tuesday on the convention floor and told her, “This is what we feed animals.” She alerted fellow camera operators, producers and CNN security. The head of the delegation — she was not certain of the state — told her the perpetrators must have been alternates, not delegates.
But Carroll, 34, said that as an Alabama native, she was not surprised. “This is Florida, and I’m from the Deep South,” she said. “You come to places like this, you can count the black people on your hand. They see us doing things they don’t think I should do.”
Carroll noted of the Republican convention, “There are not that many black women there.”
What will the little Alaska racoon do without FAUX NEWS?
Essentially, Palin and Fox are in the early stages of an elaborate contract negotiation. Palin earns roughly $1 million per year from Fox, making her the highest paid contributor at the network. Fox executives have been disappointed with her ratings; Palin has been disappointed by Fox’s decision to not give her top billing on bookings. According to sources, the relationship at times has gotten so bad that much communication has been conducted via Palin’s husband Todd. One thing is clear: It’s risky for her to push the envelope too far. Fox has been a central pillar of Palin’s national reach since quitting the governorship, and without the network’s platform, it’s unclear how she could maintain even her current, much-diminished level of visibility.
This is weird..even for Karl Rove.
“We should sink Todd Akin. If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!”
Then Rove pleaded with his audience for more money—much more.
UPDATED…Click here for even more Clint Eastwood cartoons.
One had to feel sorry for the old man standing before the nation making a complete ass of himself at the Republican National Convention.
Clint Eastwood might be an actor, but Lord knows he falls flat and nasty without a script.
This morning the talk is not so much about Mitt Romney, but the horrible and embarrassing performance of Clint Eastwood.
There are some news stories that scream out for a response. Many in the Madison area certainly must be wishing for someone to underscore how wrong one parent is about a matter that has generated much media coverage.
The story deals with the three men arrested for attacking UW football player Montee Ball. Madison police officials said the three students participated in a substantial battery against Ball.
This evening WMTV is reporting that one of the fathers is standing by his son.
First, there is something admirable when a father stands alongside his child under all circumstances. I get it. There is a sense of loyalty from the father, and we all can appreciate that type of feeling.
Second, let me state there is no way to know what specific role his son had in the beating, as the news report does not specify what action was taken by each of the three. We only know his son was arrested by Madison police for the crime against Ball.
But now comes the part of the story that must leave a wide swath of the public shaking their heads in disbelief.
What I find totally unacceptable is how the father reacted to the arrest of his child, and allegations against him. While stating that if the charges are true his son will need to deal with the consequences he added that all three men are “great kids”. They are all 21-years of age.
The father says if the allegations are true “the kids just made a bad decision, kids do that everyday on campuses all over the country.
Are you kidding me with that statement!
We are not talking about a group of guys that had a boomerang and were throwing it around late at night and landed it through a window on campus.
According to police, Ball was walking down a street around 2:15 a.m. on Aug. 1 when two friends walking ahead of him turned around and saw him on the ground, surrounded by several men who were kicking him in the head and chest. The attackers fled when one of his friends and a man across the street moved to help him.
As a result Ball suffered a concussion from the beating.
There is no way to state that kids do these types of things on campuses all over the country–that is just not the case. To suggest such a thing is besmirching lots of college age men and women who study hard and follow the rules of life, and the norms of society.
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