Posted on 09/01/2012 6:50:33 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Clint Eastwood’s speech to the Republican National Convention has been panned as badly delivered and condemned as disrespectful. But it drew some of the most enthusiastic response of any speech at the three-day event.
Why is that? Are Republicans a bunch of disrespectful yahoos lacking in appreciation for rhetorical skills? No. Their response counters the critics and demonstrates that there is more than one way to deliver a message. My hunch is that a whole lot of people across the political spectrum were both humored and inspired by the iconic actor’s words.
Of course, the talking heads at MSNBC and CNN were in high dudgeon in their disapproval. As, no doubt, were most hard-core Obama supporters, at least after learning from the high priests of liberalism that they were supposed to be offended. After all, Eastwood said neither Mitt Romney nor he could do IT to themselves. Apparently the super-sensitive Rachel and Wolf have never heard a conversation among today’s youth, or even the youth of their own generation. Sometimes, particularly in today’s politics, you have to be a little outrageous to get anyone’s attention. Certainly Clint got their attention.
I suppose it is surprising that the campaign consultants and party poobahs allowed Eastwood to speak without an authorized script. But then, Eastwood is Eastwood. Who’s going to tell the make-my-day guy what to say? And thank goodness he was allowed to be himself, though it’s doubtful he would have spoken otherwise. No sanitized, synthesized, authorized script would have been anywhere near as effective.
What media critics heard as unprepared, bumbling and rambling prattle, millions of Americans heard as an expression of their frustration with nearly four years of economic lethargy and political divisiveness. What the naysayers heard as disrespect of the president, millions of Americans heard as a challenge to a leader often disrespectful of those who disagree with him. People do not soon forget when told that they cling to their guns and their religion, and that they have not built the businesses in which they have invested life and treasure.
A carefully vetted speech read from a teleprompter like most of the convention speeches would have been lost in the mists of endless and predictable words meant to inspire without offending, and without committing anyone to anything. Eastwood said what was on his mind. We need more of that in American politics — more honest debate and less pandering — more communication and less obfuscation.
Eastwood was not speaking to the Republican base or to independents, or to moderate Democrats. He was speaking to anyone willing to listen. Some who listened took offense. But my guess is that most who listened found themselves nodding in agreement and smiling at the jokes, even if off color.
Eastwood said what he thought and what a lot of other people are thinking. We own this country. Those we elect to public office work for us. If they don’t do their job, we fire them. Pretty basic stuff that most people, in most walks of life, understand. And, oh yes, there are even people in Hollywood who think it’s time to fire the guy at the top. A simple message, simply and effectively delivered.
*****
Jim Huffman is the dean emeritus of Lewis & Clark Law School, the co-founder of Northwest Free Press and a member of the Hoover Institution’s De Nault Task Force on Property Rights, Freedom and Prosperity.
If he’d given a nice scripted (yes, he’s quite familiar with the concept of a script) speech, no one would be talking about it. People will be talking about this speech for months.
Why is it that everyone is “surprised” that BHO asks us to do to ourselves the very same thing that he has been doing to the USA, Israel, UK, ET AL for about 4 years!
It’s the oldest trick in the book - - show the young couple a few dumps and then show them the buttered-up split level. That split-level looks like a mansion. Clint’s stammering, (apparently) unrehearsed speech helped make Mitt’s delivery sound like Dale Carnegie.
“people will be talking about this for months” ..you are so right..I bet it becomes a classic like everything else Eastwood does. Amazing man.
Not a speech but a skit. A speech wouldn’t be nearly as effective as satire. Nor would it be nearly as accepted.
I thought it was hilarious and brillannt!
It didn’t work for me. He just seemed old, and I thought it made the GOP look like the old people’s party.
Turned me off!!
The empty chair was a great metaphor for the empty suit in the White House.
It worked for me. But I saw the movie Clint’s parody was based on — “Harvey” starring Jimmy Stewart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKECvqSVWPA
The left RAAAAVES about Obama being SUUUUCH A GREAT OR-A-TOR. But take away the teleprompter, he stumbles more than a drunk with his shoes untied, on the wrong feet.
Here's Clint, doing a schtick ad lib, with no help from a script or teleprompter, and delivering better than The Won.
Subconciously this has got to really irk them.
BUT..... Clint was mimicking Obama's delivery style. Didn't you notice ?
At the very beginning of addressing the ‘chair’, Clint was imitating Jimmy Stewart’s voice.
Are you serious?!!!!!!!!!!!
Clint is 82, yet 72 years old Reid looks older. Take a glance at hillary, peelosi, such hot babes they are!
If the GOP looks like an old people's party, what's wrong with that? Do we want a youthful clueless cabinet as we have now?
In the coming elections, let's vote for beauty!
Let Him Go.
He got his message out far and wide.
My mother, who voted for Obama (sigh), loved Clint’s skit. She ‘s a pretty good belle weather for how the center left viewed Dirty Harry dismantling O. Pretty sure she is going Romney this time.
Of course, the talking heads at MSNBC and CNN were in high dudgeon in their disapproval.
These are the same outlets that wooed and cooed over the OWSers and the gay protests or parades. They laugh and mock Bush or Palin or Tea Partiers or anything and everything Christian or (fill in the blank). One SLIGHT little thing ridiculing their guy, and they're vapor locking.
It was brilliant.
Obama has been an empty chair for everything that really mattered.
BTTT!
No. I just saw one of my all-time favorite actors deliver an entertaining speech to the convention (and the nation) and deliver it far better than most 82-year-old men could ever hope to deliver it. For the scumbag communist lefties to wag their fingers and mock him is a disgrace, and one that the elderly population may notice. The scumbag communist lefties better be very, very careful.
Oh, but it WAS rehearsed and planned. Clint was a true artist on Thursday night. . That performance was engineered and tuned for effect. . .
I thought the teleprompter in front of the empty seat was an especially nice touch. . .
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