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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNew Book: Romney's Chief Strategist "Walked Out Of Room & Threw Up" When He Saw Eastwood/Chair
For inside-baseball readers, theres plenty to chew on. The tale of how a man worth more than $200 million let his campaign go dead in the summer because he could not match Obamas $150 million in attack ads on Bain Capital, Romneys former financial roost, is too good to summarize. Then there are the Monty Python moments. Balz informs us that when Stuart Stevens, Romneys chief strategist, saw Clint Eastwood on live television at the Republican National Convention speaking off-script to an imaginary Obama in an empty chair, he walked out of the room and threw up.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/collision-2012-obama-vs-romney-and-the-future-of-elections-in-america-by-dan-balz/2013/08/02/df66f74a-efe4-11e2-a1f9-ea873b7e0424_story_1.html
good
HipChick
(25,485 posts)It's God will..
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)And I thought it was the sort of thing Saint Ronnie would have loved
VPStoltz
(1,295 posts)jmowreader
(50,555 posts)rocktivity
(44,576 posts)Last edited Tue Aug 6, 2013, 01:32 AM - Edit history (1)
rocktivity
populistdriven
(5,644 posts)free, bootleg or otherwise.
napkinz
(17,199 posts)Any chance Eastwood was trying to undermine Romney with that "routine"?
I remember that night, the night of the "chair" speech, some on here were suggesting Eastwood was intentionally trying to screw the Romney campaign. Again, it was just speculation by some.
Cha
(297,154 posts)and he actually wanted mitt to win. He just got in the way. I think for once stuart stevens had the right reaction. It could have gone so much better. Like I was afraid clint would get out there and talk his folksie talk to the audience and it would have been swoon time for eastwood fans.
I read those same people who were defending eastwood#chair the night of the rnc and I told them that it wasn't anything but something he didnt' pull off. And, we would see in a short while.
napkinz
(17,199 posts)Unless I'm wrong, I thought he doesn't agree with conservatives on any of the major social issues. (I have no idea where he stands on economic issues or the Iraq war or the NSA.)
Well, maybe next Republican convention he and Kelsey Grammer can do a duet: Two Chairs.
Don't worry Mel, they would be ten chairs short, and I doubt as funny.
Cha
(297,154 posts)and that Pres Obama didn't. I read almost everything there was to know about him during that time. I use to like him. But, like the poster above I haven't been able to watch another thing by him.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Cha
(297,154 posts)CTyankee
(63,903 posts)that whole routine was an old fart act...geez, I'm old but I'm not THAT old...just shoot me if I ever get that bad...
Cha
(297,154 posts)money was on mitt. As it was I was freaking howling my head off with gales of laughter! roflmao!
CTyankee
(63,903 posts)Hollywood to come up with some clever stuff for his routine. Surely, there is boundless talent in Hollywood looking for work that could help him out...or maybe he tried, but couldn't find a decent one since they were all devoted to Obama...
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)But it helps that I wasn't hanging my electoral hopes on it.
calimary
(81,220 posts)Clint Eastwood not only helped blow the election for romney, he blew his own image and credibility all the way to the planet Neptune.
populistdriven
(5,644 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)That whole RNC primary weekend was glorious to behold. Dead cats bounce way higher than that. WAY higher.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ET6RNWN4eKY/Tx_pKs0z5RI/AAAAAAAAKgM/Gq1sZBjM3zw/s400/Mitt+Hindenburg+2012.jpg
calimary
(81,220 posts)All the king's (dancing) horses and all the king's (spokes)men couldn't put romney into the White House, regardless how much money they spent, how much of the media they owned, and how many times they tried to rig the vote. They threw the proverbial kitchen sink at President Obama and it STILL didn't remove him from the Oval Office!
And we have to make DAMN SURE we win like that AGAIN. This very next time!!!
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)brush
(53,771 posts)Jim__
(14,075 posts)YOU BEAT ME TO IT!
good one!!!
UTUSN
(70,684 posts)niyad
(113,275 posts)calimary
(81,220 posts)CTyankee
(63,903 posts)That screech was so terrible it was embarrassing...
calimary
(81,220 posts)That just left me shaking my head. THIS is what the GOP thinks is gonna solve their gender gap problem? An aristocratic self-anointed entitlement junkie thrusts her arms in the air and shouts - "I LOVE YOU WIMMMMMMMMEN!!!!" WTF??? Lip service is all you need, ladies. Now get back in the kitchen.
Embarrassing as hell!!! I kept thinking she must have left her pompoms at home that night. But she still went ahead with her cheerleading like some aging high school coed.
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)"- "I LOVE YOU WIMMMMMMMMEN!!!!" " Spelled perfectly! That's just the way she said it!
CTyankee
(63,903 posts)"acting" was. Didn't they have enough money to get her a top drama coach, so she could even be passably believable?
amuse bouche
(3,657 posts)acted as though it was great.
Heather MC
(8,084 posts)With Anne
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)TimeToGo
(1,366 posts)But I don't like how they continue to treat Ryan as a "budget nerd."
He isn't -- he pretends to be an the press goes along.
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)Tumbulu
(6,278 posts)Hydra
(14,459 posts)There were some nasty moments during the primaries where certain groups that disagree with the 1% agenda got burned...and I think Clint had a Stephen Colbert at the Press Club Dinner opportunity handed to him, and he used it. Good on him if so- if nothing else, you should always be true to your values.
MADem
(135,425 posts)He wasn''t playing a game, that crazy old coot meant it. He was a Republican way back when he was mayor of Carmel. His old pal was Ronnie Reagan.
As for that horrible performance at the convention, he did have some stuff to say about it:
http://www.tmz.com/2012/09/18/clint-eastwood-republican-national-convention-speech-barack-obama/
The link is worth the time....
Hydra
(14,459 posts)You can tell he did during the performance. He called out Obama for things he should have been called out for. He also basically told the whole crowd not to vote for Romney if they didn't think he could do the job they wanted.
The last part of it was almost holy. paraphrasing: "We own the gov't. Politicans are public servants/our employees." I don't know why so many people have forgotten that...but maybe that's why we're not seeing our country run in a way that helps us.
reusrename
(1,716 posts)Galvanizing moments. He had to know what impact he would have.
DURHAM D
(32,609 posts)He headed up his "youth" effort.
Nixon campaign poster at the link. Clint is in the black cowboy hat.
http://www.affordablepoliticalitems.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=3325
MADem
(135,425 posts)Raine
(30,540 posts)Raine
(30,540 posts)is a "dyed in the wool" repuke from way back.
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)half a joke, but the man really did hand us and Obama a gift.
I doubt he's changed, and it's not actually funny if he is suffering dementia.
But I thank him regardless for the help. And the great movies.
John2
(2,730 posts)his Bio is claiming. It does state he started out as a Republican, when he voted for Eisenhower. It indicates he began to change after Water Gate, and he is anti-War, for Gay rights,abortion rights, womens' rights, and gun control. He discribes himself as a fiscal conservative but social liberal. So he registered as a Libertarian.
He has voted for Liberals, including Diane Fienstein and Gray Davis twice. He voted for a Liberal in his District.
His explanation for not voting for President Obama, He thought Obama was too green and the reason for the empty chair, He didn't think Obama governed enough and had the wrong people around him. Now where did I hear that before? He claims that he voted for McCain, because he thought McCain had more experience in War. He claims that he didn't agree with McCain on a lot of things but he was just more experienced at the time.
He claims that he voted for Romney because he thought Romney had a better tax plan and he still thought Obama didn't govern enough, and that is the reason for the empty chair. He thought Obama was an empty suit. I think Clint Eastwood was being Clint Eastwood. He was just blunt and said what he thought. I can't blame Eastwood for that. I think Obama needs to get rid of some advisors and do his own thing, in his second year. The first thing he can do is ignore those idiots trying to get us into a War in the Middle East, and throw the gauntlet down to Netanyahu. I hate warmongers too.
Raine
(30,540 posts)we went to a rally for Raygun when he was running for governor. Eastwood got on the stage and endorsed him and gave a speech about him. It was at a local shopping center. I know it was when Raygun was running for governor because by the time he ran for president my parents had had enough of him and the republican party.
RudynJack
(1,044 posts)I really admire Eastwood's art. He's an awesome director, and has made some fantastic films.
But he's a Republican. An old-school, lower-my-taxes Republican, but still follows the line. I separate his politics from his art. He's an incredibly talented man, and he made an ass of himself at the convention. He's 82... he's allowed to be an ass.
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Thanks.
KG
(28,751 posts)shrub still wins.
peace, kp
tofuandbeer
(1,314 posts)millennialmax
(331 posts)Hekate
(90,648 posts)Library, here I come.
KnR
Hekate
Brother Buzz
(36,416 posts)This book is old-fashioned in a good sense. The author likes the close-focus reportage of the "Boys on the Bus" era. But he adds a sure, up-to-date grasp of how new technologies and social media have disrupted the old order. Specific without being tedious, Collision 2012 is short on windy analysis and long on attributed quotes and statistic.
And speaking of new technology, I placed a hold on the book without leaving the house: You are number 3 in the hold queue.There is 1 holdable copy.
dawnie51
(959 posts)are soooo good. You can always count on some really great stuff coming out. Can't wait for the movie of this one!
woolldog
(8,791 posts)Book sounds interesting though.
Tanuki
(14,918 posts)former executive editor of the New York Times...especially since the review appeared in the Washington Post!
tofuandbeer
(1,314 posts)Berlum
(7,044 posts)While the RepubliBaggers meekly Assumed the Position.
tritsofme
(17,376 posts)missingfink
(174 posts)One of my right wing pals fell in love with the thought of Ann Romney as first lady after her speech at the convention. His statements were something like "a real classy lady" and "all Americans would be proud to have her as our first lady". During the election season I had to drop this guy as one of Facebook friends as he was posting right wing propaganda constantly.
calimary
(81,220 posts)Glad you're here! Love your screen name! I would not have been proud to have her as our First Lady. She means nothing to me. I used to think she was a fairly sympathetic individual, dealing with those illnesses and all. But as soon as she started opening her mouth, she transformed herself into something rather off-putting, and rather imperious. Remember "...we've given all you people need to know" ? I beg your pardon, your ladyship! Yeah. Crap like that. I bet it never ONCE occurred to her that she was talking down to the people she hoped to work for. Yes. Work FOR. Government officials are Public SERVANTS. The President of the United States is the highest-ranking public SERVANT in the land. She probably viewed it as the closest thing to King and Queen that America offers.
ZRT2209
(1,357 posts)VPStoltz
(1,295 posts)The night of the election she looked "tore up from the floor up."
calimary
(81,220 posts)and threw up.
As if!
As if a coddled aristocrat who eats, sleeps, and breathes entitlement can shout out some lame, meaningless statement and THAT, singlehandedly, somehow magically solves the GOP's gender gap problem. The poor dear was - and still is - so tragically out of touch I bet she actually believed it would.
malaise
(268,949 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)I couldn't stop laughing at the "crazy old man" routine that Eastwood was shopping. I thought his 'act' was so awful that it crossed the line into funny, and I found the self-destruction of Eastwood's reputation while standing on that stage fascinating to watch...in a "train wreck" kind of way!!
I can understand why a GOP strategist puked his guts out, though!
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)dementia patient who had been given a microphone and a stage.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)I totally loved his monologue. He should have gone into comedy instead of Westerns and action flicks.
MADem
(135,425 posts)role. He also got some disregard for his movie "Trouble with the Curve" which probably would have done much, much better if he'd not opened his intemperate mouth--people were still feeling good about him because of that Motor City commercial he did.
I think he was a great help...to the Obama administration!
He has done comedy (not quite so good as the RNC gig)--how soon we forget?
Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)At first they really really disliked Romney and had fervant hopes for every kook who grabbed the spotlight du-jour during the primaries. Then when RMoney got the nomination, they all of a sudden loved the twit. They started sporting bumber stickers, sending email forwards, facebook posts ( I don't have it but saw them on mutual friend's PCs ) showering him with adulation. When I slyly and smart-assedly pointed out the irony of their sudden change of opinion of him they got mad enough to want to take swings at me. Then when he lost the election they hated him all over again.
Of course maybe I could see Ryan as a factor, as he represented the smug rich conservative prick they worship.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)Respect is only to be given to certain people.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)It was a brilliantly executed metaphor for the state of the Republican Party.
Buns_of_Fire
(17,175 posts)Euphoria
(448 posts)esp. watching Rombot trying to slink away.
populistdriven
(5,644 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)But that IS hilarious!
Shampoobra
(423 posts)From The End of the Line: Romney vs. Obama by Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin
http://www.amazon.com/The-End-Line-election-ebook/dp/B00ALBR6IC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375648273&sr=1-1
The hurricane delayed the start of the convention a dayfrom August 26 to August 27so organizers had to scrap a remote appearance by Romney from an American Legion convention in Indiana that would have been piped into the hall on the first night.
With the salute-the-troops tribute out, the assumption was that Romney would pay tribute to them in his acceptance speech. He didntand was sharply criticized for the oversight.
Stevens and Romney were also the prime movers behind the biggest unnatural disaster in Tampa, the decision to give Clint Eastwood a prime-time slot on the third and final night of the convention, according to people close to the campaign.
Stevens loved the idea of having an American icon as a warm-up act for Romney. The campaign had prepped Eastwood and assumed he would, more or less, play by their rules. But they hadnt enforced any discipline on the star. Eastwood delivered a bizarre, rambling lecture to an empty chair that became an instant YouTube classicand not in a good way.
I was seated with Rhoades, recalled Fehrnstrom. We were up in the Romney box, looking at each other, saying, What the hell is going on here?
Eastwood had completely ignored their instructions. We sent him a script and some talking points, and basically what we wanted him to perform was his Halftime in America spiel, said the aide, recalling Eastwoods much-praised 2012 Super Bowl ad for Chrysler. Thats what we expected him to do. And he showed up without any notes, nothing for the teleprompter, and he asked for a chair, and he was given a chair.
The Eastwood episode, Romney supporters would later say, projected the image of a party growing old and a bit addled. It also revealed a campaign that couldnt execute the easy stuff, incensing Romney insiders who couldnt believe what they were watching. They began pointing fingers at Stevens, and not just over the Eastwood episode.
You design a campaign to reinforce the guy that youve got, said a longtime Romney friend, reflecting the growing fury at Stevens, who, in the view of his many critics, had been given too big and ill-defined a role by the candidate.
Cha
(297,154 posts)All remember "Fehrnstrom", right? the guy who brought us mitt and his "Etch a Sketch"? All you have to do is google "fehrnstrom" and you get "etch a sketch" as a bonus. roflmao
mahalo Shampoo
deutsey
(20,166 posts)That still makes me
tanyev
(42,552 posts)One of these days maybe they'll figure out that God is not on their side.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)out of the room and throwing up is funny, but the fact that both political parties have to spend over $100 million in ads, not to mention all the other costs a campaign eats up is just disgusting to me. And each year it is only going to get worse. How much money are we willing to let these people spend to convince people to vote for them? How much is too much? $500 million? A billion? 2 billion?
mick063
(2,424 posts)The media outlets are not going to do anything to change this windfall.
Citizens United is a godsend to those that sell advertising space. This conflict of interest will never allow for the media to champion an alternate.
mick063
(2,424 posts)And the Chrysler ad had much more impact.
Eastwood, trumpeting the resounding future comeback of the auto industry, in the face of Mitt's "Let auto makers die" Op Ed, in front of millions of people that could not be bothered to watch a political convention.
This should have had them puking. So they bring him back for an encore.
struggle4progress
(118,280 posts)The only reason the Romney folk lost 2012 is because they weren't smart enough to follow Eastwood's brilliant lead
Clint's Amazing Talking Chair act really explained to Americans what Republican philosophy is, and it did so in a way that excited young voters and inspired patriots; it re-told the American story in way that brought tears to many eyes, reminding us about the importance of keeping the deep faith of our Forefathers; it shined like a moral and intellectual beacon for our time
BumRushDaShow
(128,891 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)to punking the GOP with that little "performance," that vomit was well spewed!
Raine
(30,540 posts)PennsylvaniaMatt
(966 posts)I was watching it as it was live with a buddy of mine (who is also from a Democratic family) and we were both stunned to silence with how appallingly bad it was to watch as it was happening! His reaction at the end summed it up perfectly. "What the hell was that!?"
Marie Marie
(9,999 posts)Rain Mcloud
(812 posts)seriously,i think i dislodged a tonsil and maybe my adenoids.
Then i had to wipe down the television screen.
My son came into the room because he heard me yelling"GET OFF OF MY LAWN!"repeatedly,he thought i was yelling at the neighbor kids.
The only thing that could have made it better would have been Gilbert Gottfried roasting the empty chair afterwards.
They_Live
(3,231 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Oh wait...........
B Stieg
(2,410 posts)Cha
(297,154 posts)Not even. So freaking deluded. If Christie has resigned and ran.. NJ wouldn't have him as a governor now.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)And his huge Koch.
nyquil_man
(1,443 posts)And yes, that's
ecstatic
(32,688 posts)If I recall correctly.... I was still in so much shock that I had to check social media to figure out wtf had just happened. Needless to say, I was unable to focus on anything Robme said. LOL!
snort
(2,334 posts)a jalapeno eating contest.
glad he got sick. At least I feel better about throwing up every time I saw romshit, annie or any of his family during election season.
Arctic Dave
(13,812 posts)That was classic.
rocktivity
(44,576 posts)maindawg
(1,151 posts)before it began. They invented new rules to shut everyone up who would not toe the company line. They shut down any conversation because they dont understand that that is where ideas are borne.
The Hurricane was one hell of a coincidence. Reminding every American that the repugs screwed New Orleans, and intended to screw New Jersey. Thats what they do, they shit all over the people as a policy. It was a great way to start the calamity that would be the repug convention.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)during his two campaigns for President is one of the blindest observations that I have ever seen. That community organizer was the ultimate head of two campaigns that beat the shit out of their party. One of the hallmarks of a good manager and leader is to find and position people that can help him or her meet his or her objectives. President Obama found and enabled incredibly capable people, and for that and President Obama's subsequent leadership of the country through difficult times puts republican derision to shame and show republicans up as nothing more than vacuous idiots.
Initech
(100,065 posts)Good one!
Democracyinkind
(4,015 posts)Good chance that its actually got more charisma than any prospective candidate.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)napkinz
(17,199 posts)Call it "Sonny & Chair"!
PowerToThePeople
(9,610 posts)I had never heard his speech before today. If you look at it without any prejudices, he appears to be a liberal plant. He appears to trash on Republicans right in front of them. But he is doing it in a way they can not see with their small brains.