Th*nk*ng Eastwood: 'This Was Political Satire At Its Best'

the daily beast

Fred Cederholm

I’ve been thinking about Eastwood Actually I’ve been thinking about the Republican National Convention in Tampa, the coverage, the speeches, the (mystery) man with no name, (Dirty) Harry Callahan, the empty chair, and how “we own this country.” The Republican National convention of 2012 is history. I can honestly say that were it NOT for the internet, I would have no real idea of what transpired in Tampa. The days of gavel to gavel coverage on these events are long gone. The reduced coverage has been going on for so long that a whole generation of Americans doesn’t know that this brevity is not the norm.Ok, I will admit that there are a whole lot of hollow words, political rhetoric, and microphone “hogging;” but these conventions are a part of Americana. We have become jaded as a people and tend to turn a deaf ear to such goings on. This is a tragic development in the American ethos and saga.

You see as a true political junky, I used to relish and love watching the spectacle of all the speeches, the interviews, and the faces of the lesser known national political figures. Who can forget watching Walter Cronkite fighting his way thru the gaggle of police to get to “da mayor” in 1968 and ask his question(s) about what was happening in the streets of the “Windy City” — only to learn “that the police were there to preserve dis-order.” Whoops… The world was watching… In the 2012 convention cycle, we are apparently not entitled to watch!

Now we live in an age of sound bytes and snippets that can be cherry picked to convey whatever the main stream media has determined is the “politically correct” story of what needs to be engineered, broadcasted, and spoon fed to the masses. This is unfortunate for democracy, but we now live in times where journalism rarely covers the news as we once knew it — and “THAT’s the way it is…” as the iconic Walter Cronkite once signed off on his nightly broadcast.

I only watched the oral presentations of Mrs. Romney, Governor Chris Christie, Veep nominee Paul Ryan, President nominee Romney, Senator Rubio, and of course, the “mystery” man. I was actually quite impressed by all and am still TH*NK*NG about what they said (as well as what they didn’t say that I was expecting). I never heard a peep from candidate Ron Paul who I felt was the only one who was really addressing the banking and financial problems.

The main stream media talking heads clearly showed their distaste by their “observations” about the words that were spoken. This raised my blood pressure. Some of the speakers were dubbed as out and out liars… an opinion I have yet to establish because I am more aware of the “facts” and could see how the present situation could be “interpreted” by the GOP. I will admit that the speakers chose their points and facts very carefully. I was actually quite impressed by the speakers and their outward sincerity since I had never really heard them before. The speaker who really took the post podium hard knocks from the commentators (which showed how much on point he was) was special guest Clint Eastwood. Wow… what a speech!

This Hollywood icon pulled no punches and spoke what he truly believed, but then, what else should we expect from (dirty) Harry Callahan. Eastwood is known from his electrifying movie and TV persona as a man of few words. In his first three box office bonanzas, the spaghetti western trilogy — “A Fist Full of Dollars; a Few Dollars More and the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly;” — he never even spoke. In his depiction of the SF Cop, Harry Callahan, he spoke in his deep characteristic subdued monotone. He chose this presentation technique for the Tampa presentation to the greatest effect. The Tampa crowd was not looking down the barrel of a 44 Magnum, but the impact of an empty stool as a prop was far more effective in the circumstances.

He showed no disrespect to President Obama, or the office of the presidency (as was supposedly noted by many of the talking heads). This was political satire at its best. It is often said: “If you want someone to listen… whisper.” Eastwood’s droll and deep monotone was perfect for this occasion. It was NOT rambling if you were truly listening to the flow of his monologue with the stool… The crowd hung on his every word, and roared with approval.

Clint Eastwood has never been known for his comedy. What an unfortunate oversight for his vast followers and fans because he was hilarious! His presentation captured the essence of America’s long tradition of political humor; it was humor with a point. As he stated: “It is that, you, we — we own this country. We — we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours. And — so — they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.” Clint, you made my day!!! I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

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