The sycophants on both sides should have some entertaining comments. Actually, I liked it.

If you have the time to watch Clint's entire monologue, it was great. I can see how if you chop it up it might seem a bit senile, but it was obviously well planned with just a bit of ad lib here and there to play the crowd.

His statements were actually pretty moderate, he basically said a man that has failed on so many promises shouldn't be re-elected. He talked about maybe we should have asked the Russians how their wars worked out in Afghanistan. These are sentiments I'd say both of us could agree upon, except there's no way we'd jump ship and vote for a guy worse by several degrees.

I was worried he might be losing it based on the press's reaction. Clint's old, I get it, but the criticism of him is based on old timer bias, which assumes all the old dudes have dementia. There was no dementia or confusion. It was more stand up comedy then the fire and brimstone we have come to expect.

I didn't see the rest, but Eastwood's performance was great. He did this bit with an empty chair where an imaginary Obama was sitting.

"What was that? No sir, I'm not sure that's possible for Romney to go do to himself."

Later, "Oh no, I can't do that to myself either..."

All plays off of the phrase, 'Go 'f' yourself.' Very funny.

Considering all the promises Obama made and didn't deliver, Eastwood was right to point that out.

If you had an employee or hired a professional who made so many promises of performance, but didn't deliver, you "would have to let then go."

Jack, if Obama was a local pol, I have no doubt, you wouldn't support them for re-election.

Certain elements within the Democratic Party seemingly worship celebrity (Republicans, too), so, to have a movie icon, like Clint, openly mocking Obama had to hurt.

They know Clint Eastwood connects with a lot of independents.

Thus, the universal panning from the usual suspects in the media and those who have to prove their stripes.

There is a field of endeavor where it pays to be reasonably sceptical, but have an open-mind.

Knee-jerk reactions are those of a closed mind.

In regards to Mitt Romney's speech, it struck me as sincere. In a way, it was humble, not a soaring, barnburning speech, but contrast Romney's speech with Obama's acceptance speech four years ago, which was a sweaty, fevered speech, I think he succeeded putting a human face, on what had been characterized as a robotic, corporate raider.

Americans like and respect success.

Goodness knows, we need some success in the Oval Office, something we haven't had in the last 12 years.

"His statements were actually pretty moderate, he basically said a man that has failed on so many promises shouldn't be re-elected."

Which is exactly why Jack and others will have to "Hold Your Nose" to vote for the BO. Everybody knows that it was BO who gave us the last four years, and yet it could have been so much better. But BO failed on some many levels, the believers are totally demoralized and discouraged.

"Hold Your Nose" will not rally the youth and the others who swept BO into office to do it again. Neither will Mitt's taxes or SCOTUS, or even "it's Bush's fault".

If Clint had done his routine at the DNC convention, Brokaw and Maddow would have lauded and applauded, but the media will paint it any way they want. Clint was simply awesome.

Jack, it may go against your grain to watch more than hand picked clips of anything RNC, but you really should watch the entire speech.

I watched the whole Eastwood speech... and it was jaw-droppingly awful. Total head scratcher. They could have gone in so many other directions, but instead decided to do that. Wow.

For the rest, the only good thing they did was keep the God, guns and gays talk to the barest minimum. Ok... they kept the guns and gays talk to the barest minimum.

And thanks for Mick Jagger link, I'd forgot about that...

"SWEET NEO CON
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)

You call yourself a Christian
I think that you're a hypocrite
You say you are a patriot
I think that you're a crock of shit

And listen, I love gasoline
I drink it every day
But it's getting very pricey
And who is going to pay"
---

With gas more than doubled under BO, who indeed?

Say what you want about Ms. Rice, but she's probably the best speaker that was scheduled at the whole convention. She went up there and talked about something she can be regarded as expert in, being Secretary of State, and she did it without a teleprompter, and without stumbling.

I didn't have to agree with the content of the speech, but I can respect the skill in which it was delivered, because it's rare these days. There aren't a whole lot of politicians that can't get by without the glass panels up there on the left and right. Everyone else at the convention (except for maybe Clint Eastwood) was using the teleprompter, and stumbling here and there over audience reaction. I think that there are students of community college public speaking courses that could do a better job than some of these hacks.

They kept to the economy, which is the smart move. They kept to the theme of adding Ryan the CFO, to Romney the CEO, also a smart move.

If those with strong progressive views have to hold their noses to vote for Obama, then where does that put all those in the center?

The Republicans are doing everything they can to make this country a single-party banana republic.

They are hopelessly lost trying to cling to mostly-White and mostly-Christian Inquisition politics with a bit of pretend anybody can still rise to the cigar smoking, white shoe top.

Meanwhile the Democrats are becoming America's version of the Mexican PRI - an exclusive club pretending to be revolutionary.

I love Clint, but that was painful to watch. Bringing up Afghanistan was hilarious considering the audience he was speaking to.

My favorite comment from last night (cia Twitter): This dude mitt Romney is manufacturing the fakest hardship back story since CB4

I understand the references to God and Christianity the key speakers invoked, but I'm afraid that Oregon voters (Portland mainly) will view them as too religious to be part of a political speech. Mostly religious sentiment is something one is taught to keep to oneself lest it offend someone else. No religion is better than any religion to some. But for people who grew up as I did, when just about everyone had an affiliation with some kind of church, it didn't seem out of place. We are not particularly religious, but I saw it as a sincere expression of the values the speaker held, which for the most part, are part of the American culture. And for the record, I am pro-choice, but I respect the men and women who believe otherwise, and to unquote Rubio, we need more freedom and less government. (Now THAT was a gaffe!).

Whether you liked Clint's speech or not (I found it delightful), the problem is that everyone is talking about Eastwood this morning and not Romney.

One line that stuck with me from the GOP Convention was from the billionaires' fundraiser the morning of the last day. Karl Rove said, “We should sink Todd Akin. If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!”

Of course, he was kidding around, right? But old Turd Blossom is a very brilliant person. Maybe it was the old, "I'll kid around about it so later when it happens I can say, why would I kid around about it and draw attention to myself, if I was behind it?"

Most people have probably never heard of Mike Connell, the GOP operative involved with the Ohio election results in 2004. He was set to testify about the voting in Ohio - the voting that gave George W. Bush a second term - when his plane mysteriously dropped from the sky around 3 miles outside an airport in Ohio. It was an extremely fortunate development for Karl Rove - the death of someone on the inside of the Bush machine who was about to testify in court. The man who helped set up the out-of-state computers that handled the Ohio vote in 2004.

Conspiracy buffs were reminded of how Paul Wellstone's small plane crashed - also on approach - back in 2002, 11 days before an election that would impact who controlled the United States Senate. See, if you did have a weapon that could drop a small plane, the approach to an airport would be the perfect place to intercept the flight. Just set up and wait. Let them come to you.

You've all heard the calls from the GOP for Todd Akins to quit the race, after his "legitimate rape" phrase hit the airwaves. So far he has refused to go. Once again we have a race that could determine who controls the United States Senate, and there's old Turd Blossom acknowledging how helpful it would be if Akin somehow left the planet.

That leads to the #1 thing I took away from the convention in Tampa:

Whatever you do, do not get on a small airplane with Todd Akin.

Eastwood's presentation was disjointed and disturbing.

A far better presentation than his, or Rice, or Ryan was that of Pam Finlayson ... a political nobody. She related a moving 1982 story about her very ill newborn and the Romney family reaction.

Before hearing her, I bought that line that Romney was unfeeling, disconnected from ordinary people, blah, blah, blah.

Link to Pam Finlayson (and others) 5 minute video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2yRfkLQ_ps

transcript :
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/30/idUS233691+30-Aug-2012+PRN20120830

She was FAR more articulate than Harry Callahan.

"This dude mitt Romney is manufacturing the fakest hardship back story since CB4"

Okaaay, 23million out of work and crushing deficits left for our children to struggle with is a "fake hardship story". What planet are you living on? Oh, right. Portland, where young people come to retire.

Kudos David Brooks kudos.

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_21419170/david-brooks-real-romney

Meanwhile the Democrats are becoming America's version of the Mexican PRI - an exclusive club pretending to be revolutionary.

I've been thinking lately of the Republican Party as being kind of like Germany's Prussian Junkers at the turn of the last century: conservative, nationalistic, warmongering gentry seeking to preserve the old order and their class privileges. Of course, the Junkers did produce Bismarck, and neither party has a candidate that approaches his stature or influence.

The joke is in reference to Romney's hardship backstory, not that of the United States in the last four years. That went clean over your head.

You have to hold your nose because Obama stinks so much, but you have to do that because Romney&Ryan make you. Got it.

"...Whether you liked Clint's speech or not (I found it delightful), the problem is that everyone is talking about Eastwood this morning and not Romney."

Problem?

That is a feature, not a bug.

Proof that Mitt knows how to manage the media to his benefit.

Mitt is almost as good as Barack is at focusing the media on anything and everything but the last four years.

Surprised you didn't run a Grand Funk Railroad reference -

"Sweet, sweet Condi was doing her act..."

I don't have to hold my nose - I'll be damned if I'll vote for someone who hasn't followed through.

"Damn the fact-checkers! Full speed ahead!"

1. The United States military action in Afghanistan began in 2001. This was during Obama's first first term, I guess.

2. In July 2008, the national average price of gas was $4.11-per-gallon. This was during Obama's second first term.

IMHO, I am as close to a NeoCon reader that BoJack has, and I thought Eastwood's "speech" was awful. I was expecting something along the lines of his Superbowl commercial for GM, and all we got was a rambling "maybe you kids can get off my lawn if you don't mind."

I cringed when he said, "You oughta make my day"...It was devoid of emotion, it was the wrong diction, and it appeared that he's forgotten his trademark line.

As a political endorsement, it seemed half-hearted and extemporaneous. As if Mitt had bumped into him at Ruths Chris Steakhouse after a few drinkds and said, "hey Clint, you oughta come over to the convention tomorrow night and say a few words." So he did.

Epic convention Fail.

What a month: From Prince Harry in Vegas to Dirty Harry in Tampa.

The liberals are scared and know they are going to lose.

All I can say is that in less than 10 minutes of an off-the-cuff speech; Clint Eastwood pointed out the numerous flaws of the Obama administration. If nothing else, it highlighted the idiocy of taking US troops out of Afghanistan in 2014. Do these putzes in the White House honestly think the Taliban will simply vanish before that deadline? Time to change Presidents - and here in battleground state Nevada - Obama is on the ropes and sinking by the day.

Im sure these fellow Oregon a blast:

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-29102-oregon_women_at_gop_convention_say_todd_akins_right_about_rape.html

Well Clint is losing it , but what was with the cheap shot at
Ol Joe Biden , what did he ever do to The Clint?

The best part of the RNC was Clint Eastwood’s in promptitude speech with an invisible Obama supposedly sitting in a chair next to him. It was absolutely humorous while hitting the reality check nail on the head

From Jamelle Bouie on Twitter, “This is a perfect representation of the campaign: an old white man arguing with an imaginary Barack Obama.”

How about Barack, the empty chair, versus Mitt, the empty suit.

"in promptitude" Really?

If you're dyslexic, you get a pass. Or drunk.

Otherwise, www.m-w.com can help you spell the big words.

Impromptu" speakers have no place at a nominating convention: it made Clint Eastwood sound more like Bob Newhart than Dirty Harry.

I think Obama himself has the best comeback:

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-responds-to-clint-eastwoods-speech?ref=fpblg

Here's one view, with a reworked video.

How does anyone reach a target audience of aggressive progressive totalitarians anyway?

ClInt was perfect from start to finish. It's a terrible pity that so many people couldn't appreciate it. Must be a Mars-Venus gestalt disconnect of some sort. Try watching it again.