"Eastwood simply channeled Bob Newhart and Jimmy Stewart through his own iconic presence, and shot from the hip" (UPDATED)

I so enjoyed Clint Eastwood's speech last night at the Republican National Convention.

So quite obviously did Frank Weathers Thomas McDonald:

I thought Clint was terrific, but then again I hate political speeches. After days of tightly scripted and overly-rehearsed political pap, it was strange, raw, clearly improvised, and honest. With every other speaker, the stage direction is tangible: “mention America, pause dramatically, look up and to the left with a misty gaze as though you’re remembering your mom.” Eastwood simply channeled Bob Newhart and Jimmy Stewart through his own iconic presence, and shot from the hip. There were some great lines in there, particularly the bit about asking the Russians for some advice on Afghanistan.

This morning, I’m just soaking up all the leftie talking points about Clint being a senile old fool. Keep it up, kids: that should play well with the AARP crowd you need so desperately to win.

Frank's Mr. McDonald's got more, including references to Chickens and Ticks.

Well worth your visit.

The reaction to Clint is quite mixed.

Your thoughts?

UPDATE: Clearly, I wasn't paying attention when I hurriedly put this post up.  Mr. Weathers is who turned me on to Mr. McDonald's post and in my hurry to put it up, I erred.  Drats. 

With my apologies.

Comments

[R.C.]

I don't think a lot of people appreciate the impact of The Empty Chair.

Here's how it played, for me:

I thought the timing was off, sometimes, and that the old-guy disjointedness, if feigned, was feigned not only too convincingly, but a bit too often, distracting from the humor of it.

But I am left thinking it was all pretty brilliant, nonetheless.

Basically, The Empty Chair is now the world's short-hand, their icon, their chat-room avatar, to represent Obama.

I guarantee you: The Empty Chair as Obama is the next Internet Meme. Every trite pointless phrase that exits his mouth is going to be superimposed on a photo of an empty chair, like one of those LOLcats or the ORLY owls from years back.

In fact, while watching it, I wondered if they shouldn't have had an empty suit, perhaps with a white shirt and one of Obama's more often-worn ties, propped up in the chair to make the point more directly. You know: "Just an empty suit."

But, no, I decided: The Empty Chair is more accurate. The chair of President has been empty for the last four years. We've had an interregnum, a sede vacante situation. I mean, there's a guy there, sort of, but there's so little leadership you'd never know it.

Oh, and with a teleprompter sitting in front of the empty chair, too! Classic!

[RandomThoughts]

The Empty Chair as Obama is the next Internet Meme.

I totally agree.

And so it begins: http://legalinsurrection.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Chair1.jpg

(the chair is exactly like the one Eastwood used)

I laughed during Eastwood's monologue. I thought it was clever, funny, and I totally got the concept of the empty chair president.

I also thought it was pure entertainment wrapped around a core of truth. I'm not surprised the liberal lefties perceived it as rambling nonsense though; they have no sense of humor and the satirical irony of the empty chair completely eludes them.