Clint Eastwood defends his RNC speech

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

(CBS News) Clint Eastwood left many people quizzically scratching their heads after he delivered an unusual, clearly unscripted speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa last week, but the actor says his speech wasn't directly at the largely liberal crowd that has ridiculed his performance.

"I may have irritated a lot of the lefties, but I was aiming for people in the middle," Eastwood said in an interview with his local newspaper in Carmel, Calif., The Pine Cone. "President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. Romney and Ryan would do a much better job running the country, and that's what everybody needs to know."

Eastwood attracted the most attention for talking to an empty chair on stage during his speech, pretending that he was having a conversation with President Obama.

Eastwood told The Pine Cone that it only occurred to him to use the chair just minutes before his speech, when he was waiting backstage.

"There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down," he said. "When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I'll just put the stool out there and I'll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn't keep all of the promises he made to everybody."

Eastwood acknowledged his remarks were "very unorthodox," but he told The Pine Cone that was his intent.

"They've got this crazy actor who's 82 years old up there in a suit," he said. "I was a mayor, and they're probably thinking I know how to give a speech, but even when I was mayor I never gave speeches. I gave talks."

The actor said he wanted his unscripted remarks to serve as a contrast to all the prepared speeches from politicians. "I'm a movie maker, but I have the same feelings as the average guy out there," he said.

Addressing speculation that the 82-year-old Eastwood could be going senile, The Pine Cone notes that the distinguished Hollywood veteran is still starring in and directing movies. According to The Pine Cone, "To locals who know him, the idea that he is uninformed or senile is laughable."

[sdspafford]

Warren Buffet explains that all presidential candidates make big promises they know they cannot keep. We votes keep hoping & expecting the promises will be kept. We, voters, would do better to keep our expectations realistic, and then to hold all elected officials to their promises. As is, we know presidents do not have the power over Congress to fulfill many of the campaign promises.

[EveryWord]

Guys like Eastwood and Chuck Norris, who made careers and millions out of portraying a false reality, worlds that never existed in the first place, are the perfect mascots for the old, out-of-touch white guys that inhabit today's Republican Party. It has become completely irrelevant and useless, and needs to be thrown on the scrap heap.

[bigmanfrommaine]

Not even Chuck Norris can make the Republican party make any sense!

[AOCGUY]

by sgbarnes1 September 8, 2012 7:05 AM EDT
This guy has been in politics so I'm more inclined to agree with him.

Heard a great breakdown of the entmology of the word Politics. From the Greek "poly-" meaning many and English "-ticks" a blood sucking parasite.

[nygurl1]

Pity it's wrong.

[tmn]

Eastwood is a disgraceful American. He owes the President and the citizens of this great nation an apology, though it is doubtful he will be man enough to deliver that apology and admit his error.

He certainly does not need to agree with the President - there are plenty who do not (there are, of course, also plenty who DO). He can question and criticize how Obama leads - that's fine. However, referring to the President of the United States as "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people" is a perverse disrespect to the Office, to the President, and to the USA.

Eastwood's behavior removes any reason for his fellow citizens to have any respect for him now or in the future.

[sgbarnes1]

He has every right to say disrespectful things about the most incompetent POTUS since Carter.

[AOCGUY]

But he wasn't speaking about Bush was he?

[fiberglass3]

With Romney all your getting is an empty chair.

[sgbarnes1]

That is what we get with Obama. It goes with the empty suit. Ever hear the fairly tale about the Emperor with no clothes? With Romeny we get brains, experience, knowledge and a good man who didn't smoke pot as a kid. I think O has cooked his brains with it.

[nygurl1]

sg - you are a troll!

If you think a guy who buys companies, loots same and discards them, is what we need, take him and go someplace else!
I don't think anyone wants to lose their job right now!....And we sure don't need to help him get richer!

If he had a brain he would think before he spouts! What hasn't he flip-flopped about???

And he managed to alienate 2 allies in 2 days! .....He is soooo smart...NOT!.....Apparently his metheod of impressing people in other countries is to insult them!....Shows great diplomacy huh?

You are so stupid. He smoked pot. Big Whoops! Everyone did!
So what? He's not doing it now? You and your friends keep saying it doesn't hurt you, so why would it be any different for him???

If you had any real argument you wouldn't be chasing chimeras!

[voxpopulus]

Ha ha. I read that as : "Romney and Ryan would do a much better job ruining the country, and that's what everybody needs to know." And thought for a moment he had come to his senses.

[davidd5063]

Clint you played the ONE ROLE your whole career to PERFECTION, but you should bear in mind that ALL OF THOSE ROLES HAD SCRIPTS stud - without the script you just sound like a hateful, senile, greedy, old, misinformed IDIOT! Paint Your Wagon is still the funniest and best role yet though "partnar".

[davidd5063]

Between Akin and Eastwood, I'm starting to understand why Rove and Ryan have such a problem with Medicare keeping these senile old idiots alive.

[sgbarnes1]

He is still acting and directing. He is not senile. He is an actor. He was spot on and I enjoyed it. I don't know why any of the politicians use these empty-headed, uneducated actors to support them. I am not impressed with the Baldwin, Cher etc. I now have a long list of people I will not support by buying a ticket. This guy has been in politics so I'm more inclined to agree with him.

[erasmus111]

by olyboy September 7, 2012 12:08 PM EDT
"All we need to do to understand what Obama brings us is look at his record."

Yes, olyboy, why don't you take a good look at his record. Know what you are talking about before you start flapping your gums.

[sgbarnes1]

What record? What has he done except to drive this country over a financial cliff, give the country away to illegal aliens, support terrorists, vacation, golf and campaign. We need a leader not a taker.

[erasmus111]

sgbarnes1

Wow, another IGNORANT Republican.

You must be a racist. There can't be any other reason for you being so stupid. If you actually did your research, you would KNOW that things have improved.

I feel sorry for America. With people like you living in it, there is no hope.

[hhandyman]

His chair act was good comedy relief from the boring convention but makes a guy wonder how soon before he follows the Gipper into that world where memory is a thing of the past. If he had given a science lecture id say he had a haircut but looked like Edison famous poster.

[signseeker1717]

Nicely said. Elegant and simultaneously down to earth. Keep at it, please.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Why is the media not questioning republicans about their role in the lack of more job creation due to their subversive, sabotaging obstruction? How is that not a HUGE STORY? The media is derelict in its resposibility to the American public.

[sgbarnes1]

It isn't a huge story because it isn not. The dems had control of both houses for two years. Remember when they rammed Obamacare down our throats? Reid won't present bills that come from the House. That is true obstructions.

[nygurl1]

Sarge - you have it a little twisted. 'it isn not'???

And you expected him to produce miracles in those 2 years?

With a bunch of reps who announced the day he was elected that they were going to make sure he didn't have a second term?

They have thrown away every bill that got to congress. But that, in your pea brain, is his fault....I guess being him was the reason.

Presidents don't make jobs, unless they make war like the shrub did, but he sent stimulus money to the states to boost infra-strucure fixes that need to be done.

A lot of that money went to states with rep govs....like mine!
We got two(2) streets paved! With our regular workers...none added. Whoopy! About 2 miles. A visit to a couple of other cities showed nothing. .....So where did the money go?

Your right sarge - there is a story there, but not the one you want!