Date | August 30, 2012 |
---|---|
Location | Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, Florida |
Also known as | 2012 Republican National Convention, final night |
Participants | Clint Eastwood Chair |
| ||
---|---|---|
On Thursday, August 30, 2012, American actor and director Clint Eastwood gave a speech at the Republican National Convention. Eastwood had endorsed Mitt Romney for the 2012 United States presidential election earlier that month, and spent much of his speech's running time on a largely improvised routine in which he addressed an empty chair that represented President Barack Obama. The speech, broadcast in a prime time slot, was viewed live by around 30 million people. It generated many responses and much discussion.
Eastwood had a political background as the non-partisan mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, [1] and he had served on various state commissions on parks and the film industry. [2] [3] He also previously endorsed Republican candidate John McCain during the 2008 United States presidential election. [4] On August 3, 2012, Eastwood had formally endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for the 2012 presidential election, speaking at a fundraiser for the candidate. [5] [6]
The three broadcast networks each devoted one hour of coverage to the convention per night, during the prime 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. time slot. [1] [7] In response to criticism that conventions are over-scripted, organizers did not disclose the identity of the first speaker who had been given the high profile speaking slot. [8] On August 30, CNN reported that Eastwood was the "mystery guest". [9]
Eastwood made an unannounced appearance at the convention, speaking at the top of the final hour. The speech was scheduled to last five minutes. [1] [10] Eastwood started the speech with "I know what you're thinking", referencing the number of .44 Magnum rounds his "Dirty Harry" Callahan character fired in the eponymous 1971 film, and spent much of his speech time on a largely improvised routine addressing an empty chair representing President Barack Obama. The speech lasted about 12 minutes, and was characterized by multiple sources as "rambling." [1] [10] [11] [12] [13] In at least two instances, Eastwood implied the President had directed vulgarities at either Romney or him, saying "What do you want me to tell Romney? I can't tell him to do that, he can't do that to himself." [14] [15]
Following his conversation with the empty chair, Eastwood turned his focus to the delegates and the audience at home, stating in part "But I'd just like to say something ... that I think is very important. It is that, you, we, we own this country. ... it's not politicians owning it; politicians are employees of ours ... And whether you're Democrat or whether you're a Republican or whether you're Libertarian or whatever, you're the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let 'em go." The speech ends with a reference to "Go ahead, make my day", spoken as Dirty Harry from the 1983 film Sudden Impact . [16]
Eastwood's speech was viewed live by 30.3 million people, across at least 11 television networks which were broadcasting coverage of the convention. (Those numbers do not count those watching on C-SPAN, whose audience is not measured.) [17]
Several months later, following the election, Eastwood revealed to CNBC anchor Becky Quick that his infamous "empty chair" skit had been inspired by a Neil Diamond song ("I Am... I Said") that had come over the radio in his Tampa hotel room and that included a lyric about an empty chair not hearing the singer's laments. [18] Eastwood said that the skit was made up on the spot right before he gave it and that if he could, he would say something different if he could have a do-over: "My only message was [that] I wanted people to take the idolizing factor out of every contestant out there. Just look at the work, look at the background, and then make a judgment on that. I was just trying to say that, and did it in kind of a roundabout way which took a lot more time, I suppose, than they would have liked." I'd probably say something else but I'd try to get the same message across so that people don't have to kiss up to politicians. No matter what party they're in, you should evaluate their work and make your judgments accordingly. That's the way to do it in life and every other subject, but sometimes in America we get gaga, we look at the wrong values." [19]
External videos | |
---|---|
Watch Clint Eastwood Speak at Republican National Convention. Retrieved April 11, 2017. (Transcript) |
Eastwood's remarks were well-received within the convention hall, but responses were mixed outside the hall. [10] [20] [21] [22] His ex-partner Frances Fisher posted an essay on Facebook criticizing the speech, and suggested his appearance was a publicity stunt to sell tickets for his then-upcoming film Trouble with the Curve . [23]
Film critic Roger Ebert, an Obama supporter, commented, "Clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic. He didn't need to do this to himself. It's unworthy of him," [18] and later elaborated that while he continues to revere Eastwood as an artist, he opined that Eastwood was "handed the wrong sheet music". [24] Bill Maher, a comedian and talk show host who has been highly critical of the Republican Party, praised Eastwood's performance and his decision to go off-script during a heavily scripted affair: "As a performer, as a stand-up comedian for 30 years who knows how hard it is to get laughs ... he went up there ... without a net, on a tightrope. There was no teleprompter. He did a bit with just an empty chair and killed." [25] Mark Steyn spoke particularly favorably of Eastwood's closing statement, referring to it as "some of the hardest lines of the convention". [26] Jon Stewart commented on the August 31 episode of The Daily Show that Eastwood's performance could be understood as a metaphor for the existence of "a President Obama that only Republicans can see", who bears "so little resemblance to the world and the President that I experience." [27]
Republican Wisconsin governor Scott Walker described the speech as "that one moment, which I cringed about". [28] [29] Former Romney adviser Mike Murphy tweeted: "Note to file: Actors need a script." [30] Meanwhile, Ann Romney commented to CBS This Morning that Eastwood is "a unique guy and he did a unique thing last night. We appreciated Clint's support. I didn't know it was coming." [31] The New York Times quoted unnamed Romney aides describing the Eastwood speech as "strange" and "weird." [1] One Romney aide described it as "theater of the absurd." [1] According to Double Down, a book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann recounting the 2012 Republican campaign, one of Romney's senior strategists, Stuart Stevens, excused himself during Eastwood's performance to vomit in another room in reaction to it. [32] According to the Times, the Eastwood appearance was cleared by Stevens and another senior campaign leader, Russell Schriefer, who drew up a rough set of talking points for Eastwood. [1] Staffers reported that unlike other speakers at the convention, there were no rehearsals for Eastwood's speech, nor did they require Eastwood to be on script. [1] [32]
Staffers also reported that Eastwood's use of the chair was a last-minute decision by the actor himself. [1] Eastwood confirmed this in a September 4 interview with The Carmel Pine Cone: "There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down. When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea." Eastwood further elaborated that he purposely avoided preparing for the speech to make it appear unpolished and more appealing to the average citizen. [33]
During his speech, Eastwood said, "See, I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be president anyway," apparently referencing President Obama. Amy Argetsinger of the Washington Post and Joe Palazzolo of The Wall Street Journal both noted that Romney has a Juris Doctor; [34] [35] as Palazzolo wrote, Romney "is a trained lawyer and a businessman. He earned both his J.D. and his MBA at Harvard University, in a dual-degree program." [35] Romney passed the Michigan bar exam, but has never practiced as an attorney, instead pursuing a career in management consulting. [36] [37]
The incident led to the "Eastwooding" Internet meme spreading via Twitter whereby people would pose next to empty chairs, sometimes pointing at the chairs. [38] [39] [40] [41] The episode was also lampooned in The Onion . [42] The model of chair, designed in 1992 by the Italian architect/designer Sergio Mian, was profiled as well. [43] Inspired by the Eastwood speech, a Texas man hanged an empty chair in effigy. [44]
The speech follows a long-standing American tradition of empty chair debating, dating back to at least 1924, as pioneered by Progressive vice presidential nominee Burton K. Wheeler. [45] The style of the conversation was noticeably similar to the humorous one-sided conversations popularized by Bob Newhart in the 1960s; Newhart himself joked in a tweet: "I heard that Clint Eastwood was channeling me at the RNC. My lawyers and I are drafting our lawsuit." [46] Bloggers have suggested that Eastwood was attempting a form of Gestalt therapy either for himself or for the Republican Party generally. [47]
In a September 7, 2012, interview with his hometown newspaper, The Carmel Pine Cone, following his speech at the Republican Nation Convention, Eastwood said that "President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people," and "Romney and Ryan would do a much better job running the country, and that's what everybody needs to know. I may have irritated a lot of the lefties, but I was aiming for people in the middle." [48]
Following Obama's poor performance in the first general presidential debate of the 2012 cycle, Eastwood's empty chair symbol was revived. The New Yorker featured a caricature of Romney debating Eastwood's chair (drawn by Barry Blitt) for its October 15, 2012, edition. [49]
In response to Clint Eastwood's speech, President Obama tweeted a photo himself sitting in the presidential chair at the Cabinet's Table with the caption "This seat's taken." [50]
On November 7, 2012, the day after President Barack Obama won reelection, Daniel Day-Lewis brought a chair onstage at the 2012 BAFTA Britannia Awards and congratulated it. Day-Lewis added: "I love Clint Eastwood, this is no satirical comment on him or his politics...When I saw him talking to a chair in front of a roomful of strangers, I thought: 'I've got to try that.'" [51]
The chair prop itself was transported from Florida to the offices of Reince Priebus, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. [52] While the chair is among many pieces of political memorabilia in Priebus' office, it is the first item he points out to reporters. [53]
The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party's convention fell on Labor Day, the last day of the popular Minnesota State Fair, though because of Hurricane Gustav, this day was mostly a call for action to help victims and formal, required activities; most of the politicking and partying did not start until Tuesday, the second scheduled day.
The following is a timeline of major events leading up to and immediately following the United States presidential election of 2008. The election was the 56th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008, but its significant events and background date back to about 2002. The Democratic Party nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, defeated the Republican Party's nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona.
The political positions of Mitt Romney have been recorded from his 1994 U.S. senatorial campaign in Massachusetts, the 2002 gubernatorial election, during his 2003–2007 governorship, during his 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, in his 2010 book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, during his 2012 U.S. presidential campaign, and during his 2018 senatorial campaign in Utah. Some of these political positions have changed, while others have remained unchanged.
The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the U.S. Republican Party during which delegates officially nominated former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin for president and vice president, respectively, for the 2012 election. Prominent members of the party delivered speeches and discussed the convention theme, "A Better Future." The convention was held during the week of August 27, 2012, in Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The city, which expected demonstrations and possible vandalism, used a federal grant to bolster its police force in preparation. Due to the approach of Hurricane Isaac, convention officials changed the convention schedule on August 26, 2012; the convention came to order on August 27, 2012, and then immediately recessed until the following afternoon because of the risk of Isaac hitting Tampa.
The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were elected to a second term. They defeated the Republican ticket of former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
The following is a timeline of major events leading up to the United States presidential election of 2012. The election was the 57th quadrennial United States presidential election held on November 6, 2012.
Voters of the Republican Party elected state delegations to the 2012 Republican National Convention in presidential primaries. The national convention then selected its nominee to run for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. There were 2,286 delegates chosen, and a candidate needed to accumulate 1,144 delegate votes at the convention to win the nomination. The caucuses allocated delegates to the respective state delegations to the national convention, but the actual election of the delegates were, many times, at a later date. Delegates were elected in different ways that vary from state to state. They could be elected at local conventions, selected from slates submitted by the candidates, selected at committee meetings, or elected directly at the caucuses and primaries.
American actor and director Clint Eastwood has long shown an interest in politics. He won election as the nonpartisan mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in April 1986 and in 2001, Governor Gray Davis appointed the Oscar-winner to the California State Park and Recreation Commission. Eastwood endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election and delivered a prime time address at the 2012 Republican National Convention, where he delivered a speech addressed to an empty chair representing Barack Obama. In 2016, Eastwood did not endorse any candidate while expressing a GOP preference. He announced in February 2020 his endorsement of Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg in the 2020 presidential election, before Bloomberg suspended his campaign.
The 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney officially began on June 2, 2011, when former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, at an event in Stratham, New Hampshire. Having previously run in the 2008 Republican primaries, this was Romney's second campaign for the presidency.
From 2011 to 2012, Ron Paul, a U.S. representative from Texas, unsuccessfully ran for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for the president of the United States.
The 2012 United States presidential election in Nevada took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. State voters chose six electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.
The 2012 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. State voters chose ten electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent DFL President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.
The 2012 United States presidential election in Michigan took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Voters chose 16 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.
The 2012 United States presidential election in Idaho took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Idaho voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. Prior to the election, 17 news organizations considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Romney and Ryan carried Idaho with 64.09% of the popular vote to Obama's and Biden's 32.40%, thus winning the state's four electoral votes. Romney's victory in Idaho made it his fourth strongest state in the 2012 election after Utah, Wyoming and Oklahoma. He improved on McCain's performance in 2008, expanding his margin from 25.3% to 31.69% and flipping Teton County which had previously voted for Obama.
The 2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 general election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. North Carolina voters chose 15 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan.
The 2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Voters chose seven electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. For the third election in a row since 2004, no third parties were allowed on the ballot.
The 2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. The primary election to select the Democratic and Republican candidates had been held on April 24, 2012. Pennsylvania voters chose 20 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. Pennsylvania's electoral vote number was a reduction from the 2008 delegation, which had 21 electors. This change was due to reapportionment following the 2010 United States Census. Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes are allotted on a winner-take-all basis.
"You didn't build that" is a phrase from a 2012 election campaign speech delivered by United States President Barack Obama on July 13, 2012, in Roanoke, Virginia. In the speech, Obama said: "Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that."
On March 3, 2016, U.S. Republican politician Mitt Romney delivered a major speech for the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the Libby Gardner Hall in the University of Utah. In that speech, he denounced Donald Trump, who was then the front-runner in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries. He urged citizens to use tactical voting in the remaining primaries and caucuses to maximize the chance of denying Trump a delegate majority.
For all the finger-pointing about Clint Eastwood's rambling conversation with an empty chair on Thursday night, the most bizarre, head-scratching 12 minutes in recent political convention history were set in motion by Mitt Romney himself and made possible by his aides, who had shrouded the actor's appearance in secrecy.
His rambling style triggered snark about his health and his age.
Standing on the convention stage with an empty chair, Eastwood carried on a sometimes rambling conversation with an imaginary President Barack Obama.
Asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" about Eastwood's rambling, unscripted speech, the wife of the Republican presidential nominee allowed that she was "grateful for his support," but quickly heaped much more effusive praise on Olympic athletes and fellow Mormons "that knew Mitt so well" who also spoke on behalf of her husband Thursday night.
Thursday night, the 82-year-old Mr. Eastwood treated convention delegates, and millions watching at home, to a rambling discussion with an empty chair meant to signify President Barack Obama.
What? What do you want me to tell Romney? I can't tell him to do that," he said at one point. "He can't do that to himself.