TRANSCRIPT: CLINT EASTWOOD at the Republican National Convention RNC GOP

www.youtube.com ^ | Aug 30, 2012 | Clint Eastwood

[Yosemitest]

Click photo below to link to YouTube.com Clint Eastwood at the Republican National Convention RNC GOP



On the stage is a podium and an empty chair, with an image of "the Outlaw Josie Wales" on the screen behind him.

CLINT EASTWOOD: Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
THANK YOU

(AUDIENCE: Make my day, Make my day. Make my Day, … )

Heh, heh, heh.
Save a little for Mitt.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, I know what you are thinking.
You are thinking,
what’s a movie tradesman doing out here?
You know they are all left wingers out there, left of Lenin.
At least that's what people think. But that's not really the case.
There are a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, Republicans, Democrats, in Hollywood.
It is just that the conservative people by the nature of the word itself, are to play it a little more closer to the vest.
They don't go around, uh ... hot doggin' it.
So uhmmm … but, … but they're there, believe me, that Uh ,,they're there.
And uh, I just uh, I think, in fact, some of them around town, I saw Jon Voight, a lot uh … of people around here to town …

(APPLAUSE)

Jon’s here, an academy award winner. Uh … a terrific guy.
And these people are all like-minded, like all of us.

Uh …so I … uhm … I’ve got Mr. Obama sitting here. And he’s … uh I … I … I was gonna' ask him a couple of questions.
But uh … you know about -- I remember about uh … three and a half years ago, when Mr. Obama won the election.
And though I wasn't a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was uh … having that thing
and they were talking about "hope and change" and they were talking about, "yes we can",
and it was dark … uh outdoors, and it was nice, and people were lighting candles, and


They were saying, uh … uh, you know, and I just uh, thought, this was great.
Everybody is crying, Oprah was crying. And uh …

(LAUGHTER)

I was even crying.
And then finally … and I haven’t cried that hard since I found out that uh, … there's 23 million … unemployed people in this country.

(APPLAUSE)

And even … Now that … Now that IS something to cry for … because …. that is a disgrace, a national disgrace, and we haven’t done enough,
obviously… uh, this administration hasn’t done enough to cure that.
And uh, … Whenever, uh whatever interest they have … is not strong enough, … and I think possibly now … it may be time for somebody else … to come along and solve the problem.

(APPLAUSE)

So, Mr. President, (Clint faces the empty chair)
how do uh … how do you handle … uh, how do you handle … the promises that you have made when you were running for election,
and how do you handle uh, how do you handle it?

I mean, what do you say to people?
Do you just uh … you know …

I know --
people were wondering --
you don’t …handle that --
OK. Well, I know even people in your own party were very disappointed when you didn’t close GITMO.
And I thought, well I think … closing GITMO …. why close that, we spent so much money on it.
But, uh … I thought maybe as an excuse …
Oh …
what do you mean shut up?

(LAUGHTER)

OK, it's just uh, I thought maybe it was just because somebody had the stupid idea of trying uh … terrorists in downtown New York City.
It's just uh …

(APPLAUSE)

I’ve gotta' uh, I've gotta' hand it to you.
I gotta' give credit where credit's due.
You did overrule that, finally.
And uh, that's so, that’s uh …. now we're moving onward.
And uh, I know you were against the war in Iraq, and that’s okay.
But you thought the war in Afghanistan was uh, was OK.
I mean -- you thought that was something that was worth doing.
We didn’t check with the Russians to see how did there … for the 10 years.

(LAUGHTER)

But, but it uh … we … we did it, and it was uh, you know, it's something uh … to be thought about,
and I think that uh … that when we get to uh … maybe … I think uh … (Clint faces empty chair)
you’ve mentioned something about … having a target date for bringing everybody home.
And you give that target, uh, target date, …
And I think uh … Mr. Romney asked the only sensible question on it, He said, uh ...
“Why are you giving the date out now?
Why don’t you just bring 'em home tomorrow morning?”

(APPLAUSE)

And I thought … I thought, yeah … there's a ….(Clint looks at empty chair surprised)
I'm not gonna' shut up, it's my turn.

(LAUGHTER)

So anyway, we've got …. we’re gonna' have a … we’re gonna' have to have a … a little chat about that.
And then, uh … I, I just wondered, all these promises …
and then I wondered about uh, uh you know, when, when the uh, (Clint looks at empty chair like Obama's constantly interrupting him,)
What?
What do you want me to tell Romney?
I can’t tell him to do that.
That uh… He can’t do that to himself.



(APPLAUSE)


You’re crazy,
You’re … you're absolutely crazy.
That's what … You’re getting as bad as Biden.
Geesh …

(APPLAUSE)

Please ...
That's what …
Of course we all know Biden is the … pardon, Biden is the intellect of the Democratic party.
So we all know … where the uh … gravity is.

(LAUGHTER)

Just a … kind of a … kind of a grin with a body behind it, you know, and uh …a thing.

(LAUGHTER)

But I just think that uh, I just think that there's so much to be done,
and I think that Mr. uh, Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are two guys that can come along.
Ya' see, I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be the president, anyway.
Because if the….

(APPLAUSE)

Yeah, I think … I think attorneys are so busy, you know they’re always taught to argue everything,
and always weight everything -- weigh both sides...
And they're always uh, …you know.
They're always uh, … devil’s advocating this … and bifurcating this and bifurcating that. You know all that stuff.
But, I think it is maybe time …(Clint looks at empty chair as asking Obama)
what do you think
for maybe a uh … a businessman.
How about that? Yeah!

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

A stellar businessman. Quote, unquote, a stellar businessman.

And I think it’s that time.
And I think if you just kind of step aside … and Mr. Romney can uh … kind of take over.
You could still use a plane.

(APPLAUSE)

Though, … though maybe a smaller one, not that big gas guzzler you're driving around, when you're going around to colleges … and uh … talking about student loans and stuff like that.

(APPLAUSE)

I think you're an … an ecological man.
Now why would you want to drive that truck around?
OK. ….Well anyway.
All right, I’m sorry.
. I can’t do that to myself either.
Anyway …
I see.

(APPLAUSE)

But I'd just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen.
Something that I think is very important.
It is that, you … we … we own this country.

(STANDING OVATION)

Thank you.
Thank you.

(CROWD: USA, USA, USA, …)

We uh … we own it.
It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it.
Politicians are employees of ours. And they are uh …

(APPLAUSE)

And … so … they're just going to come around and beg for votes every few years, and It's the same old deal.
But I just think uh … it's important that you realize , that and … and … that you’re the best … in the world.
And uh, whether you're a 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.
Let 'em go.

(LONG STANDING OVATION)

Okay, just remember that. And I’m speaking out for everybody out there.
It doesn’t hurt, we don’t have to be … (Clint looks at someone in the audience)

(SOMEONE IN THE CROWD: Clint! You made my day!)

(LAUGHTER)

I don't say that word anymore.
Well, maybe one last time.

(LAUGHTER)

We don’t have to be -- what I’m saying is …
we don't have to be mental masochists and vote for somebody that we don’t really even want in the … in the uh … in office
we uh … just because they uh … seem to be nice guys or maybe NOT SO nice guys,
if you look at some of the recent ads going out there, I don’t know.

(SOMEONE IN THE CROWD: Clint! Make my day!)

(CHEERS)

But … okay.
? You want to make my day, huh?
All right.

(APPLAUSE AND CROWD STARTS STANDING)

Alright.
I start it, you finish it.
"Go ahead."

(AUDIENCE: "Make my day!")

Alright.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.

[ridesthemiles]

How many people got the idea that ‘The Empty Chair” was Obama in the position of President from day one.

Barry has not been in that chair nearly enough—golfing—vacations—constantly campaigning on the taxpayer dime—you name it.

I thought “The Empty Chair” was positively brilliant!!!

[bcsco]

I equated the empty chair with the “empty suit” meme. I like yours as well. But both fit the emptiness of his time in office.

[loveliberty2]

Please send this thread to the talking heads on CNN who were discussing Clint between 10 and 11 a.m. EST today.

Let them know that citizen/voters out here understood Eastwood's message loud and clear, that the "chatterer class" in NYC and Washington may have filtered it through their "Obama hearing device," but that their attempt to portray Clint as a doddering old fool who has lost his touch won't work.

Any attempts next week to portray him as such will reveal them for what they are: useful idiots for the ideology which finally will silence even them.

[A'elian' nation]

Thanks for your reply. I hadn’t known that Eastwood’s teleprompter froze.

Yes, I’ve seen Harvey, and I’m glad your sweet imaginative daughter has seen the real one too. I guess I just felt myself struggling up there for him to find the next word. Nor do I think Ann Romney was all that comfortable with it either.

On second thought, I’m sure it connected with middle America even though we were all trying to pull him across the finish line. As it was, his 5 minute “Harvey” show turned into 12 valuable prime time minutes. I still don’t think that Romney’s team will be using any Eastwood advertisements.

The RNC should have shown the Romney video, which was fantastic, after Rubio’s speech, and then have Romney appear as they did with W at his convention.