Tomorrow morning, no one will remember a thing Mitt Romney said tonight at the Republican convention. But they’ll all be talking about Clint Eastwood’s Crazy Comedy Chair routine, which almost blew up Twitter with comments. A few of my favorites:
- Erik Malinowski: If Clint ends this bit with “The Aristocrats!”, I swear I’ll vote for Romney.
- David Axelrod: That screaming you hear backstage is poor Clint, when they told him Mitt wants U.S. to stay in Afghanistan INDEFINITELY.
- Tom Brokaw: Clint Eastwood became huge star as a man of few words As a surprise guest on the Tampa stage he had too many words (I say as a friend)
- Howard Kurtz: There is a reason conventions are scripted. Clint’s empty chair act weirdest convention moment I have ever seen.
- Roger Ebert: Clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic. He didn’t need to do this to himself. It’s unworthy of him.
- Lawrence O’Donnell: Clint’s Republican family values: he has fathered more children out of wedlock than he has from his marriages.
- Wendell Pierce: Clint is funny. Obviously not vetted. Condemns lawyers and politicians. Clint, Mitt is both.
On that last point, Clint may have forgotten that the first Republican to become president was also an attorney and a politician. But that guy turned out to be a loser who didn’t do much. His name? Abraham Lincoln.
Incidentally, Eastwood doesn’t exactly match the current conservative profile — he’s pro-life and pro-gay-marriage. But as with much of what he (and other speakers have) said, the GOP crowd at the convention isn’t concerned with facts.