Thursday, October 25, 2012
‘People Will Go to Prison’: Beck Breaks Down Obama’s ‘Lying’ on Libya in Fiery Segment
October 25, 2012
The Blaze
“This president is lying to you about Benghazi in such [a] spectacular fashion that I believe people will go to prison. This is impeachable. The president might go to prison for this one,” he said. “What’s happening in Benghazi is so far beyond lying, it is staggering.”
The Blaze
“This president is lying to you about Benghazi in such [a] spectacular fashion that I believe people will go to prison. This is impeachable. The president might go to prison for this one,” he said. “What’s happening in Benghazi is so far beyond lying, it is staggering.”
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Glenn Beck Connects the Dots in Benghazi Attack: ‘This Is Fast and Furious Times 1,000′
October 24, 2012
The Blaze
During his show on TheBlazeTV Wednesday night, Glenn Beck said President Barack Obama has “crossed a line” concerning the “lies” about the terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi on Sept. 11. In fact, he claims “Benghazi-gate” is “Fast and Furious times 1,000.”
“I don’t think that we are going to have time to be able to get this out to the American people before the election, because the press is of no help,” Beck said. “You need to try to listen and get your friends to listen next door because this isn’t about politics. This truly is about the future of the country because we are in grave, grave danger.”
Beck explained that America has had three major scandals in the White House: Former President Richard Nixon’s Watergate, the Iran-Contra scandal with former President Ronald Reagan and former President Bill Clinton’s sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky.
But in those cases, “as the old catchphrase goes, When Clinton lied, no one died,” Beck said. In Benghazi, four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in a horrific manner.
Speaking from the model Oval Office in his Dallas studio, the host said “when you’re in this office” every lie told matters.
“[President Obama] is putting American lives in dangers and he doesn’t seem to care about the consequence of his own actions,” he added. “The Libya story hasn’t passed the smell test with me from the beginning but it keeps getting worse.”
Beck went on to discuss Tuesday night’s explosive report that revealed 300 to 400 national security officials received emails detailing the Benghazi terrorist attack as it was happening on 9/11, raising fresh questions about the truth behind the Benghazi attack.
The emails show that the Libyan radical Islamic group Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility for the attack just two hours after it began via social media. White House officials told CBS News that an unmanned Predator drone was sent over the U.S. mission in Libya, providing Washington with a live feed to the chaos that unfolded.
“Everyone had these emails, everyone,” Beck said, holding a hard copy of the emails in his hands. “These emails were accompanied with video and links to be able see everything live as it was happening. It makes it very, very clear. This was a terrorist attack conducted by a terrorist organization. There’s nothing in here about a YouTube video.”
Beck explained that if the administration was really working off the “facts,” the White House would have never mentioned the anti-Muslim YouTube video.
But one of the most disturbing developments involves the Obama administration’s response to the assault, according to Beck.
“Why would he choose not to send in a quick response force?” he asked. “Why were they not dispatched to Benghazi? Why were people in the situation room standing around watching our people get killed. Help could have been there within the hour.”
A frustrated Beck lamented the fact that there are still more questions than answers regarding the Benghazi attack.
On the most dangerous day of the year, in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, Beck said, four Americans were at a CIA safe house. However, we still don’t know why.
Beck says Americans deserve answers.
He then delved into the distressed message left by U.S. diplomat Sean Smith, who was killed in the attack, on a gaming website, a strange place to post a message like this: “Assuming we don’t die tonight, we saw one of our ‘police’ that guard the compound taking pictures.”
“I believe this is a place where he said ‘listen if I’m in trouble I will let you know on this site.’”, Beck said. Thirty four minutes later, when the Americans in the CIA safe house already knew something was wrong, U.S. Ambassador Stevens took a meeting with the Turkish ambassador.
“What’s bizarre is, he comes in while they are under threat…and here comes the Turkish ambassador.”
The Turkish ambassador leaves with no incident, unharmed. Hours later, the attack began. The fight lasted for seven hours, until the break of dawn. The live feed was streamed to the White House Situation Room.
“The picture is frightening and you need to share it with your friends,” Beck concluded.
Watch Beck’s entire analysis via TheBlazeTV here:
Watch Beck explain his gun-running theory and why he believes the president is lying:
The Blaze
During his show on TheBlazeTV Wednesday night, Glenn Beck said President Barack Obama has “crossed a line” concerning the “lies” about the terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi on Sept. 11. In fact, he claims “Benghazi-gate” is “Fast and Furious times 1,000.”
“I don’t think that we are going to have time to be able to get this out to the American people before the election, because the press is of no help,” Beck said. “You need to try to listen and get your friends to listen next door because this isn’t about politics. This truly is about the future of the country because we are in grave, grave danger.”
Beck explained that America has had three major scandals in the White House: Former President Richard Nixon’s Watergate, the Iran-Contra scandal with former President Ronald Reagan and former President Bill Clinton’s sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky.
But in those cases, “as the old catchphrase goes, When Clinton lied, no one died,” Beck said. In Benghazi, four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in a horrific manner.
Speaking from the model Oval Office in his Dallas studio, the host said “when you’re in this office” every lie told matters.
“[President Obama] is putting American lives in dangers and he doesn’t seem to care about the consequence of his own actions,” he added. “The Libya story hasn’t passed the smell test with me from the beginning but it keeps getting worse.”
Beck went on to discuss Tuesday night’s explosive report that revealed 300 to 400 national security officials received emails detailing the Benghazi terrorist attack as it was happening on 9/11, raising fresh questions about the truth behind the Benghazi attack.
The emails show that the Libyan radical Islamic group Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility for the attack just two hours after it began via social media. White House officials told CBS News that an unmanned Predator drone was sent over the U.S. mission in Libya, providing Washington with a live feed to the chaos that unfolded.
“Everyone had these emails, everyone,” Beck said, holding a hard copy of the emails in his hands. “These emails were accompanied with video and links to be able see everything live as it was happening. It makes it very, very clear. This was a terrorist attack conducted by a terrorist organization. There’s nothing in here about a YouTube video.”
Beck explained that if the administration was really working off the “facts,” the White House would have never mentioned the anti-Muslim YouTube video.
But one of the most disturbing developments involves the Obama administration’s response to the assault, according to Beck.
“Why would he choose not to send in a quick response force?” he asked. “Why were they not dispatched to Benghazi? Why were people in the situation room standing around watching our people get killed. Help could have been there within the hour.”
A frustrated Beck lamented the fact that there are still more questions than answers regarding the Benghazi attack.
On the most dangerous day of the year, in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, Beck said, four Americans were at a CIA safe house. However, we still don’t know why.
Beck says Americans deserve answers.
He then delved into the distressed message left by U.S. diplomat Sean Smith, who was killed in the attack, on a gaming website, a strange place to post a message like this: “Assuming we don’t die tonight, we saw one of our ‘police’ that guard the compound taking pictures.”
“I believe this is a place where he said ‘listen if I’m in trouble I will let you know on this site.’”, Beck said. Thirty four minutes later, when the Americans in the CIA safe house already knew something was wrong, U.S. Ambassador Stevens took a meeting with the Turkish ambassador.
“What’s bizarre is, he comes in while they are under threat…and here comes the Turkish ambassador.”
The Turkish ambassador leaves with no incident, unharmed. Hours later, the attack began. The fight lasted for seven hours, until the break of dawn. The live feed was streamed to the White House Situation Room.
“The picture is frightening and you need to share it with your friends,” Beck concluded.
Watch Beck’s entire analysis via TheBlazeTV here:
Watch Beck explain his gun-running theory and why he believes the president is lying:
Ed Klein: Bill Clinton ‘Urging’ Hillary to Release Benghazi Documents That Would ‘Exonerate’ Her, Destroy Obama’s Re-Election Hopes
October 24, 2012
The Blaze
Ed Klein: Bill Clinton ‘Urging’ Hillary to Release Benghazi Documents That Would ‘Exonerate’ Her, Destroy Obama’s Re-Election Hopes
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered additional security for the U.S. mission in Benghazi ahead of the terrorist attack but the orders were never carried out, according to “legal counsel” to Clinton who spoke to best-selling author Ed Klein. Those same sources also say former President Bill Clinton has been “urging” his wife to release official State Department documents that prove she called for additional security at the compound in Libya, which would almost certainly result in President Obama losing the election.
Appearing on TheBlazeTV’s “Wilkow!” on Wednesday night, Klein told host Andrew Wilkow that Bill and Hillary Clinton have been having “big fights” for “two or three weeks” about the issue, according to his two sources on Clinton’s legal counsel. While Bill Clinton wishes his wife would “exonerate” herself by releasing the documents that show she wasn’t at fault for the tragic security failure in Libya, the secretary of state refuses to do so because she doesn’t want to be viewed as a traitor to the Democratic party.
On Glenn Beck’s radio show earlier on Wednesday, Klein said his information comes from two “very good” sources.
Wilkow pointed out the obvious, that the Obamas and the Clintons have a “very behind the scenes, tense relationship” — to put it lightly.
“I said to you last night, and I think I stand corrected, that it seemed like Obama out-Clintoned the Clintons,” Wilkow said. “But Clinton seems to have gone along with all of this because he knew that Hillary would be exonerated in the end.”
He then asked Klein whether he thought Clinton would resign over the Libya scandal and expose the truth.
“No,” the author said immediately. “I can’t imagine that she would resign. It would bring down the entire administration. [Obama] would lose the election and she would be essentially blamed by the left-wing base of the party.”
“She will not be tarred with the blame for bringing down this administration,” Klein added.
Watch the segment via TheBlazeTV below:
In an exclusive interview with TheBlaze, Klein confirmed that Bill and Hillary Clinton have been engaging in “heated discussions” where the former president has urged his wife to “release the documents that would exonerate her.” He reiterated that Clinton has refused to do so because she fears she would look like a “Judas,” or a traitor, in the administration and it might hurt her chances for a presidential nomination in 2016.
If the claims turn out to be true and Clinton did suggest more security be sent to Benghazi, it is appropriate to ask: why didn’t it happen?
Klein said Clinton’s request for beefed up security would have to go through CIA special ops and or the Pentagon.
“But none of that would happen with the National Security advisor to the president of the United States Tom Donnellan going to the president and saying, ‘We want to send reinforcements to Libya because our ambassador is in jeopardy,’” Klein explained.
Ultimately, he indicated the ultimate authority would have been President Obama.
Wilkow and Klein also discussed what role Obama’s closest advisor, Valerie Jarrett, played in the Benghazi cover-up.
By Obama’s own admission, Klein said, the president never makes a big decision without first consulting with Jarrett.
“We have to assume that Valerie Jarrett, who is also by the way hooked into the Chicago campaign…that she was part of this cover-up in the White House.”
He continued: “The CIA got cables, the Department of Defense got cables, the NSA got cables during the attack on Benghazi, in addition to the emails that have since been made public. We know that there are cables that we haven’t seen yet, confirming the State Department cables that this was an al-Qaeda linked attack.”
These new revelations, following Tuesday night’s explosive report that 300 to 400 national security officials received emails detailing the Benghazi terrorist attack as it was happening, raise fresh questions about the truth behind the Benghazi attack.
The emails revealed that the Libyan radical Islamic group Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility for the attack just two hours after it began. White House officials told CBS News that an unmanned Predator drone was sent over the U.S. mission in Libya, providing Washington with a live feed to the chaos that unfolded.
The Blaze
Ed Klein: Bill Clinton ‘Urging’ Hillary to Release Benghazi Documents That Would ‘Exonerate’ Her, Destroy Obama’s Re-Election Hopes
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered additional security for the U.S. mission in Benghazi ahead of the terrorist attack but the orders were never carried out, according to “legal counsel” to Clinton who spoke to best-selling author Ed Klein. Those same sources also say former President Bill Clinton has been “urging” his wife to release official State Department documents that prove she called for additional security at the compound in Libya, which would almost certainly result in President Obama losing the election.
Appearing on TheBlazeTV’s “Wilkow!” on Wednesday night, Klein told host Andrew Wilkow that Bill and Hillary Clinton have been having “big fights” for “two or three weeks” about the issue, according to his two sources on Clinton’s legal counsel. While Bill Clinton wishes his wife would “exonerate” herself by releasing the documents that show she wasn’t at fault for the tragic security failure in Libya, the secretary of state refuses to do so because she doesn’t want to be viewed as a traitor to the Democratic party.
On Glenn Beck’s radio show earlier on Wednesday, Klein said his information comes from two “very good” sources.
Wilkow pointed out the obvious, that the Obamas and the Clintons have a “very behind the scenes, tense relationship” — to put it lightly.
“I said to you last night, and I think I stand corrected, that it seemed like Obama out-Clintoned the Clintons,” Wilkow said. “But Clinton seems to have gone along with all of this because he knew that Hillary would be exonerated in the end.”
He then asked Klein whether he thought Clinton would resign over the Libya scandal and expose the truth.
“No,” the author said immediately. “I can’t imagine that she would resign. It would bring down the entire administration. [Obama] would lose the election and she would be essentially blamed by the left-wing base of the party.”
“She will not be tarred with the blame for bringing down this administration,” Klein added.
Watch the segment via TheBlazeTV below:
In an exclusive interview with TheBlaze, Klein confirmed that Bill and Hillary Clinton have been engaging in “heated discussions” where the former president has urged his wife to “release the documents that would exonerate her.” He reiterated that Clinton has refused to do so because she fears she would look like a “Judas,” or a traitor, in the administration and it might hurt her chances for a presidential nomination in 2016.
If the claims turn out to be true and Clinton did suggest more security be sent to Benghazi, it is appropriate to ask: why didn’t it happen?
Klein said Clinton’s request for beefed up security would have to go through CIA special ops and or the Pentagon.
“But none of that would happen with the National Security advisor to the president of the United States Tom Donnellan going to the president and saying, ‘We want to send reinforcements to Libya because our ambassador is in jeopardy,’” Klein explained.
Ultimately, he indicated the ultimate authority would have been President Obama.
Wilkow and Klein also discussed what role Obama’s closest advisor, Valerie Jarrett, played in the Benghazi cover-up.
By Obama’s own admission, Klein said, the president never makes a big decision without first consulting with Jarrett.
“We have to assume that Valerie Jarrett, who is also by the way hooked into the Chicago campaign…that she was part of this cover-up in the White House.”
He continued: “The CIA got cables, the Department of Defense got cables, the NSA got cables during the attack on Benghazi, in addition to the emails that have since been made public. We know that there are cables that we haven’t seen yet, confirming the State Department cables that this was an al-Qaeda linked attack.”
These new revelations, following Tuesday night’s explosive report that 300 to 400 national security officials received emails detailing the Benghazi terrorist attack as it was happening, raise fresh questions about the truth behind the Benghazi attack.
The emails revealed that the Libyan radical Islamic group Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility for the attack just two hours after it began. White House officials told CBS News that an unmanned Predator drone was sent over the U.S. mission in Libya, providing Washington with a live feed to the chaos that unfolded.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
O'Reilly vs. Stewart The Rumble 2012 part 2/9 [REAL DEAL]
‘No Holds Barred’: Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly Debate Everything From Big Bird to Libya During Epic ‘Rumble’
Friday, October 5, 2012
Obama Raises $150M in September, Tries to Block 'Blockbuster' Donor Scandal
October 5, 2012
Breitbart.com
"President Barack Obama’s campaign raised more than $150 million in September, which was a record haul for the 2012 cycle, but the campaign may be actively trying to block a story in the works about a “blockbuster donor scandal” that could put its fundraising numbers under intense scrutiny." Read More
CNBC Anchor Confronts Labor Sec. About Allegations Jobs Numbers Were ‘Fixed’: ‘I’m Insulted’
October 5, 2012
The Blaze
There’s no doubt that there is plenty of skepticism after the Labor Department released the September jobs numbers and the there was a dramatic drop ahead of the election (see our initial report here). So on Friday morning, CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla confronted Obama Labor Secretary Hilda Solis over the allegations that numbers were “fixed” to make the administration look good. Her response? She’s “insulted” by the suggestion and think it’s “ludicrous”:
The Blaze
There’s no doubt that there is plenty of skepticism after the Labor Department released the September jobs numbers and the there was a dramatic drop ahead of the election (see our initial report here). So on Friday morning, CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla confronted Obama Labor Secretary Hilda Solis over the allegations that numbers were “fixed” to make the administration look good. Her response? She’s “insulted” by the suggestion and think it’s “ludicrous”:
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Video: Preview of Univision’s “bombshell” report on Fast & Furious
Sept 30, 2012
Hot Air
The Obama administration clearly hoped that the Department of Justice’s Inspector General report on Operation Fast and Furious would be the last word on the scandal. which has been tied to hundreds of deaths in Mexico and the murders of two American law-enforcement officials. However, a new report from Univision to be broadcast tomorrow, previewed here by ABC News, may put the issue back on the front pages. One source called Univision’s findings the “holy grail” that Congressional investigators have been seeking:
Hot Air
The Obama administration clearly hoped that the Department of Justice’s Inspector General report on Operation Fast and Furious would be the last word on the scandal. which has been tied to hundreds of deaths in Mexico and the murders of two American law-enforcement officials. However, a new report from Univision to be broadcast tomorrow, previewed here by ABC News, may put the issue back on the front pages. One source called Univision’s findings the “holy grail” that Congressional investigators have been seeking:
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Obama and the Threat to Israel
A mini-documentary by Right Change puts everything together on how the Obama administration is just hot air when it comes to supporting the state of Israel.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
US officials knew Libya attack was terrorism within 24 hours, sources confirm
Sept 27, 2012
Fox News
Sources confirm to Fox News that the Obama administration knew from day one that the Sept. 11 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans was an act of terror — directly challenging the administration's 'spontaneous reaction' explanation. Read More
Fox News
Sources confirm to Fox News that the Obama administration knew from day one that the Sept. 11 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans was an act of terror — directly challenging the administration's 'spontaneous reaction' explanation. Read More
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Dr. Barbara Bellar Candidate for Illinois State Senate, District 18 sums up Obamacare in one sentence.
The video, “Obamacare Summed Up In One Sentence” features Dr. Barbara Bellar, a Chicago woman who is also running for a State Senate seat in Illinois.
Dr. Bellar is not your typical politician and certainly does not fit the mold of a “Chicago” politico. In fact, she’s:
An ex-nun
An Army Reserve vet
A family practice physician (as she says, “from cradle to grave, from diapers to diapers, from womb to tomb”)
A lawyer
A motorcycle-riding, animal lover
Dr. Bellar is not your typical politician and certainly does not fit the mold of a “Chicago” politico. In fact, she’s:
An ex-nun
An Army Reserve vet
A family practice physician (as she says, “from cradle to grave, from diapers to diapers, from womb to tomb”)
A lawyer
A motorcycle-riding, animal lover
Friday, September 7, 2012
Eastwood says his convention appearance was 'mission accomplished'
“President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” Eastwood told The Pine Cone this week.
By PAUL MILLER
Published: September 7, 2012
AFTER A week as topic No. 1 in American politics, former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood said the outpouring of criticism from left-wing reporters and liberal politicians after his appearance at the Republican National Convention last Thursday night, followed by an avalanche of support on Twitter and in the blogosphere, is all the proof anybody needs that his 12-minute discourse achieved exactly what he intended it to.
“President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” Eastwood told The Pine Cone this week. “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.”
Breaking his silence
For five days after he thrilled or horrified the nation by talking to an empty chair representing Obama on the night Mitt Romney accepted the Republican nomination for president, Eastwood remained silent while pundits and critics debated whether his remarks, and the rambling way he made them, had helped or hurt Romney’s chances of winning in November.
But in a wide-ranging interview with The Pine Cone Tuesday from his home in Pebble Beach, he said he had conveyed the messages he wanted to convey, and that the spontaneous nature of his presentation was intentional, too.
“I had three points I wanted to make,” Eastwood said. “That not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of the promises he made when he took office, and that the people should feel free to get rid of any politician who’s not doing a good job. But I didn’t make up my mind exactly what I was going to say until I said it.”
Eastwood’s appearance at the convention came after a personal request from Romney in August, soon after Eastwood endorsed the former Massachusetts governor at a fundraiser in Sun Valley, Idaho. But it was finalized only in the last week before the convention, along with an agreement to build suspense by keeping it secret until the last moment.
Meanwhile, Romney’s campaign aides asked for details about what Eastwood would say to the convention.
“They vet most of the people, but I told them, ‘You can’t do that with me, because I don’t know what I’m going to say,’” Eastwood recalled.
And while the Hollywood superstar has plenty of experience being adored by crowds, he said he hasn’t given a lot of speeches and admitted that, “I really don’t know how to.” He also hates using a teleprompter, so it was settled in his mind that when he spoke to the 10,000 people in the convention hall, and the millions more watching on television, he would do it extemporaneously.
“It was supposed to be a contrast with all the scripted speeches, because I’m Joe Citizen,” Eastwood said. “I’m a movie maker, but I have the same feelings as the average guy out there.”
Eastwood is a liberal on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, but he has strongly conservative opinions about the colossal national debt that has accumulated while Obama has been president, his failure to get unemployment below 6 percent, and a host of other economic issues.
“Even people on the liberal side are starting to worry about going off a fiscal cliff,” Eastwood said.
Last minute decisions
But what — exactly — would he say to the Republican delegates about the $16 trillion national debt and 8.3 percent unemployment rate?
Friends and associates weren’t as much help as he had hoped.
“Everybody had advice for me, except the janitor,” Eastwood said.
Early Thursday morning, when Eastwood left San Jose Airport on a private jet headed for Florida, he was still making up his mind. And even with his appearance just a few hours away, all Eastwood could tell Romney’s campaign manager, Matt Rhoades, and his aides, was “to reassure them that everything I would say would be nice about Mitt Romney.”
It was only after a quick nap in his hotel room a few blocks from the convention site, Eastwood said, that he mapped out his remarks — starting with his observation about politics in Hollywood, then challenging the president about the failure of his economic policies, and wrapping up by telling the public “they don’t have to worship politicians, like they were royalty or something.”
But even then, with just an hour before he appeared on stage, it still hadn’t occurred to Eastwood to use an empty chair as a stand-in for the president.
“I got to the convention site just 15 or 20 minutes before I was scheduled to go on,” he said. “That was fine, because everything was very well organized.”
After a quick trip through airport-style security, he was taken to a Green Room, where Archbishop Dolan of New York sought him out to say hello. Then he was taken backstage to wait for his cue. And that was when inspiration struck.
“There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down,” Eastwood 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.”
He asked a stagehand to take it out to the lectern while he was being announced.
“The guy said, ‘You mean you want it at the podium?’ and I said, ‘No, just put it right there next to it.’”
Then, with the theme song from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” as a musical introduction, and a huge picture of him as Josey Wales as the backdrop, Eastwood walked out to tremendous applause.
“The audience was super enthusiastic, and it’s always great when they’re with you instead of against you,” he said.
‘Enjoying themselves’
Speaking without any notes, Eastwood recalled the good feelings the whole nation had when Obama was elected, but said they had been dashed as the economy stayed in the doldrums despite massive stimulus spending. He decried the “stupid idea” of closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and putting terrorists on trial in New York City, joked about Vice President Joe Biden’s intellect and quizzed empty-chair Obama about what he says to people about his failed economic policies. He pretended Obama told Romney to do something “physically impossible” to himself, said it’s time to elect a “stellar businessman” as president instead of a lawyer, and, as a final point, told the people, “You own this country.”
When an elected official doesn’t “do the job, we’ve got to let ‘em go,” he said, and the crowd ate it up.
“They really seemed to be enjoying themselves,” Eastwood said.
Originally, he was told he could speak for six or seven minutes, and right before he went on, he was asked to keep it to five, but he said, “When people are applauding so much, it takes you 10 minutes to say five minutes’ worth.”
Also, there were no signals or cues of any kind, so “when you’re out there, it’s kind of hard to tell how much time is going by.”
He also said he was aware he hesitated and stumbled a bit, but said “that’s what happens when you don’t have a written-out speech.”
As he wrapped up his remarks, he was aware his presentation was “very unorthodox,” but that was his intent from the beginning, even if some people weren’t on board.
“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.”
Backstage, it was all congratulations and glad-handing, he said. And then he returned to the Green Room, where he listened to speeches by Marco Rubio and Mitt Romney. It wasn’t possible for him to watch the media coverage of his presentation.
But the country was listening as the television reporters and commentators covering his speech reacted to it. And they hated it.
“I have to say, as a fan, a movie fan, this was exceedingly strange. It just seemed like a very strange, unscripted moment,” said a shocked Andrea Mitchell on NBC.
“That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention in my entire life,” said Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, barely concealing the condescension in her voice.
Bob Schieffer of CBS said it was “a big mistake to put Clint Eastwood on before Mitt Romney.”
On the Washington Post website, reporter Chris Cillizza wrote that “‘awkward’ may be the kindest term we can think of” to describe Eastwood’s speech.
“He hemmed. He hawed. He mumbled. He rambled,” Cillizza wrote.
And on CNN, Piers Morgan said Eastwood was “going bonkers” on the stage and said his presentation “looked like complete chaos.” He pressured his guests with questions like, “Weren’t you in pain while he was up there?”
But Eastwood wasn’t aware of any of it, and after the speeches were over, Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, came backstage to thank him.
“They were very enthusiastic, and we were all laughing,” Eastwood said.
When he went outside to his car, a large crowd cheered and chanted lines from his speech.
An overnight rebellion
Back at his hotel, Eastwood had a room service dinner and went to bed. The next morning, he got up early and went straight to the airport, still unaware that his appearance was the No. 1 political topic in the nation.
“I read the Tampa newspaper, and every article said something negative about the convention, but there wasn’t much about me,” Eastwood said.
He had no idea that overnight, a rebellion had erupted online against the media’s condemnation of him, with thousands of bloggers, Twitterers and commentators calling him, “a genius,” “1,000 times more brilliant than the media,” and saying he’s “only gotten better with age.”
They also started posting their own versions of Eastwood’s empty chair in droves (“eastwooding”), and, on YouTube, replays of his remarks at the convention were being viewed millions of times.
Even into his 80s, Eastwood has an unprecedented record of success in Hollywood, and is still making two movies a year. He’s currently starring in “Trouble with the Curve,” and is about to direct a remake of “A Star is Born” — things he obviously couldn’t do if he were a befuddled senior citizen. To locals who know him, the idea that he is uninformed or senile is laughable.
Nevertheless, the bitter criticism has continued.
On Tuesday, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, called Eastwood “the perfect icon of the Republican tea party: an angry old white man spewing incoherent nonsense.”
Eastwood said people, including reporters, who were shocked by his remarks “are obviously on the left,” and he maintained that, while many Americans didn’t like the way he handled his convention appearance, millions more have something else on their minds.
“A lot of people are realizing they had the wool pulled over their eyes by Obama,” Eastwood said.
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