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Clint Eastwood Defends “Empty Chair” Speech, Calls President Obama a “Hoax”

Truth rating: 10

1:01 pm, September 7th, 2012

(GettyImages.com)

Clint Eastwood says his infamous “empty chair” speech at last week’s Republican National Convention was a last-minute decision, but that his “very unorthodox” remarks hit the points he wanted to make.

For his “surprise” slot on stage in Tampa, the Oscar winner “conversed” with an imaginary President Obama “seated” next to the podium.

In his first interview since the convention, Eastwood tells his hometown newspaper, The Pine Cone of Carmel, Calif., that the gimmick only occurred to him backstage, minutes before his address.

“There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down,” explains Eastwood. “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 says the backlash to his unusual, unscripted performance doesn’t bother him.

“I may have irritated a lot of the lefties, but I was aiming for people in the middle,” says the actor-director.

He says bluntly, “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.”

What did you think of Eastwood’s RNC speech?

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Anonymous

I’ve been a fan of Mr. Eastwood’s films for a long time but his senility (or whatever you want to call it) is beginning to harm his image. All of those great performances and yet this “chair” speech will be attached to his legacy.
Sarah

I wonder if anyone told Eastwood that Bush actually started the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan and if elected, Romney would most likely start a war with Iran? I guess at 82, it’s not surprising he can’t remember who started those wars. Both Romney & Ryan’s families make money from government defense contracts (although I’m sure that it’s just a coincidence), like Romney/Ryan’s push for oil & gas exploration in our national parks when Exxon is one of their biggest donors. Eastwood also doesn’t want an attorney for President, but I guess the same people that didn’t remind him that Bush started both wars, also didn’t remind him that Romney is also a Harvard lawyer.
Naz

Oh sit down and shut up Mr Eastwood.
Show me ONE politician who has managed to stick to each and every one of his promises and you will have my full support. Until then…hush.
mud

Excellent points. The Republicans and the Tea Part members all have selective memories and are apparently big fans of revisionist history. As for Eastwood, time to retire buddy.
patty

Clint Eastwood! Shut up! You have all the money you need plus! Your old and need to go away. Just vote for who you want, you just dont like the idea of having to pay more taxes. Im not your fan anymore. OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 YES WE WILL!!!
patty

Clint Eastwood! Shut up! You have all the money you need plus! Your old and need to go away. Just vote for who you want, you just dont like the idea of having to pay more taxes. Im not your fan anymore. OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 YES WE WILL!!!
heckya@yahoo.com

you go Clint! I agree completely!!
heckya@yahoo.com

whatever!
Lisa

Extremely ridiculous. Why ask questions to an empty chair? Is it because you don’t want to actually hear the answers? Of course, if I were to make a similar statement about Romney I could use puppet strings w/no puppet attached…we all know Romney would fall into a heap if those strings were cut.
Jennifer

I think Eastwood has gone a little soft in the head. I also don’t think he is qualified to remark on politics in general because his comments revealed how misinformed he was.
1. He was berating Obama for a starting a war (Afghanistan) that Dubbya Bush started and didn’t seem to understand that fact. It was Dubbya who didn’t ask the Russians how their 10 years went. HAHAHA!
2. He criticized Obama for ending the Iraq war and beginning the Afghanistan draw-down, something 76% of Americans want to see happen. All troops home He doesn’t seem to “get it”. Something the Repuglicans don’t get either – Americans are sick to death of these useless wars.
3 He thinks Harvard Graduate attorneys shouldn’t be allowed to be President, yet Romney is a Harvard Graduate attorney. LOL!
4. He criticized the President using gas-guzzling Air Force One to get around – less than 12 hours before the Romneys and the Ryans gave a news conference at the airport – in front of their brand spanking new JUMBO JETS they are going to be using for their campaign. LMFAO!!!!
I just laughed and laughed. I also feel sorry for Eastwood. He should have either stuck to his prepared remarks or just stayed home. It didn’t go well – at all.
Me

Love Clint Eastwood and thought his points were all valid.
jenna

Anything valid he may have said went out the window when he said, “who ever heard of having an attorney as President anyway.” Both candidates are lawyers. And if you look at our history, 26 of the 44 Presidents were lawyers…that was actually the height of his stupidity
Shelby

Romney graduated from Harvard with 2 degrees, one in law and one in business. He never practiced law but proceeded in becoming a “sterling business man” whose business acumen cannot be refuted…just ask Bill Clinton.
Shelby

So do I!!!!!
Lily

Mr. Eastwood is a very gifted actor and director. I thought he was brilliant! He got his point across in a creative, entertaining way. Way to go, Clint!
Kaitlyn Cocuzzo

polk
Anonymous

Hahaha. So now you right wingers are actually using Clinton as a character witness. My, how times have changed. Romney’s business acumen can actually be refuted. Just look at all the people who lost their jobs because of him, or the millions of dollars he walked away with after companies he ran filed for bankruptcy and tax payers were forced to pick up the tab. And then of course all the jobs he had shipped to China. It’s “sterling” business men like him who have ruined the middle class.
Anonymous

So please share with us, how exactly is Obama a hoax?
Anonymous

Well said!
Joe

Obama is a hoax?…I’m pretty sure he really is president!
Chloe

As an Independent voter you did get to me…. It only confirmed my decision that I will vote for Obama this fall. At this point Mr. Eastwood stop talking you are doing yourself a dis-service.
Ana

Clint was brilliant!! Romney/Ryan are our only hope for creating jobs and improving America compared to this train wreck Obama.
http://www.facebook.com/RTCastleberry R.T. Castleberry

Clintclintclint, doubling down on stupid just makes it worse. You’ve lost a lot of respect, a lot of fans and now you appear to be losing your mind, too. And all because you wanted to promote your new movie. Bad move, hoss.
D A Davis

You mean that was supposed to get ppl to vote FOR Romney? To me it just said Reps find grumpy old men mumbling incoherently at furniture to be there target demographic, & from the audience’s approval of insults to the very office of the presidency, it seems they’re right.
Nowadays

Clint PLEASE go quietly back into the woods from which you came from, man.
Nowadays

Aw come on man you think you’ve seen cuts already wait till them damn R’s get into office.
Guest

Clint, You are the greatest hoax as an actor ever perpetrated on Hollywood! You never could act worth a shit-maybe direct but I imagine it was others who did the real work. As an actor, forget it. You are about as good as that chair, except more wooden! And more stiff! Retire and go away you old fool!
RacerJim

Let’s not forget that both Clinton and Obama had their law licenses recinded by their respective state bar association, and so did Obama’s wife.
RacerJim

patty! Shut up! You either don’t know the difference between your and you’re or you don’t know how to spell. You’re young and need to go learn a few things. If you’re old enough to vote you’re a prime example of why we need a voter literacy test, you just don’t like the idea of letting those who earned what they have keep it. Clint Eastwood won’t miss you. ROMNEY-RYAN 2012 “BELIEVE IN AMERICA”
Clint Eastwood was absolutely correct when he said that pResident Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. If you’d use your iPhone, or whatever, for something besides texting your vote to AI, DWTS, et al you just might learn enough to deserve to vote for POTUS.
RacerJim

I’m positive he is president…I’m also positive he is a hoax of a president (neither eligible or qualified).
RacerJim

Why extremely ridiculous. Because you can’t handle the truth? Empty chair = empty suit = all show and no substance.
RacerJim

Obama minion PLEASE go quietly back into the hole from whence you came, boy.
RacerJim

Clint was too brilliant for Obama minions to comprehend!

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Clint Eastwood Defends “Empty Chair” Speech, Calls President Obama a “Hoax”

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