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A Further Perspective
We’ll Always Have Clint
Tampa cleans itself up from a dizzying, rewarding week.
TAMPA — The Republican National Convention is over and Tampa has returned to what passes for normal here in the butt end of the summer. The Republicans didn’t send armored divisions through the Ardennes, but it was an invasion nonetheless.
The invaders have gone now, save for a small band of idlers who came here as part of the permanent demonstrating contingent, and, having no responsibilities or permanent addresses, are as happy to be here as anyplace else. And so are hanging on at a shabby encampment called Romneyville, just north of downtown Tampa. Eventually they’ll flake out elsewhere.
I can now go about my business at home — about a mile from what until early Friday had been ground zero — without the constant drone of news and law enforcement helicopters chopping their noisy little hearts out over my house. Convention-blocked streets are open again, and locals can go where they please or need to without consulting a map of closed streets, and enduring traffic snarls and delays on the remaining usable streets. The barriers have come down from around government buildings. You can actually travel a city block without encountering heavily-armed, riot-dressed police.
Speaking of police, the large contingent of cops, ably led by appointed Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and elected Republican Sheriff David Gee, did a commendable job dealing with the surprisingly small number of demonstrators who showed up aiming to spoil the fun. Pre-convention predictions called for as many as 10,000 demonstrators, some of them hard cases bent on destruction. A small fraction of this number showed up. These were treated firmly but respectfully by cops from several agencies. The result was few disruptions and only two arrests (count ‘em — TWO!) There were 800 arrests in Minneapolis in 2008. Perhaps the threat from Isaac and sub-tropical heat scared the red-hots off. Castor and Gee, competent top cops who serve their communities well, each rate another attaboy in their service jackets.
In the weeks leading up to the convention, Tampa media featured daily stories of the disruptions it would bring. In addition to the downtown that was essentially closed to non-convention business, there were high school football games re-scheduled because there would be no police protection for them. Some schools closed for the week because there would be no way for buses to get to them. Parts of highways were closed, making access to even non-convention areas difficult. Waterways around the convention site were closed — forget about using your boat — as was the airspace.
Local police instructed residents that if they were the victim of minor crimes they should not expect an officer to respond. They should just go to a local zone office to make a report.
It’s no wonder that many local residents were suffering from convention fatigue before the party even got underway. And no wonder that many are high-fiving as the last conventioneer departs. So, did the convention results justify all the bother to Tampa’s burgers? Probably. The convention projected a good image of both guys on the ticket. And every convention has to be somewhere.
A more important question, and one more difficult to answer, is did the convention justify the $100 million-plus price tag that it came with. Are political conventions past it? Could presidential candidates get more bang for a hundred million bucks by doing something other than dragging tens of thousands into one city for a gaudy pep rally?
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan got some solid press coverage during the three days (which turned out to be plenty), though TV ratings were down this year over 2008, and well down from historic highs when important things actually got decided at conventions. Speaker after speaker fleshed out things about the Romneys and about their lives that most Americans didn’t know. And the picture we saw is a positive one of a man who is much more than a successful businessman. This has all been well covered.
National political conventions, because of their size, complexity, and the tens of thousands involved, are inherently a mess. The one in Tampa was pretty well run, with only a small number of cock-ups.
One of the arguments for the conventions, other than attempting to give the ticket a good send-off, is to reward hard-working party members by appointing them delegates, alternates, or observers. But watching delegates and others Thursday evening standing and sweating in long lines outside in the Florida heat in order to get through security and into the Tampa Bay Times Forum, milling about in tightly-packed passageways inside the forum with people they didn’t know, and then squeezing themselves into small seats that were very close together and with almost no leg room to watch the proceedings, it was hard to see where the reward came in.
Access to this or that was restricted. There was much badge envy of those whose badges allowed them access to the good places. There weren’t even any adult beverages available unless one was invited to one of the private parties in the suites. It was a very stratified business, nobility down to peasants.
So people were trapped in maximum discomfort for long periods with no entertainment beyond political speeches, some of which were rousing, others painfully slow moving. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush gave an interminable lecture on the importance of education reform. An important concern, sure enough. But with the country $16 trillion in debt and engaging in what appears to be an aimless war in a non-country, it struck me as odd to be using this much convention time to talk about Teacher of the Year stuff. And perhaps word hasn’t reached Jeb, or Mitt, that education is a state and local responsibility.
Then came the guy most in the hall — admit it or not — were waiting for. Clint Eastwood. Clint’s warm-up was a lounge singer named Taylor Hicks, who did a number called “Taking it to the Streets” in an outfit he apparently lifted from the “Blues Brothers” movie wardrobe. He did some Belushi, Aykroyd shtick, only without the shades, backed by a bluesy ensemble called the G. E. Smith Band. Hicks and the band were well received, but both struck me as a little too hip for the room. Maybe George Strait and his band had another gig for last week.
And then came the only unscripted part of the evening, and the most entertaining, if not the most uplifting. With the teleprompter off, Inspector Callahan winged a piece of comic theater that featured an empty chair representing President Obama. There were some rude references to a physically impossible act that got laughs from the audience, nervous looks from the candidates, and, my sources tell me, sent the back stage army of political consultants reaching for their reflux medicine. (Not to worry — almost anything with any life in it gives political consultants the shakes.) Clint’s improv came from the heart, with no focus group editing.
About the Author
Larry Thornberry is a writer in Tampa.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (14) | Leave a comment
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Von Mises Jr| 9.4.12 @ 8:00AM
Clint was instrumental in demonstrating Alinsky's fifth rule" Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." Obama is a caricature of a puppet in a marionette show. He is an intellectual clown show.
You have to be a blithering moron to believe his worn out clichés. But most people are lemmings, so they need someone to point out that it is a clown show after all.
This is the conundrum of the French Revolution. Most people would never think of, no less participate in cutting off people's heads. But when the mob leader demands it, to object may cost you your head. So Clint told the stupid and cowardly people that it is OK to fire the clown. The circus is going out of business.
c. j. acworth| 9.4.12 @ 8:03AM
I see we both had the same idea at the same time Von. Great minds think alike, no?
Von Mises Jr| 9.4.12 @ 3:06PM
Absolutely, c.j. But if you or I ever wind up with the same comments as Perp or D'Redful, we will need to be institutionalized.
CJW| 9.4.12 @ 9:12PM
I agree that Clint's ridicule was funny and effective. That is why Obama and his pets at the MSM are furious. An empty suit with no ideas in an empty chair= Obama.
Clint did not need a speechwriter to say Obama has not done the job and should be let go, that Biden is a joke, unfit to be president, and that the Afghan war is lost as a result of Obama's announced withdrawal date. So why not leave now instead of next year and save American lives?
Obama and his MSM sycophants cannot answer the substance of any of Clint's points.
c. j. acworth| 9.4.12 @ 8:00AM
For all that folks profess to have been puzzled by Clint's routine, I notice here and there that Obama is being referred to as "Empty Chair", as in "Empty Chair to visit hurricane-struck areas". This is all to the good, as Obama has a rather thin skin, and mockery is right in line with Alinsky's rule #5.
Or as Martin Luther put it 500 years ago;
"The best way to defeat the Devil, if he will not yeild to texts of scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."
Pecos Pete| 9.4.12 @ 8:17AM
It was surprising that there was little disruption of the convention by OWS and similar complainers. To me this indicates a lack of interest, or maybe disillusionment, on the part of the activists. I don't think it was the weather. They just don't have the enthusiasm that I had expected.
JimH| 9.4.12 @ 8:40AM
Larry, for people of our generation Clint is best remembered for his Dirty Harry lines. He didn’t say much in the spaghetti westerns. For younger generations, he is better known for ‘get off my lawn’ from Grand Torino; a phrase which in its defense of property rights could be a good motto for the GOP. The world what it is, I know things would be different now, but to contrast the effect of the convention on Tampa, I was working in mid town Manhattan at the time of the Dem. Convention in 1980 and I don’t recall being much affected. In fact, one day I was walking towards work, down 42nd street heading towards the UN, when I noticed an unusual cluster of people near me on the street. As they came up next to me I saw that it was Ted Kennedy with some flunkies and by current standards, a small security detail. If a candidate came out on the street now they would clear it for blocks around.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 9.4.12 @ 1:56PM
Apart from his celebrity derived from portraying characters in TV and film (as well as directing films), Clint served as mayor of Carmel, CA, and ran a small business there (I believe it was called the Hog's Breath Inn). Both of these items of executive experience in his resume' made him more qualified to run for President in 2008 than Obama.
wolf| 9.4.12 @ 2:03PM
Clint's warm-up was a lounge singer named Taylor Hicks, who did a number called “Taking it to the Streets” in an outfit he apparently lifted from the “Blues Brothers” movie wardrobe. He did some Belushi, Aykroyd shtick, only without the shades, backed by a bluesy ensemble called the G. E. Smith Band. Hicks and the band were well received, but both struck me as a little too hip for the room.
Ironic... "Blues Brothers” movie wardrobe. He did some Belushi, Aykroyd shtick..GE Smith(guitarist) led the house band on Saturday Night Live for several seasons...too hip indeed
Butch| 9.4.12 @ 2:45PM
Clint worked. His endorsement is worth more than all the rest Hollywood combined. And you're right, Mr. Thornberry, he put us on notice that it's OK to ridicule Obama.
Been to Tampa many, many times on business. An OK place. Anyway, someone once suggested that the motto of the city of Cleveland should be "You gotta live somewhere." Truth is, that's most places. Know you're all glad its over down there, and all-in-all it was a success.
RJ| 9.4.12 @ 6:13PM
Clint Eastwood made a lasting impression of Obama, which is not good for "The One." Well done, Clint.
Who Knows?| 9.4.12 @ 10:05PM
It took me a day or two, but after absorbing the aftermath of Hurricane Eastwood, it dawned---
Clint was the BEST thing about the GOP convention.
Think about it---
How many YEARS and how many classic MOVIES with Clint do we have in our national storehouse of memories?
Even though his classic performance was only seen live by a few million people, my guess is that as time passes, more and more of us will recognize what a one of a kind gem it was.
My main point, though, is this—
For the vast majority of voters, say those 40 or older, most of whom have probably seen most of his flicks, via Blockbuster or theaters or what have you, this man is firmly ensconced in their programmed brains. Is short, he has heft, so when he dissed Obama---especially the empty chair---he plucked a deep “chord” in many people’s mind.
Here’s a simple proof---what percentage of people have a favorable impression of Eastwood? Close to at least 80% of movie viewers, I’d say.
So, when he SPEAKS---he has to get through the clutter in many Obama supporter’s minds, and make them wonder.
Which ain’t good for BHO!
RJ| 9.5.12 @ 1:49AM
Yes, I didn't realize it at the time, but Clint's routine strikes a previously unplayed chord against Obama. It is the song that keeps playing in your mind days later. Eastwood could not have been more effective in helping to bring Obama down to Earth.
Sonderegger | 9.5.12 @ 3:30AM
And then came the only unscripted part of the evening, and the most entertaining, if not the most uplifting. With the teleprompter off, Inspector Callahan winged a piece of comic theater that featured an empty chair representing President Obama. There were some rude references to a physically impossible act that got laughs from the audience, nervous looks from the candidates, and, my sources tell me, sent the back stage army of political consultants reaching for their reflux http://www.chaussuresfree.com/ medicine. (Not to worry -- almost anything with any life in it gives political consultants the shakes.) Clint's improv came from the heart, with no focus group editing.