Though it was no longer much of a surprise by the time he took the stage, Clint Eastwood appeared at the Republican National Convention’s final night to support Gov. Mitt Romney’s bid for the Presidency.
The world-famous actor and director produced a comic routine that attacked current presidential policy before turning to more inspirational comments for the conservative agenda.
“I think it’s time we had a businessman in [the White House],” Eastwood said. “We own this country; politicians are employees of ours.”
Initially, Eastwood carried out something of a comic routine in which he pretended that President Obama was sitting in a chair next to him and that the two were holding a conversation. At one point, he looked at the chair and said simply, “I’m sorry Mr. President. I don’t think Mr. Romney can do that to himself.”
Both Eastwood’s comical and more serious speaking points were met with enthusiastic applause by those in the audience.
Although not initially labeled as a guest speaker, Eastwood’s spot at the RNC’s final night had been rumored for some time and was leaked earlier by media. Still, the lack of surprise did nothing to dampen his performance or the reaction to it.
Eastwood’s speech was unusual for the convention, in that it appeared relatively unscripted. Nearly every other speaker throughout the convention followed a highly scripted formula in order to minimize surprises throughout the proceedings. Speeches were typically published and released to media hours before their deliveries.
The actor ended the night by calling for change, saying “It may be time for someone else to come along and solve the problem. When someone doesn’t do the job, you’ve got to let them go.”
Afterward, he delivered the line that is perhaps his most famous. “Go ahead. Make my day.” The crowd was eager to finish for him.
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