Thoughts on Eastwood

So it's been beaten to a pulp, but there's an aspect of the Eastwood speech that I haven't seen anybody discuss, and I can't really figure out why no one else has talked about it. It concerns Clint's last foray into politics, and what his performance at the RNC means in light of it for the American Middle.

A few months ago, during the Super Bowl, Clint Eastwood came out and told us about how "it's halftime." A lot of GOPers were kinda mad that Eastwood had sorta "sold out," and his tough talk about the resurrection of Detroit was in some ways the beginning of the Obama re-election campaign. In retrospect, it seems that a lot of political folks over-exaggerated that ad, but it also seems to me that a lot more Americans listen to Clint Eastwood than to Obama or Romney. If the last time Clint graced your TV screen was at the Super Bowl, and then the next thing is the performance at the RNC, I think there's a bit of continuity there, and people will nod and agree with him in a way that they won't for the slick politicians.

People -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- want Detroit to succeed, while at the same time remaining highly skeptical about the bailouts (and the bailout culture) of the current administration. In this respect, Eastwood has kept his finger on the pulse of the American Middle, and given it a voice that politicians can't emulate. When he says, "it's time to let him go," people hear their boss (or themselves) making the the same tough decision about that guy who doesn't show up on time, or has been given just a bit more responsibility than he can handle. And everybody who lives in the American Middle hanging around the water cooler knows why that guy's being fired, and why it's the right decision, and it doesn't mean that the guy's bad, just not the right fit for the company. And it's kind of a drag, but it's the way it has to be.

Politicians simply can't make the same appeal. When Romney fires people, it's scary, and he comes off as a jerk. When Clint Eastwood fires you, you know you've done something to deserve it, especially after he's given you the benefit of the doubt in Detroit. The red meat in the performance (which, the more I watch it, the more convinced I am that it was meticulously scripted, rather than Eastwood being old, confused, and crazy) tarnished Obama's halo; the knockout punch was the voice of the embattled small-business owner, trying to let Obama down as politely as possible. It was a great move for the Romney team, which followed it up with a visit to Louisiana the next day. If they keep this sort of thing up, they may actually win this thing.