Opinion: Clint Eastwood Made My Day
Last night, Clint Eastwood produced the most bizarre and uncomfortable moments in modern convention history.
W. Mitt Romney had one hour of primetime television to accept the nomination of the GOP and this is how he decided to kick it off.
Eastwood's rambling and incoherent presentation in which he "interviewed" an invisible Obama was unworthy of the moment. The throat-slashing taunt delivered by Eastwood was shockingly inappropriate in a shockingly weird monologue.
Had a Democrat called for the beheading or killing of Romney it would have touched off a firestorm on the right.
But Eastwood's antics played well with the peanut gallery in the convention hall. He closed with an interactive version of his line "go ahead, make my day." They loved it.
Mr. Romney's opponents came away with a similar conclusion: Clint Eastwood made their day.
Eastwood's monologue is Exhibit A in what is a lengthy indictment of Romney's record and his campaign blunders.
Given years to prepare and months to plan for his acceptance night, the biggest night of his campaign to date, Romney thought that this was a good idea.
The acceptance speech, three Presidential debates and Election Night are the five biggest nights for any candidate – this is the only one of those five events a candidate can control.
It was a dud – thanks to Clint Eastwood.
If Mitt Romney cannot get his campaign right. If he cannot even get the things that he can control right, how can he make the case that he can run the country?
This is not an isolated incident. For example, Romney could not get an otherwise simple task, his banking, together in a way that did not cause him and his campaign embarrassment and constantly throws his campaign off message.
Romney traveled to Europe to remind voters that he was an Olympic organizer. The trip began with Romney insulting the London Games and with it all of Great Britain, and ended with his Press Secretary cursing at reporters outside Poland's tomb of the unknown soldier.
Not good.
Mitt Romney still does not have the endorsement of his rival that collected the second most delegates: Ron Paul.
The list goes on.
Romney is trailing Obama massively in the state that knows him best: Massachusetts. For the state he once ran to have so much disdain for him is noteworthy.
It is, after all, Mitt Romney's home state. Romney's campaign is based out of Boston. His home is in Boston. But he has no chance at winning the Bay State in November.
Not since Jimmy Carter faced Ronald Reagan in 1980 has a former governor lost his state. They did support him when he won election in 1976.
Romney's campaign continues to stumble and miss on the most basic things campaigns are supposed to get right. Eastwood's speech managed to encapsulate Romney's flailing campaign in several painful minutes.
About Bill Buck
Bill Buck is a Democratic strategist, President of the Buck Communications Group, a media relations and new media strategies consulting business based in Washington, DC, and Managing Director of the online ad firm Influence DSP. He has over twenty years of international and national communications experience. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
