Make His Day?
Bill Whalen ·
October 15, 2011 at 12:40am
Here's something I never knew (Peter Robinson,
did you?): the Bush '88 team apparently gave consideration to Clint Eastwood as a running mate.
You can click here to see how it would have affected Eastwood's film career.
On the plus side: it would have been worth it to have heard Eastwood call Dick Gephardt a "punk" -- and not be reciting "Dirty Harry" dialogue.
Question: do you think that, back in a more confident 1988, Bush could have gotten away this? Or would this have been too "out there"?
Fast-forward to 2012: can you see an entertainer/celeb part of a presidential ticket?
Or are these serious times not meant for a class of people, many of whom just can't be taken seriously?
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Comments:
Jun '10
Re: Make His Day?
Hey! Airhead entertainer worked for the Obama ticket.
Re: Make His Day?
Gee, that's news to me, Bill.
It's sort of hard to decide if we'd have been better off. On the one hand, with Clint on the ticket Bush might have won in 1992, sparing us Bill Clinton and Al Gore. On the other, Clint would never have made Gran Torino.
Edited on October 15, 2011 at 12:45amRe: Make His Day?
The man did do two very entertaining films involving the presidency -- Absolute Power and In the Line of Fire -- so maybe there's an appetite there for national office.
That, or he thinks Washington is a nice place to visit (and make films), but wouldn't want to live there.
A Republican White House gets to decide if Eastwood is deserving of a Presidential Medal of Freedom (here's a recipients list). Any thoughts on that? If you're running the White House in 2013, who'd be on your list for MoF honors?
Mar '11
Re: Make His Day?
Are you talking about entertainers or our current crop of political leaders?
May '11
Re: Make His Day?
This is Deja Vu all over again. Didn't we go through the same arguments about Reagan?
Aug '10
Re: Make His Day?
Just saw the trailer for J.Edgar and I have some bad news for everybody. There is at least one person besides Tony Bennett who can get more liberal as they age.
Sometimes cool trumps political tendencies, since actors appeal to emotions as to no others ,like family, lovers, and pets. One of my dogs might be a socialist.
No ascribing thought to certain pleasures.
Edited on October 15, 2011 at 2:50amJul '10
Re: Make His Day?
Two Words: Chuck Norris.
For The Win!
Jul '10
Re: Make His Day?
Bill Whalen:
Fast-forward to 2012: can you see an entertainer/celeb part of a presidential ticket?
Or are these serious times not meant for a class of people, many of whom just can't be taken seriously? ·
Yes and yes.
Aug '10
Re: Make His Day?
Whenever someone says that we need the "best and the brightest" to run for public office, my reaction is usually to wince and reply that I'd rather the best and the brightest remain in the real world, doing real work, and producing real results.
This Eastwood story is a perfect illustration. Why would we want to take an extremely talented artist away from the field of work in which he excels just to plonk him into one of the least important positions in American democracy, the vice-presidency.
What a complete waste of talent that would be.
I don't want to elect the best and brightest. I want to elect the most honourable and honest do-nothings that are available.
Feb '11
Re: Make His Day?
I remember National Review's observation just after Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel: "The succession problem may be solving itself..." -- Fun to see how close that droll comment came to reality.
Sep '10
Re: Make His Day?
Next you'll tell me that California elected an Austrian steroid user to pump up the deficit.