Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
The big hilarious joke on Twitter today is that the alleged disaster of Clint Eastwood’s speech was in fact a secret agent mission, sent on a kamikaze run by the Obama campaign to sink Romney’s big night.
Makes perfect sense….because without Clint’s stumble…the masses of Twitter would have been spending the night high-fiving and celebrating what a wonderful speech Romney gave? How it completely changed their minds about the man and made them see him in a fresh new light?
Obviously not. The range of potential reaction to Romney’s speech ran from unrelenting scorn to apocalyptically negative. This is the Backlash Era - where conversation is driven by the roving lynch mobs of Twitter, with professional journalists scraping at their heels desperate to keep up with the pace. During this time, it is not possible for Romney - or for any candidate - to receive a sustained positive response to a speech. The very worst thing they can do is deliver a speech that gets their supporters feeling great and all riled up and thinking it was terrific, as their enthusiasm would only engender an even bigger Backlash. The rule of the Backlash Era is that hype will only generate a greater blowback, so positive reaction is not, in the short to medium term, possible.
It is a rule of the Backlash Era that the candidate whom people are thinking about the least on election day will win. I previously suggested that in a more open world the best thing a candidate could do would be to skip their own conventions and if possible, steer clear of the debates as well.
But this is not possible. So given that, how does a candidate manage to be the centerpiece of his own convention, speaking before thousands of adoring acolytes on live national television and avoid a backlash? The best way I can think of is by throwing the Twitterati something bigger to Backlash against then your own speech. Since Newsroom wasn’t airing this week, they had to figure, what could inspire a backlash that is not only bigger, but ultimately, more of an irrelevant sideshow than having an enormous Hollywood star take the stage and do something completely off-kilter and to the caustic eye of Twitter, absolutely bizarre. And then with Twitter safely distracted, the candidate would get up and give a solid but somewhat forgettable speech right after. The Backlash would all but certain to fly over your head right onto the wacky Hollywood star.
This morning on Twitter, Eastwooding is the #1 trending topic. Mitt Romney is not on the list.
By the laws of the Backlash Era, we predict a significant bounce, so long as he can stay out of the news all weekend and then go into hiding once the Democrats start meeting. Provided they haven't lined up an imploding celebrity of their own.
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Jun '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Clint made it safe for aging hipsters to love Mitt. It was masterful.
Jul '11
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
I've learned a lot of respect for the elderly over the years, some still concealed carry.
Clint kowtowed to no one, got the job done, and rode off on some crazy horse. God bless him!
Sep '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
I roared with laughter through the whole empty chair bit. Though imagining that it was a masterful three-bank pool shot is overanalyzing the event. Often times we make decisions that in retrospect seem a lot smarter than they really were.
Apr '11
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Fragile Libs are sputtering cause Eastwood's performance was so transgressive.
Jun '12
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
It had a "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" feel to it, but it was not train wreck, just much different from what I think people were expecting. Clare's dubbing it "transgressive" is probably right, as is DocJay's observtion on his thread on it that mockery is the surest mechanism to drive a narcissist batty. It's har dto know if it's off-beatness was by design or just happened. If by design, it may go down as one of the all time greatest "distract-the-chattering-class-so-they-tweet-this-instead" gambits ever pulled off.
Nov '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Romney's strength is that he's utterly serious. Even when he's being gently funny. Clint's piece was excellent interference to the mockery in the MSM. They were so busy spewing vitriol at Eastwood that they had little time to tear into Mitt. So there his speech stands for anyone to look at and ponder without squawking heads trying to spin it otherwise. Clint was necessary because Mitt is so straight. I think the distraction worked perfectly well, and these media idiots took the bait.
Jul '12
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
McKinley old-school campaigning (sit on porch, drink lemonade, let others make the case) was starting to sound sensible, especially given the prodigious number of compelling surrogates currently available. Your thinking is clearly more suited to whatever century this is. Bravo. But what about the lemonade?
May '11
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Wow, Richard, I almost believe this!
Sep '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Who knew that Andy Kaufman was still alive? Genius.
Sep '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Clint was necessary because Mitt is so straight. I think the distraction worked perfectly well, and these media idiots took the bait.
Just like in Gran Torino when he reached for his lighter in the final scene. Like I said: genius.
Sep '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Tagged the sitting President as The Man with No Game.
Oct '11
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
I think the Romney campaign is deliberately baiting the lefties. His birth certificate remark in Michigan and now Eastwood's schtick have inspired tons of vitriol from Obama's lackies. I don't see how unhinged ranting from people attacking Clint Eastwood for being old or claiming it's racist to be from Michigan can do anything but make Romney look good by comparison.
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Couldnt agree more. He's directed the backlash twitteratis to a target they will look nothing but pathetic attacking.
Aug '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
!
Apr '12
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
How many 82-year-olds could do what Clint Eastwood did last night? He was totally entertaining and held everyone's attention while he made his points.
So funny that Obama, or his followers, tweeted! If they did.
Apr '11
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
In the weeks leading up to Romney's speech, I heard quite a few times that it was the biggest speech of Romney's life. In the days leading up to Romney's speech, all I heard about was speculation on who the secret speaker would be.
Content aside, it was a huge release valve for the expectations that were building up around Romney.
Aug '12
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
Richard Rushfield
Couldnt agree more. He's directed the backlash twitteratis to a target they will look nothing but pathetic attacking. · 1 hour ago
Remember how the unhinged ranting against Cllinton actually helped him in '96? Maybe someone in the RNC/Romney Campaign learned something.
Mar '12
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
As with children, the Left care for the old only in abstract: the sight of an actual old guy, suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in the form of shaky voice, PC be damned sensibilities toward the One, and old-fashioned views about firing people who aren't getting the job done is utterly revolting to them.
Jul '10
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
The delivery seemed strange, but it was funny at the time, and in retrospect it may have been brilliant. Note that he never made any nasty or harsh attacks. Even his comment about "they're good people, or maybe not so good considering some of the recent ads they have put up" (or close to that). It was a brilliant put-down - softly. Same with, "if they don't do the job, you have to let them go." Then there's talking to an empty chair.
Eastwood is a movie director of some note. I believe he understood how to stage this to maximum effect. Which he did. Even the stumbling delivery disarmed his comments, from a harsh attack to a spectacular soft put-down.
May '11
Re: Was Clint's Speech a Brilliant Piece of Backlash Jiu-Jitsu?
It was so strange I didn't know what to think of it as I was watching it. It was short enough however that it was easy to watch it again on the net and when you do, you realize there was method in the madness. I think it gives people permission to ridicule Obama and that has been lacking. It was some form of strange jiu-jitsu no doubt.