Clint Eastwood speaks about the chair: 'I'm Joe Citizen'

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Clint Eastwood is standing by his infamous conversation with an empty chair, saying he made all his points.

In an exclusive interview with The Pine Cone from his home in Pebble Beach, Eastwood maintained he conveyed his three points: "that not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of promises...and that people should feel free to get rid of any politician who's not doing a good job."

Eastwood said he didn't know what he was going to say until the last minute, after a "quick nap in his hotel room." He decided to use the chair after arriving at the convention centre "just 15 or 20 minutes" before being scheduled to go on.

"President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people," the 82-year-old Oscar-winner told the newspaper.

Key quotes from the article:

“They vett most of the people, but I told them, ‘You can’t do that with me, because I don’t know what I’m going to say.'"

“It was supposed to be a contrast with all the scripted speeches, because I’m Joe Citizen...I’m a movie maker, but I have the same feelings as the average guy out there.”

“There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down... When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I’ll just put the stool out there and I’ll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn’t keep all of the promises he made to everybody.”

“They’ve got this crazy actor who’s 82 years old up there in a suit...I was a mayor, and they’re probably thinking I know how to give a speech, but even when I was mayor I never gave speeches. I gave talks.”

Comments

[Willy nilly]

It's OK
Clint , I talk to my Dog all the time , and my Self and to stupid drivers and to
and to well , things that don't talk back
it's ok big fella , it's OK

NOT

[Ron]

As always, Clint you made my day. It's too bad, you never ran for president; maybe the USA would still be self-sufficient. In their world, they have lost the ability to do anything; instead they use cheap labor from other countries & then wonder why they can't do anything right.

Employment sucks; and it's killing their own people.

[janejoelow@hotmail.com]

Clint don't even worry. All I see are crazy left wing commies and poor people and masses of racial activist people there. Most of the hope and change people have deserted the democrats and perceive Obama as a failure. Its going to be a Romney sweep.

[TK]

Clint, if you were the president, you would have the same trouble - breaking promises. Global problems are not just about Americans. Problems are more than you can handle as a movie maker! You have made more money than an average person who can't afford medical care. So -what are you talking about?! A movie script?

[Matt]

Maybe Clint is actually working for Obama. That is about the only explanation to his performance at the RNC. At the very least he should have stayed quiet afterwards because this makes him look even more crazy. Poor Republicans. I never thought I would ever see a person who could make Stephen Harper look like the dos equis man but Romney is it!

[just]

It's real simple. He's 82 people. He'll never be allowed go onstage, unscripted, again. Every actor tries to get away with that.

But Clint let himself down. He shouldn't blame himself too much because he's 82. It's hard to face dementia when it sets in.

This won't happen again, don't worry.

[Joel Malard]

This is no Joe Average, if he needs hip replacement he' ll get it, he isn' t wondering how he'll live the next 20 years on 20k left in his pension savings. So right off the bat, this guy too is a hoax.

[redrong]

Yes Clint, you are Joe "Multi-Millionaires" Citizen. You have have a lot in common with the rest of the people.

[The Professor]

Hey, lil' Clinty - just go away and MAKE MY DAY! Although I am a big movie fan of yours, you simply do not cut it as a speaker. It's about time that you and your two buddies, Smith and Wesson, packed it in, n'est-ce pas? Oh, and take your friend Pauline Ryan with you.

[j-rock]

The best part about getting old is that you can do all kinds of crazy s*#t, and people just shrug their shoulders. You've got carte blanche to do anything you want. Eastwood's "talk" was the weirdest part of the Republican convention, and that's saying a LOT.

[J.S. Hartwick]

Clint Eastwood is not Joe Citizen. Here is what he thinks is an appropriate use of the democratic process . Some years ago he got himself elected mayor of the exclusive california beach community in which he owns a beautiful enormous beach front property.This was I believe his first foray into politiics certainly on an active local level.He had held no elected position previously. He won easily. I mean why not he was already a very high profile guy even among his wealthy celebrity nieghbours. While in office he pushed and eventually had passed a new bylaw for the community making the beach in front of his house and those of his friends who owned beachfront homes, private property restricting all access to the public.At the end of his term he left politics and never held or ran for public office again.You can understand why he loves romney and the republicans

[Ron]

it's okey to talk to yourself as long as you don't answer back

[Victor - Santiago - Chile]

Yeah... you made a point or two but didn't make your candidate a happy man. Ask them again to give you a mike and wait seated...

[Victor - Santiago - Chile]

You had a stool but stools do bad things.. Remember Million $ Babe?... This time you got KO'd yourself

[Jack]

Eastwood warns his detractors:
"Go ahead! Make me look stupid.."

No, Clint. You did that to yourself.

[Matthew]

Eastwood, while a talented film maker who's work I greatly admire, is not a "Joe Citizen" he's a very rich very entitled white man living in an area which is at best out of touch from the rest of American society. He is no more "Joe Citizen" than an olympic swimmer is "some one who likes to splash around in the pool" I would like him to put him self in the position of the people who have no money, who's children don't destroy hand bags worth multiple thousands of dollars as a "art piece" and who are actually living in the real world not the bubble that surrounds the utlra rich of every political stripe. Then he can talk about people not doing their job, the reality is the conservatives in America were obstructionist and prevented any action from taking place. Without entirely selling out their morals it would have been impossible to get any action completed in the US. I only wonder what the world would have been like if back during the New Deal era the political parties were so obstructionist. There would have been blood in the streets that's what. It's only a matter of time before we have villages of homeless people living in Central Park all over again.

[Patrick Callaghan]

Clint (Dirty Harry Callaghan) has always said what he meant and meant what he said. He is the perfect VP for Romney..they are polar opposites.

Try to find a politician that can meet his love and commitment to making his country and this world a better place.

Democrats can complain, but he really was only presenting the challenge for better accountability and performance. Look at his record. He is not a religious fanatic..he is throwing out the gauntlet for performance.

I really don't think that Clint endorses the Sheriff of Nottingham and his VP, the Mad Hatter (Tony Robbins - without the magnificent brain and heart).

My advice for Obama is to hire "Dirty Harry" and get him to redirect his 44 Magnum. Clint can start by collecting the Sheriff's taxes to give to the poor.

Patrick

[Maria]

First of all "President Obama" not "Mr. Obama"! Second, way to go for respecting and valuing your audiences. You didn't even care to prepare a speech for GOP??? and expect others to value your opinion?!
President Obama has been cleaning the mess that Bush (where was he by the way? why do you have to hide him?) made, sorry he has not been fast enough for your taste. Side with Paul Ryan, he has already set a record by his so called "facts". and I thought Ahmadi Nejad is mythomaniacs. Glad Iranians were smart enough not to vote Ahmadi Nejad into the office.

[Kathleen]

Cint, you were perfect and everything you said was RIGHT ON, you not only MADE MY DAY, you made millions of Proud Americans day as well.

It's good against EVIL....in 2008 EVIL won, in 2012 GOOD will prevail!!!

America has woken up, we all need to VOTE OBAMA OUT!!!

KC

[George Miron]

John Stewart said it best when he titled the episode "The Old Man and the Seat"...

Mr. Eastwood says "he didn't know what he was going to say until the last minute"... most likely he still doesn't know what he said... As for his other points: "people should feel free to get rid of any politician who's not doing a good job." I wonder if he considers the Republicans who refused to co-operate and who proudly stated that their mission was to make sure that Obama's a one term president were doing a good job? As for the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people," I'd say the evangelical takeover of the political process would win the prize...