Showing posts with label tampa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tampa. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Clint Eastwood Blames Mitt for Stupid Chair Skit

Photobucket

Other Posts on this Topic:
Clint Eastwood Talks to an Empty Chair in Tampa
Romney Advisers on Hotseat Over Chair Debacle
Media Turn Clint Eastwood Every Which Way but Loose
Clint Eastwood Blames Mitt for Stupid Chair Skit


Clint Eastwood in an interview with Extra:
In one of the most memorable moments of the RNC, Clint Eastwood’s speech definitely left an impression. Eastwood told Penacoli, “People loved it or hated it, and that’s fine. I figure if somebody’s dumb enough to ask me to go to a political convention and say something, they’re gonna have to take what they get.”

Penacoli asked if he would do it again, and Clint responded, “I never look backward. It’s done and it’s done. I probably would, I wouldn’t be afraid of it.” The 82-year-old added that he was inspired by acting and comedy legends with the chair act.
“Actually, I did a funeral speech for a friend of mine and I started talking to mythical people imitating him and I sorta stole that for myself," he said. "But it reminds me of the days of Shelly Berman… Bob Newhart, all those guys who used to do those phone conversations, all that sort of stuff.”


video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player



























Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Romney Advisers on the Hotseat Over Chair Debacle



Photobucket


Other Posts on this Topic:
Clint Eastwood Talks to an Empty Chair in Tampa
Romney Advisers on Hotseat Over Chair Debacle
Media Turn Clint Eastwood Every Which Way but Loose
Clint Eastwood Blames Mitt for Stupid Chair Skit

He spoke from the heart with a classic improv sketch, which everyone at the convention loved.
~ Romney top adviser Stuart Stevens

So the whole thing where he's addressing "Mr. President," the empty chair sitting next to him? Him interviewing the empty chair as if in the empty chair was President Obama, and then he was pretending that the invisible president in the chair yelled at Mr. Eastwood that he should go "eff himself" and to "shut up." That was the big joke of the riff.
So that's what the Romney campaign chose to broadcast to 25 million people about Mitt Romney's campaign for the presidency.
What they did last night is a political disaster. This is unheard of.
~ Rachel Maddow on MSNBC





From the New York Times
Behind the scenes, Mr. Eastwood’s convention cameo was cleared by Mr. Romney’s top message mavens, Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens, who drew up talking points that Mr. Eastwood included, in his own way. They gave him a time limit and flashed a blinking red light that told him his time was up. He ignored both. The actor’s decision to use a chair as a prop was last-minute, and his own. “The prop person probably thought he was going to sit in it,” a baffled senior aide said on Thursday night.
. . . It also startled and unsettled Mr. Romney’s top advisers and prompted a blame game among them. “Not me,” an exasperated-looking senior adviser said when asked who was responsible for Mr. Eastwood’s speech. In interviews, aides called the speech “strange” and “weird.” One described it as “theater of the absurd.”

















 
Mashable: Interview with Invisible Obama
Now that you have gained more than 50,000 followers, what do you plan to do with the account?
I can’t just disappear (well, any more than I already have), so I’m going to keep on observing without being observed. . . .

What happens when other people sit in the chair? Do they become invisible?
When other people sit in the chair they usually get freaked out by feeling like they are sitting on someone else’s lap (that they can’t see). The reactions are priceless. My “and what do YOU want for Christmas” jokes don’t go over too well at that point. Then I just bring up “Invisible Touch” on my Spotify, and say over it, “you just got @invisibleobama’d!”

If you were to become chairman of anything, what would it be?
Let me be clear. I don’t have time for that. I’m an invisible President. Plus, I’m still running Clint Eastwood’s questions through Google Translate. But I guess if I could be the Chairman of anything, it would be Ikea. It would be great to have a full line of invïsibleöbäma furniture. Plus, I bet I’d get unlimited swedish meatballs and access to the ball pit after hours (because during regular hours it would be way too creepy).

Photobucket


Philadelphia Inquirer: Eastwood Unseats Romney
In this era of instant essays, Michael Moore of the Daily Beast called it "a performance that seemed to have been written by Timothy Leary and performed by Cheech and Chong," and CNN's Howard Kurtz and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow called it the most bizarre thing they'd ever seen.

Marc Eliot, author of American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood, says the speech showed that the actor is "not that comfortable being spontaneous, being unscripted. As a producer/director, he's a control freak, and last night he did not show control." Eliot says it's "a very bad thing for a party looking to connect with younger voters," awkward for TV, since Eastwood, scripted for 3 to 4 minutes, overstayed, pushing Mitt Romney's acceptance speech over the far edge of prime time.

Ah, but . . . that chair. It ceased to be a chair, becoming instead . . . a meme, a word, phrase, image, or idea rocketed throughout the Web, ubiquitous, trenchant. . . . Andrew Beaujon of the Poynter Institute noted that the empty chair was already a multimedia meme. CNN's Piers Morgan and MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell and Thomas Roberts all have interviewed vacant furniture lately. Morgan called his (standing in for beleaguered Senate candidate Todd Akin) "a gutless little twerp." The Smithsonian Institution, with hilarious seriousness, traced the tradition of politicians' interrogating empty chairs back to "at least 1924."


Photobucket

Transcript of The Daily Show with John Stewart
Yes!!! Amidst the tired rhetoric and empty platitudes and overwrought attacks . . . A Fistful of Awesome emerged in the night where it spent twelve minutes on the most important night of Mitt Romney's life yelling at a chair! Yes!
(points upward and mouths "thank you Jesus")
And oh, how the Outlaw Josie Wailed.
(plays clip of Eastwood rambling)
Are you not entertained? This is the most joy I've gotten from an old man since Dick Cheney non-fatally shot one in the face. I mean . . . more! Give me more!
(plays clip of Eastwood arguing with chair)
'I'm here to endorse Mitt Romney in this crucial hour. You will not silence me, Invisible Barack Obama.' . . .

Not that Romney didn't get a chance. I think he talked, too.
Romney: We Americans have always felt a special kinship with the future.
Yes, yes, we Americans, uniquely among Earth's people move forward in time.
Look - I don't care how many Marcos Rubio you put in between Clint Eastwood and Mitt Romney, Romney ain't outshining this little playlet I like to call "The Old Man and the Seat."

Photobucket



And here's why it hurts - it hurt these Republicans bad because this convention like all conventions is a scripted and focused group fantasy. And the display of Eastwood's Gran Torino id was the very thing the Republicans had constructed the entire week to suppress.
This convention was the vision of a perfect America that used to exist until Barack Obama ruined it. And so what if that American had never actually existed.
(plays clip of Romney making glowing statements about American life)
Gee Whiz, Pops, that sounds awesome!
Yeah, that was the uncomplicated American you remember. I think in the early sixties there were some churches in Alabama that might disagree with your sports-team versus place-of-worship anecdote.

But the point is this: what this convention attempted to do is say that we could all live again in this nostalgic paradise if it weren't for this one f***in' guy.
(plays clips of Republicans bashing Obama) Hey, his wife is nice though. In four years one man, Barack Obama, has broken the greatest nation God has ever given us on this earth. The message of this convention is that apparently up until November of 2008 Americans lived in a utopian ideal ...
(shows clip of Andy Griffith and Opie going fishing)
... born of our own individual gumption and hard work. Sadly now, not four years later, it's a blighted socialist hell-scape where jackbooted thugs lock you up for thinking about Christmas.

And here is the most incredible part of the entire fiction: while convincing us that Barack Obama is destroying our country's future, the Republicans have also invented a past where they were trying to help him succeed.
Mitt: I wish President Obama would have succeeded because I want America to succeed. Holy effin' sh**!!! You . . . wanted . . . Obama . . . to succeed?

We may not remember that America was never really Mayberry, but we sure as sh** can remember back to 2009
(plays apocalypic clip from Sean Hannity).
Well, he did give him 100 days before queuing up the song from "The Omen."
. . . I can't believe he hasn't fixed in 8 days what our guy did in 8 years.


. . . Here's where Clint Eastwood has done a huge favor to us all. The Republican Party's irrationality that they've worked so hard at the convention trying to conceal was unleashed in a 12-minute improvised avant garde performance of one angry man.
 Eastwood finally revealed the cognitive dissonance that is the beating heart and soul and fiction of this party. They're so far gone, they're hammerin' Obama for things Bush did and Romney is.
(plays clip of Eastwood talking to chair about Afghanistan)
Oh Snap! You really gave it to the guy who didn't get us into that war!
(plays clip of Eastwood saying "It's not good for guys who are attorneys to be president anyway")
Yeah - take that Harvard lawyer, Barack Obama! You'll never be the man Harvard lawyer Mitt Romney is.

So we owe Clint Eastwood a debt of thanks. Not only because it was a truly hilarious 12 minutes of improvised awesome in a week of scripted blah. But because it advanced out understanding. This President has issues and there are very legitimate debates to be had about his policies and actions and successes and/or failures as President. I mean, tune in next week.
But I could never wrap my head around why the world and the President that Republicans describe bears so little resemblance to the world and the President that I experience. And now I know why.

There is a President Obama that only Republicans can see.
And . . . while the President the rest of us see has issues, apparently this President, invisible to many, is bent on our wholesale destruction. But look - invisible Obama is great for my business. I'm still sad that Trump's not running. But if you really want to make this election about this guy (shows pic of chair) let me see if I can paraphrase . . .
'Go ahead, make my day'



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, August 31, 2012

Clint Eastwood Talks to an Empty Chair in Tampa

Photobucket

pic by 1inchsq.tumblr.com


OMG - You Can't Make This UP ~ legendary actor Eastwood upstaged Romney by talking to an Empty Chair at the RNC. Only in America. Only in America.



All Posts on This Topic:
Clint Eastwood Talks to an Empty Chair in Tampa
Romney Advisers on Hotseat Over Chair Debacle
Media Turn Clint Eastwood Every Which Way but Loose
Clint Eastwood Blames Mitt for Stupid Chair Skit

Clint Eastwood totally lost debate to that chair.
~ kittykop.tumblr.com/

“I am,” I said
To no one there
An no one heard at all
Not even the chair…”
—Neil Diamond, “I Am…I Said” (1971)
~ athreehourtour.tumblr.com/

I would give all the money in the world for Morgan Freeman to read Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man out loud to Clint Eastwood.
~ praxjarvin.tumblr.com/

4 minutes into Clint Eastwood’s speech and things have yet to make sense
Clint Eastwood- the Chair Whisperer.
~ ohdearnotthisagain.tumblr.com/

I think we should stop calling them “straw man arguments”
and start calling them “chair president arguments.”
~ lunasspecto.tumblr.com/

Referring all questions on this to Salvador Dali.
~ Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt in email to Politico

I don't . . . I don't . . . I don't know . . . Clint Eastwood is 82 years old. And I don't know if that's what was going on there . . . That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention in my entire life, and it will be the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen if I live to be one hundred.”
~ Rachel Maddow on MSNBC



























































Photobucket





Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Romney's Fundraiser on Cayman Yacht "Cracker Bay"

Photobucket

It's easy to grin
when your ship comes in
and you've got the stock market beat.
But the man worthwhile
is the man who can smile
when his shorts are too tight in the seat.
~ Judge Smails (Ted Knight) in Caddyshack

From ABC News, who broke the story
The floating party, hosted by a Florida developer on his yacht "Cracker Bay," was one of a dozen exclusive events meant to nurture those who have raised more than $1 million for Romney's bid.

"I think it's ironic they do this aboard a yacht that doesn't even pay its taxes," said a woman who lives aboard a much smaller boat moored at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina.

. . . The Cracker Bay is owned by Gary Morse, developer of the Villages retirement community. Companies controlled by Morse gave nearly $1 million to the pro-Romney Restore Our Future superPAC. Registered in the Caymans, and flying a version of the Caymans' "civil ensign" or merchant flag, the Cracker Bay has an impressive art collection and can seat 30 for dinner.

It's all completely legal with our country's non-existent laws for political donations.
~ ABC Reporter Brian Ross in the video

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player





















CaymanCivilEnsignFlag
Cayman Islands Civil Ensign Flag






























Photobucket












Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Black CNN Worker Attacked by WingNuts with Nuts - Updated

Photobucket




Talking Points Memo
The CNN official declined to confirm specific details of the incident to TPM but generally confirmed an account posted on Twitter by former MSNBC and Current anchor David Shuster: “GOP attendee ejected for throwing nuts at African American CNN camera woman + saying ‘This is how we feed animals.’”
It is not clear whether the alleged culprit was a delegate or attending the convention in some other capacity.
In a written statement, CNN addressed the matter but divulged few details: “CNN can confirm there was an incident directed at an employee inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum earlier this afternoon. CNN worked with convention officials to address this matter and will have no further comment.”

From Politico
The RNC referred POLITICO to GOP Convention spokesperson Kyle Downey for comment. . . .
UPDATE: GOP convention spokesman Kyle Downey tells POLITICO, "Two attendees tonight exhibited deplorable behavior. Their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated."

That person merely revealed and acted out the pervading and secret sentiment of most of the GOP. That's their BIG problem and there's no way out.
~ comment by gotch on Huff Post

Tomorrow is bring your own sheet day.
~ comment by lindaj3884 on Huff Post

You KNOW there will be "57" versions. He missed the garbage can. He was trying to get her attention, to be on TV. He wanted a date. He thought he knew her from somewhere. He wanted to share his "bounty" of nuts. He was throwing them at Schuster.
~ comment by Geeman215 on Huff Post

Maybe Tom Brokaw can explain how both sides do it.
~ comment by Beelzebud on Daily Kos

Hosea 8:7 "They sow the wind and shall reap the whirlwind."
~ comment by Hillbilly Dem on Daily Kos

Don't expect CNN to defend you, madam.
They don't want to lose their Teabagger cred.
~ comment by Bush Bites on Daily Kos

No worries...CNN will fire the camera woman and apologize for having hired a black person.
~ comment by bosshogg on Daily Kos

They'll fundraise off it after Rush Limbaugh informs his Republican party the CNN camera woman got what she deserved, & the individual who tossed the nuts "was just joking."
Once Limbaugh provides the incident the proper frame, they'll definitely fund raise off it.
It's who they are.
~ comment by wyvern on Daily Kos








Update: CNN's Wolf Blitzer Discusses the Incident

It's just an ugly reminder that there is an element of hatred that still exists in our country.
~ Wolf Blitzer of CNN




Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, August 27, 2012

Repubs Blame Michael Steele for Everything

Photobucket



These guys still want to pick over bones with me about the RNC — they didn’t like my style, but to blame the hurricane on me when they voted on it unanimously is amazing to me. . . . They sound like Barack Obama. Why is he always blaming Bush? Why are they always blaming me? Deal with it. The hand-wringing and fingerpointing is childish. They really need to grow up
Michael Steele, Ex-RNC President, quoted by Washington Post

They just need to stop that s---, ok, get over it. First off, they act like I did nothing for two years and then something they don't like I did it all.
We gamed all that out. It was part of the discussion from day one. I don't know why people are acting all surprised.
~ Michael Steele quoted by Politico


















Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Romney's Bain Capital Files Leaked - Updated

OffshoreAccounts

950 Pages Obtained by GAWKER

 Bain isn't a company so much as an intricate suite of steadily proliferating inter-related holding companies and limited partnerships, some based in Delaware and others in the Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, and elsewhere, designed to collectively house roughly $66 billion in wealth in its many crevices and chambers.
. . . The documents are exceedingly complicated. We don't pretend to be qualified to decode them in full, which is why we are posting them here for readers to help evaluate—please leave your thoughts in the discussion below. We asked an attorney who specializes in complex offshore corporate transactions, including ones involving Cayman Island entities, to review them and help us understand them. (We also asked the Romney campaign. It hasn't responded yet.)
The full set can be read here.

Equity Swaps, AIVs, and Mitt Romney's Other Tax-Dodging Tricks

Mitt Romney's Endless ‘Retirement' Package

How Mitt Romney Puts His Money Where Obama's Mouth Is

Derivatives, Short Sales, and Mitt Romney's Other Exotic Financial Instruments

Mitt Romney Is the National Enquirer's Banker


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

























~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the SOUR GRAPES File:



Gawker's Worthless Bain Files
I totally understand why a stack of papers marked "confidential" seems exciting, particularly for those without a deep understanding of private equity. And I'm not taking any position on if Romney did or didn't duck taxes at some point, either related or unrelated to Bain holdings. All I'm saying is that Gawker has posted tons of smoke without any fire.
~ Dan Primack writing for Fortune on CNN Money

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~











Romney fund bankrolled Adelson
A fund Romney invested in lent the GOP mega-donor $3 million, according to newly uncovered documents
~ Headline on Salon.com

The Fog Of Finance Works Against Mitt
Simply reminding people that he is playing eleven-dimensional chess with his money to minimize the taxes he pays doesn't exactly endear him outside the big-money cadre who support him anyway.
~ comment by Stevemb on Daily Kos

And so, the door opens for Rmoney's dropping out.. After the convention, giving him the needed excuse, and allowing Ryan the opportunity to move up to Presidential candidate, bypassing all the destructive nomination campaigning, and putting the Koch's REAL candidate out there.
The Plan is working perfectly!
~ comment by Fordmandalay on Daily Kos

Even if no smoking gun, it reinforces how completely disconnected Mitt's life is from the average American's. His wealth is a maze of off shore accounts and tricks. Astronomical wealth and epic obfuscation of that wealth. It would, in a sane world, disqualify one from being president. Using foreign countries to hide taxes needs to be described, at all times, as unpatriotic.
~ comment by proverbs for paranoids on Daily Kos

Ruh Roh!
Gives quite a bit of credence to Reid's "Anon" source. Somebody involved with Bain doesn't want Romney anywhere near the white house.
Whomever that is, God Bless you buddy.
~ comment by T.L. Dragon on Politico













~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Official Statement from Romney Camp

Mitt Romney left Bain Capital in 1999 for the Olympics. As we have already disclosed, his retirement agreement included entering into passive investments in Bain entities for ten years, through 2009. In 2002 he created a blind trust in accordance with Massachusetts ethics rules after he was elected Governor. Governor and Mrs. Romney do not control the investment of these assets, the investment decisions are made by a trustee.
~ Romney Spokesperson, Michele Davis, via Politico

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~











Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)