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Fallen heroes
The son of a friend of mine once caddied for Clint Eastwood when he came to East Lothian to play some golf. He said he was a nice guy. I’m sure he’s all that, as well as being possibly the mot successful actor directors ever.
That’s why I’m going to give him the of the doubt by assuming that when he stood up and said that the Republican Party owns America, he was only acting, replaying the part of the old geezer in Gran Torino.
I don’t say this to upset any American friends, only to point out that if he did mean it he was fundamentally wrong. History is littered with horror stories of one party states, and your nation has a fine record when it comes to opposing them.
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Quintin Jardine's blog 
As an A
merican,” liber-publican” I would imagine and .did that he meant the majority of America leans toward the fiscally responsible, leave-me-alone, let’s quit spending over our heads and get out of these interminable wars in the Middle East. Actually, WE don’t even own America anymore-I think China has bought us out! I believe Clint leans much more to the Libertarian points of view but found the Republican “platform” a convenient place to bounce Obama.
Why did he need a platform? Trouble with speeches these days, only the sound-bites are remembered, them and the gimmicks that go wrong. If Clint is Romney’s big signing, it’s not looking good. I’m sure George Clooney will play some part in Obama’s campaign. Clint vs George? You tell me.
personally, I have more respect for Clint-his years, movie-making and ideals. George is a pretty boy shill for a more liberal population (Hollywood insiders, Washington insiders and the George Soros s of this c.ountry), He seeks a higher profile to promote his ideas. If he lived in the real world of this tragic economy with unemployment, fiscal irresponsibility, etc. his argyuments on behalf of the liberal “establishment” might be moremeasured. Of course, neither he nor Clint live in the real world but Clint appears to at least be in touch with it. Sorryto rant, butI DO live in the real world that thePres and his buddies have given us and it ain’tpretty Hope it clears up in LaScala-even we Arizona desert rats havehad our share of monsoons this summer!
sadddendum: I don’t think anything sticks in the American consciousness like “:Make My Day” and who said it! NOT George.
Ah well, Patricia, we all live in that tragic economic world. There are those outside the US who blame your nation for kicking it all off by creating a false sense of prosperity through reckless, unsustainable and largely unregulated lending. I am not one of them; all the Western economies played a part and the UK is right at the front when it comes to carrying the can. However I do know this; Dave Cameron and his administration didn’t give us the problem, and Obama’s administration didn’t hand it to you. It all developed through the previous administrations in both countries being sound asleep at the wheel, and it is not something that will be fixed anywhere, in the course of a single five year Parliament or four-year presidential term. I know that there are other issues in your forthcoming election; equally I know little of the detail and much of what I do, I don’t understand. As far as the economy’s concerned, ours not yours, I do not see the sense in handing the problem back to the guys who caused it in the first place, whose main idea is that we should solve the problem of national indebtedness by piling up still more indebtedness. Finally, if you were right a couple of comments ago about what Clint actually meant, if the majority of Americans do think that way, doesn’t that mean that Obama’s going to win?
I had typed a long screed on politics as I know it andit disappeared(did the censors get it or the gremlins)? Anyway, One thing I’m certain of and that is that Washington is corrupt and almost anyone we send there in any election cycle seems to get corrupted by the power they wield unthinkingly and the need to get re-elected. It wasn’t just Bush, or Obama, it was Congress who really created these fiscal crises with their favor-currying and short-thinking policies. B and O were the figureheads. Having been an elected official for 18 years I’ve seen from the inside (NOTof Congress but of the StateLegislature) the motivation most polititians have as you, in your journalistic career have probably also. Sorry for the rant. Hope your bigwind has gone but isn’t it seasonal?.
I worked in government, then politics for a total of 15 years, so I’ve seen it close up, all sorts. I believe that there’s probably an element of corruption, in the broadest sense, in all democracies, but most of it is just stupidity. The three stupidest UK administrations I can recall were those of Douglas Home, Callaghan, and Brown. The link between the three men is that none of them were elected by the people to the office they held, but selected by their own parties following the resignation of an incumbent. To me, that is fundamentally wrong; I’d have a mandatory general election within six months of a Prime Ministerial resignation. I hear what you say about your system, and I can see that first term presidents are campaigning from the moment they take the oath. How about you amend the constitution so that a Chief Executive is elected to the White House for a six year term, but cannot stand for re-election? Mrs Clinton would have voted for that, for sure.
I wish it were just first term presidents –but it’s the Congressmen we send who get most corrupted by the “position and perks” and the perpetual knowledge that they have them for 2 ,4, or six years(depending on House or Senate seats) but they stay on and on and on and become the barnacles on the ship. In my state and others, we have term limits which were intended to clear the hull occasionally-however we’ve seen the same candidates when termed out of the House, run for the Senate.I’m deep down an anachist but it’s out of style!
We had loads of that until someone blew the whistle. Then our media went to town on MPs’ expenses; everything changed and a couple of cell doors clanged shut.
Thanks for your time in engaging in this subject with me and I promise this is the last I’ll explore it with you. However, your comment that the attitudes attributed to the American people are certainly NOT those of the ruling Democrat Party which interests are in expanding “government” and its intrusive and coercive powers and the federal debt which has increased immensely under O which places me voting against O and for whoknows who since all of their promises are like sawdust, fit to burn! I’m not just an Anarchist-but also a cynic whose 81 years has given me exposure to all the qualities I see in “government”. You’re a great guy, Q, to listen and respond to all this cynicism. Thanks.
Senator, I am as cynical as you.