Clint Eastwood had some choice words for Michael Moore at a Hollywood awards ceremony:
Clint Eastwood squinted like Dirty Harry Tuesday night as he took aim at Michael Moore.
“Michael Moore and I actually have a lot in common – we both appreciate living in a country where there’s free expression,” Eastwood told the star-dotted crowd attending the National Board of Review awards dinner at Tavern on the Green, where Eastwood picked up a Special Filmmaking Achievement prize for “Million Dollar Baby.”
Then, the Republican-leaning actor/director advised the lefty filmmaker: “But, Michael, if you ever show up at my front door with a camera – I’ll kill you.”
The audience erupted in laughter, and Eastwood grinned dangerously.
“I mean it,” he added, provoking more guffaws.
I had no idea that Eastwood was a Republican, although in retrospect it’s perhaps not so surprising. After all, he’s one of the few directors in Hollywood who not only produces consistently excellent films but does so under budget, practically unheard of in Tinseltown.
Moore, to his credit, took Eastwood’s comments in stride, which is out of character for him. Then again, if I were a pudgie liberal filmmaker, I wouldn’t want to face down Dirty Harry either…
“I’ll kill you.”
One would have expected something a little more creative from an Academy-award winning director like Eastwood. I had heard before that Eastwood was a Republican, apparently believing this tough-guy movie persona from decades past works in the real world when applied by a draft-dodging, liquor-swilling President. Assuming all Hollywood tough guys can’t discern from the success of chest-pounding bravado in their movie scripts and the adult world of war and international diplomacy, I’ll bet Mr. T will be the next uncloseted Republican. Maybe if you’re really lucky, you’ll get the endorsement of He-Man someday.
As for Michael Moore, the Republican Party better be damn glad he’s still around. Now that you control every level of government by decisive margins, it’s getting harder and harder to blame “obstructionist Democrats” for disastrous policies producing predictably messy consequences. Bill Clinton and Tom Daschle’s days of serving as your punching bag are over, so it’s imperative that you now point to Michael Moore every time your party’s legislative failures are called. It’ll be interesting to see if red-state halfwits will be willing to assign blame for all of society’s ills on a man who has never worked in government. It may prove a daunting challenge in the next four years, but if anyone is capable of deflecting personal responsibility to that level, it’s the Republican Party and its stooges.
Eastwood used to be a Libertarian… he’s also had a foray into politics himself, being the former mayor of the town of Carmel, California.
You had no idea Eastwood was a Republican?
Where have you been all your life South Dakota?
There are more than a few liberals that would like to see Michael Moore make Eastwood’s day.