Clint Eastwood returns, stars in new super PAC ad
Washington (CNN) - Actor Clint Eastwood is returning to the political stage, but this time he is talking directly to the camera - and not to an empty chair.
Eastwood received much derision as well as praise for his speech at the Republican Convention this summer in Tampa where he lectured to an empty chair that was meant to represent President Obama.
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Now Eastwood is the star of a new ad, called "At Stake" from the Republican super PAC American Crossroads.
For much of the spot Eastwood's voice is just heard telling the audience: "For the last few years America has been knocked down. Twenty three million people can't find full-time work," he says. "Obama's second term would be a rerun of the first, and our country just couldn't survive that. We need someone who can turn it around fast. That man is Mitt Romney."
Then Eastwood is seen talking directly to the camera as it ends saying, "There is not much time left, and the future of our country is at stake."
The commercial was taped at Eastwood's home in California, according to American Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio. While Eastwood's speech was met with a lot of negative press stories, Crossroads officials think his message of how Obama has failed resonated. Crossroads President Steven Law was at the convention and thought Eastwood's words were powerful and that he connected with the crowd, Collegio said. Group officials were introduced to him, and he agreed to tape the ad.
Crossroads thinks this goes beyond a stock celebrity endorsement because, as Collegio put it, "this is Clint adding his iconic weight to a message about the country that already resonates with people and which they already believe in their hearts."
The group showed the ad to focus groups in Florida and Ohio, and "it tested off the charts," Collegio says.
The Eastwood spot is one of three new ones launching Wednesday as part of a $12.6 million buy in seven key swing states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia.
One entitled "Survive" about small business owners will air in Colorado, Iowa, Ohio and Virginia Survive and one called "Bow" which hits Obama's record on China is set to air in Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia.
Mitt Romney is getting substantial air cover this week. With this new buy, American Crossroads will be spending at least $17 million on swing state ads. On Tuesday it went up with a $4.2 million buy just in Wisconsin and Ohio highlighting the story of a young boy battling cancer in the 1970's who Mitt Romney helped. Another super PAC supporting the Republican presidential nominee, Restore Our Future, announced it was going up with almost $18 million in swing state ads on Tuesday in battleground states.
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@Blah blah...Cry for me Blah blah!
How is this any different than Morgan Freeman lending his voice to Obama's campaign commercials? Both are heavyweight Hollyweird icons respected for their body of work. Each has a different opinion on what's best for the country, and each has a right to support who they choose. More power to both of them for trying to help their guy.
It's time to stick a fork in Clint.... he's done.. his grumpy old man roles (insert Baseball Scout, Boxing Trainer, White man in an Asian neighborhood etc) are wearing thin.. and hey Clint,, where were you when your Republican buddies BS us into the driveby we did on Iraq, and the financial collapse of the House of cards Bush policies... If you and the rest of the hang em high crowd had spoken up then like you are now we would not be in this mess.. and you want the guys who did it back in charge? Horsefeathers!
KMA Eastwood as I will never watch or pay to see a movie you cast your shadow in.
Obama 2012
Of course he is...he needs another tax break...also a checkup from the neck up
Clint: "I never thought that it was a good idea for attorney's to be president anyway..."
Right on!!
Texan, you seem to be of the mind that democrats caused the housing crisis. That occurred during Bush's term. As crazy as that sounds especially in light of republicans screaming that the unemployment rate, welfare rolls, etc are all a result of Obama and not the recession that was in part caused by the housing crisis that occurred during Bush's term, I'd bet that you are also of the mind that Obama had two years with a democratically controlled congress in which he could have passed whatever he wanted.
Why then if republicans knew the housing bubble would burst did they do nothing to stop it when they had a republican controlled congress for 6 years? Why did they manage to pass tax cuts 3 times in that time span? Medicare Part D? Two wars?
relying on republican talking points will leave you at a severe disadvantage as they tend to be all over the place these days.
Who could be worse; Eastwood or Trump? Neither make any sense in promoting their guy. The more negative promotion they're doing, the more people are moving away from the crazy rhetoric of the GOPs.
-truth hurts
Larry L – Republicans continue to ignore the fact that our economic recovery was deliberately slowed by Republicans in the Congress.
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The REALITY is that there was NO recovery UNTIL the Republicans took control of the House and put the brakes on an out of control Obama, Reid and Pelosi. If they had not stopped these far left loons, we'd be at 25% unemployment right now and $20 TRILLION in debt.
***********************************************
The REALITY is that they added to the uncertainty by inflicting the debt ceiling crisis on the country, and by not even bothering to talk to the Executive Branch. They accomplished nothing except slowing the recovery.
I love the guy as an actor and a director, but I doubt he can even remember making the commerical, less what he says. Since so many celebrities cast their opinions in elections now, they just don't have the impact they used to. I doubt this commercial makes much of a difference at all....
hey CNN – newsflash
state department emails are out from hours after attack showing white house was fully aware Benghazi was terrorist attack
Clint makes good movies, but his understanding of how the country works is close to zero. When I want to know how to direct an action scene, I'll seek Clint's advice. When it comes to knowing how to vote, he should come to me, instead, because he's displaying incredible ignorance in supporting Romney - an ambitious, integrity-less sociopath with no plan who'll tell anybody anything they want to hear, even if he has to contradict himself from day to day to do it.
Go back to the movies, Clint - it's what you're good at. A political advisor you ain't.
The empty chairs are all in theaters where his last movie is playing. I've seen or rented my last Clint movie. FLICK HIM.
Yeah Boy! Clint for Secretary of Defense!
Good. Welcome back Clint. We need someone who will kick ass and take names. The media certainly won't.
Awsome!!! Makes my day! Should help Ronmey, the focus group testing was off the charts in Ohio and Florida. Just awsome!
Yeah. My father-in-law is ninety-two and he's lost a lot of his common sense, too. I guess the older you get.....
"ancient texan – Jimmy Carter's housing programs for people that couldn't afford to own a home"
wow, the right moan about obama blaming bush but ancient texan is blaming carter.
Empty Words........................
@(un)truth: Nice. Spend eight years tearing down the world's economy, get kicked out of office in landslide elections across the country, then come back when in two years things aren't completely fixed and blame the people who replaced you for the whole mess. The intellectual dishonesty of your party is simply staggering.
sad – he has sold out to the corporations...
shame on you Clint!
Well said Arch but what about the hoards of movie actors and directors who have been speaking in the same language at Clint. Would you be glad to take their advice because it is slobberingly pro-obama?
Arch Stanton
Clint makes good movies, but his understanding of how the country works is close to zero. When I want to know how to direct an action scene, I'll seek Clint's advice. When it comes to knowing how to vote, he should come to me, instead, because he's displaying incredible ignorance in supporting Romney – an ambitious, integrity-less sociopath with no plan who'll tell anybody anything they want to hear, even if he has to contradict himself from day to day to do it.
Go back to the movies, Clint – it's what you're good at. A political advisor you ain't.
The empty chairs are in theaters where his last movie is playing.
Hey page, he has an empty head also!
gt
this is a true statement...america cant stand four more yrs of what we just had....disaster....
October 24, 2012 11:48 am at 11:48 am
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...obstruction...growing inequality...refusal to work together for the common good... vote the Republican ideologues out of Congress! President Obama has the vision to make America great again, but he can't do it alone. Nor would we want him to - quick fixes imposed from above don't last, even if they do ever get past the stage of pretty words and illusions. We need to build a better America together, and that's going to require cooperation and pragmatism. Tax cuts, excess military expenditures and chocolate sundaes for everyone doesn't add up; more taxes from those who can afford it, education and infrastructure repair and updating does.