The Only Clint Eastwood Video You Have to Watch Before His #GOP2012 Speech

Membership Ticker

Monika Bauerlein, CEO

Dear reader,

Like you, we’ve been trying to process the head-spinning, norm-shattering impeachment developments. It’s going to take all we’ve got to stay grounded and focus on accountability, so I hope you'll read how we’re thinking about it—and that you'll support our journalism during the special Moment for Mother Jones campaign, when your donation will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $500,000 total.

Mother Jones breaks down the head-spinning, norm-shattering impeachment news. Join us in the fight for accountability with a donation when your gift will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $500,000 total.

A film declared "fascist" by angry liberal critics. (Eastwood said he didn't mind, so long as they paid to see it.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harry_Callahan.JPG">Wikimedia</a>

Tonight’s “mystery speaker” at the GOP convention in Tampa is not hologram Gipper, but the non-hologram Dirty Harry, sources confirmed to numerous media outlets.

After a few days of rabid Twitter-based speculation, the Romney campaign revealed that legendary actor/director Clint Eastwood is slated to speak at the Republican National Convention some time after a musical performace by American Idol Taylor Hicks, but before a speech by Marco Rubio. Eastwood threw his weight behind Romney earlier this month, when endorsing the former Massachusetts governor at an Idaho fundraiser.

Instead of analyzing Eastwood’s ideological leanings (which he has described as a blend of Milton Friedman and Noam Chomsky), take a gander at the only footage you really need to see before his convention address. Here he is, with the president of the United States:

Full disclosure: I’m an unabashed fan of the 82-year-old filmmaker, whatever his politics. But as the self-professed libertarian and “Eisenhower Republican” is going all-in for Romney/Ryan 2012, it is worth reading this:

Eastwood: These people who are making a big deal out of gay marriage? I don’t give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?!…They go on and on with all this bullshit about “sanctity”—don’t give me that sanctity crap! Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.

…right next to this:

Romney: On my watch, we fought hard and prevented Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of gay marriage…When I am president, I will preserve the Defense of Marriage Act and I will fight for a federal amendment defining marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman!

I am not suggesting a supporter must agree with everything his or her candidate believes or says; just throwing it out there.