I once let a 80+ year old man take a microphone for 12 minutes completely unscripted.......
It was not Clint Eastwood. More on him later.
It was during my wedding ceremony. The plan was for the patriarch of both families stand up with the microphone and say a few words to "testify about marriage".
For my family it was easy, my uncle stood up to speak about how my grandfather had married 50 years earlier on the same day in the same chapel.
For my wife's family, I suggested we let my wife's grandfather speak. At 80 years old and 6 foot 4 inches, he was still an imposing presence and still as strong as an ox.
He strode to the alter and took the microphone. The next 12 minutes I would never forget.
Larry, as I will call him, must not have had his hearing aid turned up. Instead of "testify about marriage", he must of thought he was supposed to testify about his relationship with God.
His riff started about his many sins as a young person, including moonshine, alchohol, womanizing, and gambling. He detailed some of these transgressions in vivid detail.
His point was how his life changed while finding God. He rambled on and on.....
While standing on the alter, I saw my future mother-in-law shrunk in her seat, sobbing from embarrassment. I see the audience shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
I was standing during all this and all I could think of is how can we keep our strict wedding schedule. My future sister- in-law attempted to politely pull the microphone away, but he kept tight control over the microphone. He continued on for another 3-4 minutes.
Finally, the pastor and my sister in law gently escorted him back to his seat.
The audience broke out in applause...... For him.... Real applause.
Afterwards, the reaction from my side of the family was this.......
He lived a long life and had earned the opportunity to testify to God, church, and in front of his most cherished love ones.
There was nothing but respect and gratitude for his speech.
Larry passed away a few years later with a clear conscience and firm with his relationship with his maker.
Fast forward to the RNC and Clint Eastwood's speech
I just got back from vacation and watched the Eastwood speech for the first time yesterday.
His rambling, stuttering, and off the cuff remarks reminded me of that wedding speech
8 years ago. The Romney campaign, used to corporate style detail, lost momentary control. They gave the microphone to a well respected octogenarian with no script.
The crowd at the RNC was very appreciative of Mr Eastwood. However, in the press, it seemed to be a race for Romney people to distance themselves from the speech. Aids were racing to the press to rip on Mr Eastwood, and to expunge their personal responsibility in the affair. No one apparently wanted to face Mr. Romney or the press to take responsibility.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
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.”
I also see now that the Romney campaign has further distanced themselves from the
Eastwood speech by deleting it from their RNC video recap.
http://abcnews.go.com/...
The two-and-a-half minute video posted today to the Romney campaign’s YouTube account features former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, VP nominee Paul Ryan and of course, Romney himself, but it leaves out Eastwood’s controversial speech
I much preferred the Obama reaction of humor (i.e chair tweet)
and expression of admiration for Mr. Eastwood.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/...
If Romney wins the election, (help us!) expect more of this behavior. If you do not stand in lock step with Mitt Romney, expect to be exorcised. If you screw up, expect to go away quietly. Don't expect respect for people in the twilight of their lives.
These are simple matters of responsibility and basic human decency. These things appear to be lacking in the Romney campaign.
I was dissapointed but not surprised in the Romney campaign's reaction to Clint Eastwood's speech. I think they would have better off treating Mr. Eastwood with more respect and dignity. Human decency is not hard!
In the case of my wife's grandfather, who literally took over our wedding,
the memory of Big Larry detailing his life in front of family and God is our most endearing memory of our wedding. The speech made the ceremony unique. We will cherish the memory forever.