Clint Eastwood is today smeared by the Guardian and the rest of the liberal press as an apologist for racism. His real crime in the eyes of the metropolitan elite is, of course, that not only is he a Republican but that he says he will vote for Donald Trump over crooked Hillary Clinton in November. If you are guilty of such a crime, being an evil conservative, all else flows naturally including, in the liberal mind, a good chance that you are a racist.
The Guardian leads with the headline "Clint Eastwood defends Trump's 'racist' remarks: 'Just get over it' Note where the 'quote' marks are.
On the subject of Clint's racism it quotes from a passage in an interview Clint gave this week in Esquire Magazine. The tax dodging Guardian states:
“He’s said a lot of dumb things,” the actor and director said of the man who has pilloried Mexicans, Muslims, immigrants, women, and the list goes on and on. “So have all of them. Both sides. But everybody – the press and everybody’s going, ‘Oh, well, that’s racist’, and they’re making a big hoodoo out of it”. Eastwood’s advice to America: “Just fucking get over it. It’s a sad time in history”
Now let's read what Clint actually said, in the interview, in its full context. The way the Guardian quotes selectively at the top of the story does not read that well for Clint. But the actual section in Esquire runs:
ESQ: What do you think Trump is onto?
CE: What Trump is onto is he's just saying what's on his mind. And sometimes it's not so good. And sometimes it's … I mean, I can understand where he's coming from, but I don't always agree with it.
ESQ: So you're not endorsing him?
CE: I haven't endorsed anybody. I haven't talked to Trump. I haven't talked to anybody. You know, he's a racist now because he's talked about this judge. And yeah, it's a dumb thing to say. I mean, to predicate your opinion on the fact that the guy was born to Mexican parents or something. He's said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides. But everybody—the press and everybody's going, "Oh, well, that's racist," and they're making a big hoodoo out of it. Just fucking get over it. It's a sad time in history.
That is a bit different is it not. The now closed Trump University faced a fraud charge. The Judge was Mexican. Trump stated that he felt that given his comments on Mexican immigratiomn the judge might not be impartial. Clint thinks that was dumb (he's correct) but racist? It is not racist, it is not viewing Mexican Americans as inferior or differently it is just a dumb comment about judicial impartiality. One might note that when liberals make similar comments - notably in applauding the way OJ Simpson wanted his murder trial in an area where most jurors would be black - that is NOT racist or dumb at all.
The Guardian headline would have you believe that everyone (including Clint) acccepts that Trump's remarks are racist. Clint is not discussing all the controversial remarks Trump has made - the Guardian injects that into the narrative but does it so smoothly that it suggests Clint brings it in. And Clint is not, as the Guardian headline implies, either accepting that the one remark he discusses on race matters in the interview was racist and he is not, in fact, defending it at all.
As such the Guardian headline and editorial on this matter is grossly misleading and unfair on poor old Clint. As to why Clint backs Trump the quotes are clear:
Eastwood told Esquire that if he had to pick between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump,
“I’d have to go for Trump."
“You know, 'cause she's declared that she's gonna follow in Obama's footsteps. There's been just too much funny business on both sides of the aisle. She's made a lot of dough out of being a politician."
“He's just saying what's on his mind,” Eastwood told Esquire. "And sometimes it's not so good. And sometimes it's … I mean, I can understand where he's coming from, but I don't always agree with it."
“Secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now. Everybody’s walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren't called racist."
Leaving the grotesque slander on Clint and the deceptive way the Guardian filters its own words into Clint's quotes which really is appallingly unprofessional, who do you think most ordinary Americans will agree with?
That is if they see the full interview, rather than the slanted smears of the liberal press, will they back Clint or some ivy league educated privileged rich coast living liberal journalist?