Biden Presidency: Clint Eastwood’s Empty Chair

Almost a decade ago, Clint Eastwood got up on stage at the Republican National Convention and spoke to an empty chai r. Eastwood explained to the audience that the president was sitting in the empty chair. And then he addressed himself to the empty chair. It was weird. “So, so, Mr. President, how do you, how do you handle, how do you handle promises that you’ve made when you were running for election,” he said, and added, “and how do you handle, how do you handle it?”

I found the whole thing baffling. But some people, I’m told, really liked the speech. They “got it,” they reported. It had something to do with how Obama was hardly there at all. Eastwood remonstrated with the empty chair. “You’re getting as bad as Biden,” Eastwood said, then turned to the audience: “We all know Biden is the intellect of the Democratic Party. Just kind of a grin with a body behind it.”

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

Featured Tags

Almost a decade ago, Clint Eastwood got up on stage at the Republican National Convention and spoke to an empty chai r. Eastwood explained to the audience that the president was sitting in the empty chair. And then he addressed himself to the empty chair. It was weird. “So, so, Mr. President, how do you, how do you handle, how do you handle promises that you’ve made when you were running for election,” he said, and added, “and how do you handle, how do you handle it?”

I found the whole thing baffling. But some people, I’m told, really liked the speech. They “got it,” they reported. It had something to do with how Obama was hardly there at all. Eastwood remonstrated with the empty chair. “You’re getting as bad as Biden,” Eastwood said, then turned to the audience: “We all know Biden is the intellect of the Democratic Party. Just kind of a grin with a body behind it.”