IndieWire: Eastwood's Speech Unforgivable, Racist

Did you know that a liberal actor can talk up progressive causes for decades without denting his or her career, but a conservative actor can do mortal damage to his livelihood by publicly backing the GOP?

So says IndieWire.com in a stunning new editorial about Clint Eastwood’s RNC speech that essentially confirms every negative stereotype about the hard-left entertainment industry.

As far as Hollywood is concerned, Clint Eastwood may have just turned “Unforgiven” from his crowning achievement as a director into the attitude that buries what may have been left of his career. 

It’s hard not to wonder if Eastwood’s surprise appearance at the Republican National Convention Thursday night will affect his relationships in Hollywood. For a long time, Eastwood has had the respect of moviegoers and industry colleagues alike, despite his political beliefs. Money and talent trump most anything. And yet, he may have just crossed a line.

And the piece is just getting warmed up. The article includes the now-standard GOP bashing, although in a manner so dismissive it makes one’s head spin.

We’re used to that from the “tolerant” Left.

What’s more shocking is that Eastwood – The Clint Eastwood – could be cast aside like an extra on a soap opera for a single speech backing a single candidate.

And even if Eastwood’s relationships in the industry don’t take a hit, it’s hard not to imagine that he just put a giant asterisk on his resume that will now be most prominent when he passes, instead of the focus being on the great work he has done as a filmmaker….

What Eastwood did was add fuel to a raging fire — of confusion, of desperation, of bitterness, of, yes, racism — that too many other civilized citizens already find impossible to put out.

This is the same industry that gave admitted child rapist Roman Polanski a standing ovation at the Oscars.

The fallout from Eastwood’s speech has only just begun, but it’s already shedding an unflattering light on an industry which preens and poses as being open minded and just.