As we all very well know, the U.S. electorate is extremely polarized going into this fall's election.
So it's not surprising that the 12-minute endorsement/performance art piece by the legendary Clint Eastwood on the climactic night of the Republican National Convention in Tampa is dividing the public as well.
One Tampa Democrat who you can put down as not a fan of what Eastwood did at the RNC is a man who kept his partisan hat out of the ring all week long, Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
When asked by CL Friday morning what he thought of the surreal performance, which consisted of the iconic actor/director talking to a chair that was supposed to represent President Obama, the mayor gave a thumbs-down verdict.
"It was bizarre," he replied, a verdict shared by many who saw the act, even those who said they liked it.
"I didn’t find much humor. It was sad that presidential races are reduced to that kind of childish behavior, but it's politics. It’s theater. He’s an actor, so…"
Buckhorn also said during the press conference that though he will be attending the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte next week, he has no intention of speaking from the podium during the three-day event.
"I think Charlie Crist stole my spot," the mayor cracked, referring to the former Florida governor and former Republican who increasingly appears to be gearing up for a run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2014.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2012.