Clint Eastwood: still going strong, still libertarian

Clint Eastwood: Actor, Director, Musician, Politician, and Libertarian · 71 Republic - Brennan Dube:

December 26, 2018 - "Clint Eastwood Jr. was born May 31st, 1930 in San Francisco and his life journey has been remarkable. He will go down as one of Hollywood’s greatest legends and has been in films in each of the last 7 decades. Some of his best hits include ... The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Dirty Harry, Escape from Alcatraz, Million Dollar Baby, and Gran Torino, also having directed the latter two..., Eastwood has ... directed over 30 films and has won several Academy Awards including Best Director on two separate occasions.

"Eastwood has a cemented legacy in America and will forever be remembered for what he has done in Hollywood, but some may not realize just how political Clint Eastwood was.... Eastwood was a very passionate ideological follower of politics and his roots lie in Libertarianism. After being a member of the Republican party ... 1952-1974, Eastwood became an Independent and stayed as one until 1997. Following the 23 years as an Independent, Eastwood then registered as a Libertarian and has apparently been one ever since; he confirmed he was a registered party member in 2009.

"In a 2004 interview with USA Today, Eastwood stated he wasn’t conservative ... but more so libertarian. Eastwood went on to state his life-long belief in leaving everyone alone. On an Ellen interview in 2012, Eastwood reaffirmed his idealistic position in stating his firm belief in social liberalism and fiscal responsibility. Now his rhetoric doesn’t just stay put at just rhetoric, Eastwood has actually held public office.... Eastwood served as Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea ... 1986-1988 and sat on the California State Park and Recreation Commission....

"Some other celebrities who identify as Libertarians are, actor Vince Vaughn, former WWE wrestler Kane (Glenn Jacobs), Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, actor Kurt Russell, and American Idol Star Kelly Clarkson....

"Eastwood’s most recent film: The Mule, opened up in theatres on December 14th and it follows the true story of the eldest known drug mule in history. Clint Eastwood not only plays the mule but also directs the film. This is his first lead acting role since his supposed retirement in 2012.... Check out my review of The Mule here."

Read more: https://71republic.com/2018/12/26/eastwood-director-libertarian/
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Some celebrity libertarians (celebritarians)

Are There Any Celebrity Libertarians? | Heavy.com - Stephanie Dube Dwilson:

July 2, 2016 - "Libertarians are often called a fringe group: too small and 'strange' to be taken seriously. But is that characterization accurate? As Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson's poll numbers have recently shown, Libertarians could be a serious contender in the upcoming presidential election. More than a million people voted for the Libertarian presidential nominee in 2012, and with a growing number of people leaving the two-party mentality, the Libertarian party has been growing by leaps and bounds. It isn't widely known that many celebrities have also been vocal in their support for the Libertarian party. So which celebrities have spoken out in favor of the Libertarians? Click through the gallery to find out....

• Penn Jillette: "The way the media tend to present Libertarians is that we’re conservatives, or we’re people with money who want to smoke dope. And it’s really not true at all for me.... The government is the guys with the guns, and we are the people who tell the government what they can do. So in my morality, I shouldn’t be able to tell anyone to do something with a gun that I wouldn’t do myself." - Newsweek....
• Drew Carey: "“I never thought I was a Libertarian until I picked up Reason magazine and realized I agree with everything they had printed..” - From an August 9, 2007 interview with Time....
• Kurt Russell: "“I am by nature Libertarian… don’t tread on me, just leave me alone, that’s all.” - Kurt Russell, 1997 to Talking Pictures Magazine....
• Vince Vaughn: "I would use the term Libertarian to describe my politics. I like the principles of the Constitution and the republic.... Ron Paul woke a lot of people up to the fact that government can’t handle everything for you. Once you start playing that game, where does it stop?"....
• Trey Parker & Matt Stone: ""I think it (Libertarian) is an apt description for me personally, and that has probably seeped into the show. But we never set out to do a Libertarian show." - Matt Stone, in an interview with Reason in 2006....
• Clint Eastwood: ""I've always been a Libertarian. Leave everybody alone. Let everybody else do what they want. Just stay out of everybody else's hair. So I believe in that value of smaller government. Give politicians power and all of a sudden they'll misuse it on ya." - In a 2008 interview with The Guardian....
• Woody Harrelson: ""I don’t believe in government. In other words, I think we can all look after ourselves.... In my opinion, if you don’t actually have a victim who’s a human being, someone who’s been hurt or their property has been hurt, there’s no crime." - 2014 USA Today interview....
• Rufus Wainwright: ""I don't like telling anyone what to do really. I don't feel like it's very polite." — A 2014 interview with The Guardian, when asked what he means when he says he's a "complete Libertarian." 

 Read more: http://heavy.com/news/2016/07/which-celebrities-are-libertarians-who-endorsed-gary-johnson-are-there-names/12/
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'Hardcore libertarian' Kurt Russell interviewed

Kurt Russell Talks Cowboys, Guns, and Life as Hollywood’s Most ‘Hardcore’ Libertarian - The Daily Beast - Marlow Stern:

December 22, 2015- "Russell began his acting career as a young teen, appearing in family-friendly films for Disney. When Walt Disney passed away in 1966, it was discovered that the final words he ever wrote were 'Kurt Russell.' To this day, the actor has no idea why....

"Today, Russell, 64, is known as an actor who marches to the beat of his own drum. He’s a libertarian in an industry of liberals, recently branding the link between gun control and terrorism 'absolutely insane.' He has a ranch in Aspen, Colorado, far from the Hollywood bubble, where he hunts elk and deer. And he makes daring cinematic choices, many of which, from Escape from New York to Big Trouble in Little China, aren’t fully appreciated until years later. Like his iconic character of Snake Plissken, Russell is an unapologetic rebel....

"The Daily Beast sat down with a very animated and fun Russell in New York to discuss the film, his political beliefs, and his fine career....

"What’s it been like to be a libertarian in Hollywood? You’re in the extreme minority.

"I’ve heard some pretty rough things through the years that were really undeserved, but the number one thing was my case was worse, because I couldn’t say, 'I’m a Republican, sorry.' I wasn’t a Republican, I was worse: I was a hardcore libertarian. I’m not a Bill Maher libertarian. That’s faux-libertarianism. He doesn’t know what it is. I like him, and he’s a nice guy, but seriously, that’s not libertarianism. The other thing I’ve found is that a lot of liberals in Hollywood are faux-liberals, and a lot of Republicans in Hollywood are faux-conservatives. When I was a young guy, I was finding myself not quite being able to see the things that were going on and buy into a political culture. I didn’t know what to do, so I finally said, 'Why don’t I go back and see what the Founding Fathers were all about, and see how that stacked up.' Well, I found them and I found libertarianism. They were pretty radical guys, and damn smart, and I just believe in that old-time stuff and think they had great ideas.

"Years later, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Cato Institute’s 20th anniversary and spend some real time with some amazing people. I met some great people there, and that cemented it for me. I felt, guess what, there is a place where I can have a conversation and not be laughed at or smirked at."

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/22/kurt-russell-talks-cowboys-guns-and-life-as-hollywood-s-most-hardcore-libertarian.html 'via Blog this'