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American actor and director Clint Eastwood has long shown an interest in politics. He won election as the nonpartisan mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in April 1986 and in 2001, Governor Gray Davis appointed the Oscar-winner to the California State Park and Recreation Commission.〔("Governor Schwarzenegger Appointments to the State Park and Recreation Commission" ) – California State Park and Recreation Commission. Retrieved: 2008-05-28.〕 Eastwood endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election and delivered a controversial prime time address at the 2012 Republican National Convention, where he spoke to an empty chair that he pretended was occupied by Barack Obama. ==Political views== Eastwood registered as a Republican in order to vote for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and he passively supported Richard Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns. He later criticized Nixon's handling of the Vietnam War and his morality during Watergate.〔Eliot, p.115〕 He usually describes himself as a libertarian in interviews and in the spring of 1999, he told ''Premiere'' magazine that "I guess I was a social liberal and a fiscal conservative before it became fashionable."〔''Premiere'', March 1999〕 He told ''USA Weekend'' in 2004, "I don't see myself as conservative, but I'm not ultra-leftist. ... I like the libertarian view, which is to leave everyone alone. Even as a kid, I was annoyed by people who wanted to tell everyone how to live."〔Sciabarra, Chris Matthew (2004-01-26) (Dirty Harry is a Libertarian ), ''History News Network''〕 In 2009, Eastwood said that he was now a registered Libertarian. At times, he has supported Democrats in California, such as the liberal and environmentally concerned Representative Sam Farr in 2002. Eastwood contributed $1,000 to Farr's successful re-election campaign that year and on May 23, 2003, he hosted a $5,000-per-ticket fundraiser for California's Democratic governor, Gray Davis. Later that year, Eastwood offered to film a commercial in support of the embattled governor,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Clint Eastwood biography )〕 and in 2001, the star visited Davis' office to support an alternative energy bill written by another Democrat, California State assemblyman Fred Keeley. In general, Eastwood has favored less governmental interference in both the private economy and the private lives of individuals. He has disapproved of a reliance on welfare, feeling that the government should help citizens make something of themselves via education and incentives. He has, however, approved of unemployment insurance, bail-outs for homeowners saddled with unaffordable mortgages, environmental conservation, land preservation, alternative energy incentives, and gun control measures such as California's Brady Bill. A longtime liberal on civil rights, Eastwood has stated that he has always been pro-choice on abortion. He has endorsed the notion of allowing gays to marry,("From a libertarian point of view, you would say, 'Yeah? So what?' You have to believe in total equality. People should be able to be what they want to be and do what they want – as long as they're not harming people.")〔 and he contributed to groups supporting the Equal Rights Amendment for women.〔Schickel, p.380〕 In an interview with GQ magazine, Eastwood criticized the Republican Party for its stance on gay marriage, saying "These people who are making a big deal out of gay marriage? I don’t give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We’re making a big deal out of things we shouldn’t be making a deal out of. They go on and on with all this bullshit about ‘sanctity’ — don’t give me that sanctity crap! Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want." Eastwood disapproved of America's wars in Korea (1950–1953), Vietnam (1964–1975), Afghanistan (2001-), and Iraq (2003–2011), believing that the United States should not be overly militaristic or play the role of global policeman. He considers himself too individualistic to be either right-wing or left-wing, and has described himself as a "political nothing" and a "moderate".〔 Eastwood has long been an avowed supporter of gun control, stating, "I've always supported a certain amount of gun control. I think it's very important that guns don't get in the wrong hands; It's very important to keep them out of the hands of felons or anyone who might be crazy with it."〔http://thestir.cafemom.com/entertainment/142793/10_clint_eastwood_quotes_that〕 In 1995, Eastwood questioned the purpose of assault weapons. Larry King, the famous television host and newspaper columnist, wrote in the May 22, 1995, edition of USA Today that "My interview with Eastwood will air on 'Larry King Weekend' ... I asked him his thoughts on the NRA and gun control and he said that while people think of him as pro-gun, he has always been in favor of controls. 'Why would anyone need or want an assault weapon?' he said."〔^ King, Larry (May 22, 1995), "Clint not Exactly Making NRA's Day", USA Today, page 2D.〕 During the 2008 United States Presidential Election, Eastwood stated that he would be voting for John McCain for President; he has known McCain since 1973. Upon the election of Barack Obama, Eastwood stated "Obama is my president now and I am going to be wishing him the very best because it is what is best for all of us." In August 2010, Eastwood wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, George Osborne, to protest the decision to close the UK Film Council. Eastwood warned that the closure could result in fewer foreign production companies choosing to work in the UK.〔"(Clint Eastwood writes plea to save UK Film Council )". ''BBC News''. Retrieved August 9, 2010.〕〔"(Clint Eastwood condemns Treasury cuts )". ''Best For Film''. Retrieved August 9, 2010.〕 In 1973, Eastwood told the late film critic Gene Siskel, "No, I don't believe in God."〔Gene Siskel, "Clint: The Cynical King who Outdrew the Duke," ''Chicago Tribune'', January 7, 1973.〕 Nearly four decades later while promoting his film, ''Hereafter'' (2010), Eastwood stated that "I was always respectful of people who were deeply religious because I always felt that if they gave themselves to it, then it had to be important to them. But if you can go through life without it, that’s OK, too. It’s whatever suits you. I do believe in self-help. I’m not a New Age person but I do believe in meditation, and for that reason I’ve always liked the Buddhist religion. When I’ve been to Japan I’ve been to Buddhist temples and meditated and I found that rewarding." As much as anything, Eastwood has found spirituality in nature (as suggested by his 1985 Western, ''Pale Rider''), stating that "I was born during the Depression and I was brought up with no specific church. We moved every four or five months during the first 14 years of my life, so I was sent to a different church depending on wherever we lived. Most of them were Protestant, but I went to other churches because my parents wanted me to try to figure out things for myself. They always said, ‘I just want to expose you to some religious order and see if that’s something you like’. So although my religious training was not really specific, I do feel spiritual things. If I stand on the side of the Grand Canyon and look down, it moves me in some way." "Of course, it would be wonderful to talk with my parents again, who are, of course, deceased. It makes the idea of death much less scary. But then again, if you think that nothing happens after you die, maybe it makes you live life better. Maybe you’re supposed to do the best you can by the gift you’re given of life and that alone"〔 http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Hellivision/clint_eastwood.htm〕〔http://www.showbizspy.com/article/228386/clint-eastwood-on-the-fence-about-god-director-clint-eastwood-discusses-his-religious-beliefs.html〕 In 2013, Eastwood was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v. Perry case. Eastwood's views on war and politics were called into question and misjudged again with the release of his 2014 movie ''American Sniper'', which was a #1 hit at the box office making over $90 million its opening weekend, the highest debut ever for an Eastwood film. The film was met with both strong critical praise and heavy criticism. Some Democrats in the media were labeling the film Republican propaganda, that Eastwood was a warmonger. Republicans however were calling it a Pro-War, Pro-Republican film; Eastwood responded by saying it was a "stupid analysis" and that the movie had nothing to do with political parties. Due to his speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention, some see him as a warmonger or right-wing poster boy, however, Eastwood said he has always opposed war, and is a pragmatic Libertarian rather than a red-meat Republican. Eastwood further explained his anti-war stance by saying "I was a child growing up during World War II. That was supposed to be the one to end all wars. And four years later, I was standing at the draft board being drafted during the Korean conflict, and then after that there was Vietnam, and it goes on and on forever . . . I just wonder . . . does this ever stop? And no, it doesn’t. So each time we get in these conflicts, it deserves a lot of thought before we go wading in or wading out. Going in or coming out. It needs a better thought process, I think." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Political life of Clint Eastwood」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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