August 31, 2012 10:15 am
The Long History of Americans Debating Empty Chairs
As part of yesterday’s showings at the Republican National Convention, famed actor and director Clint Eastwood startled and amused viewers by mock-debating an empty chair, meant to represent President Obama.
Many who saw the scene thought it to be strange and bizarre, let alone unconventional, for a forum that is usually meticulously directed. Delegates on the convention floor, however, loved it.
But it turns out that the history of debating empty chairs is a rich one, stretching back to at least 1924 when Progressive* vice-presidential nominee Burton K. Wheeler took a stab at an invisible President Calvin Coolidge.
American History
Safire’s Political Dictionary describes the event, quoting from Wheeler’s autobiography Yankee From The West.
In Des Moines, I hit on an original showmanship gimmick. The hall was jammed to the rafters… I said, “You people have a right to know how a candidate for President stands on issues, and so far President Coolidge has not told you where he stands on anything… so I am going to call him before you tonight and ask him to take this chair and tell me where he stands.” People in the auditorium began to crane their necks to see if Coolidge really was somewhere on the premises. I pulled a vacant chair and addressed it as though it had an occupant. “President Coolidge,” I began, “tell us where you stand on Prohibition.” I went on with rhetorical questions in this vein, pausing after each for a short period. Then I wound up: “There, my friends, is the usual silence that emanates from the White House.” The crowd roared in appreciation.
Safire’s dictionary also brings us more tales from history. In 1949, when John Foster Dulles ran for a Senate seat against Herbert Lehman, the former governor from New York, Dulles pulled a similar stunt. This time, though, Dulles made a habit of it. “Dulles traveled with a “prop”–an empty chair he debated in lieu of Lehman,” says the dictionary.
Years later, in 1966, the empty-chair-debate came up again during a race for governor of New York. Again, in Russia this time, an empty chair was left to stand in for Boris Yeltsin who had refused to participate in a televised debate.
The Modern Era
The Huffington Post points us to a fake debate just two years ago between blogger Mickey Kaus and California Senator Barbara Boxer, whom he was challenging in the state’s Democratic primary. Branching out from the tried-and-tested empty chair, Kaus instead decided it would be prudent to symbolize his opponent with a cardboard box.
And, in fact, just last week, Scott Howell, who is currently running for the Senate seat in Utah, debated an invisible Orrin Hatch. The Salt Lake Tribune:
Democrat Scott Howell, Constitution Party nominee Shaun McCausland and unaffiliated candidate Bill Barron took turns throwing verbal darts at the absent Hatch before an audience of just 20 people at the Bountiful City Hall.
In the Media
Last but not least, Poynter points us to an ongoing trend in empty-chair debates involving television interviewers. Just this year, they say, empty chairs have sat in for: U.S. Representative Todd Akin, George Zimmerman’s lawyer, and Maggie Gallagher.
*This passage originally claimed Wheeler as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, when he was in fact running for the Progressive Party.
More from Smithsonian.com:
Debating on Television: Then and Now
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This story offers great context. Many empty chairs have been debated before Clint Eastwood did so. Clint’s just the first guy to lose.
Comment by Dan — August 31, 2012 @ 11:17 am
A lot of what passes for political coverage on MSNBC and Fox is actually just another form of empty chair debate. There seem to be more ‘echo chambers’ around these days than real forums for discussion…
Comment by David S. — August 31, 2012 @ 1:07 pm
Clint! Stay with the movies. There was no GOOD, just Bad and the UGLY.
Comment by peter — August 31, 2012 @ 1:20 pm
I used to love Eastwood’s movies in the 70′s before I matured. He delivered a great one-liner.
Now he’s just another embarrassing old fool in politics. Kind of sad, really.
Comment by Homer — August 31, 2012 @ 1:21 pm
That was one of the best, truthful things I have ever heard.
Thank Mr. Eastwood for saying what needed to be said
Comment by Michael Miles — August 31, 2012 @ 1:26 pm
It was sad to see a legend in such a compromising position, it seemed more like an elderly gentlemen being convinced to do it, I’m not sure of eastwood thought at all about anything he was saying, or maybe he is one of us, a liberal in wolf’s clothing?
Comment by mahigan — August 31, 2012 @ 1:28 pm
That’s ok. All republicans celebrities are complete morons. You should go hang out with Dave Mustaine.
Comment by Pollux77 — August 31, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
I wonder how this debate would have turned out had the Prez actually been there…seems a little cowardly to me to debate an invisible person….I mean, other than looking tremendously foolish, how can one lose?
Comment by Gary L. — August 31, 2012 @ 1:41 pm
Clint! Thios was not GOOD; this was BAD and UGLY.
Comment by peter — August 31, 2012 @ 1:41 pm
You thought he was mock “debating”!?
*ah hah hah hah*
Comment by Huh? — August 31, 2012 @ 1:52 pm
that mock debate will be no match for Obama debating romneys empty head
Comment by true patriot — August 31, 2012 @ 1:55 pm
Burton Wheeler was a Democrat, but in 1924 he was the running mate of Progressive Robert LaFollette – Charles Bryan, William Jennings Bryan’s younger brother, was the Democratic VP nominee in 1924.
Comment by Thomas Walker — August 31, 2012 @ 1:59 pm
What about a cardboard cutout or a mop? Obama does not answer questions.
Comment by Neil Levine — August 31, 2012 @ 2:12 pm
How very sad and disappointing to see one of my all time heroes in this condition.
- sort of like visiting a dying friend in the hospital.
This is just one more reason I am proud to be Canadian and thankful that I am not an American.
Good luck on the Titanic II (Clint’s next movie) !
Comment by Tommy Two — August 31, 2012 @ 2:17 pm
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for catching this, and I sincerely regret the error. I’ve amended the story to show Wheeler as a Progressive.
Thanks
Comment by Colin Schultz — August 31, 2012 @ 2:17 pm
How would this have turned out if Obama was really there? EXACTLY THE SAME.
Clint’s questions were rhetorical. Obama’s last 4 years of foolish management, TV appearances and general weak leadership ARE his answers.
I’m not American, but if I were I would be even more disappointed in the Obama administration.
Comment by Tyler — August 31, 2012 @ 2:32 pm
Point of personal privilege: My empty chair was a result of the fact that MSNBC couldn’t locate me in the studio where they sent me. http://www.whosay.com/thomasroberts/content/254803?code=zrk1Enl
Nonetheless somehow I’m on this news chain! Oh well.
Comment by Maggie Gallagher — August 31, 2012 @ 2:48 pm
The beauty of the empty-chair debate as a persuasive device is that it allows the orator to fabricate whatever mental-image of the absentee they wish without ever having to contend with actual reality. It serves to bring up and regurgitate talking points in order to reinforce the well-crafted semi-plausible fiction of the campaign’s existing inventions. Though not always done explicitly in this form, the one-sided rhetorical Q and A is a persuasive trick that I believe extends much further than the early events listed here.
Eastwood did the job rather well, I think, gathered by the number of GOP supporters asserting that it went exactly the same as if President Obama were there. I look forward to the debates wherein campaigns’ claims about one another are brought full-face to a real person and their actual living-blood responses.
Comment by Trent K. McGullen — August 31, 2012 @ 8:24 pm
Vintage Clint. It’s a “vote now for Mitt, I’ll explain later” sort of Ol’ Dirty Harry campaign to invigorate a lethargic support for the GOP ticket. That will remind people of Reagan and Bush’s “shoot now, explain later” foreign and domestic policy. Clint figured that GOP is silent on the wars and economic recession that Bush created.
Comment by Norodin Lucman — September 1, 2012 @ 5:07 am
LOL!!! When you ask an entertainer to speak you should expect to be entertained. Clint Eastwood is an entertainer. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill folks.
Comment by Jute Wood — September 2, 2012 @ 9:21 am
Hey, empty chairs do pretty well.
Coolidge won.
Lehman beat Dulles, too.
On another note, as much as I disagree with the Republican platform – which is to say completely – I don’t blame those who ran the convention for recruiting Clint Eastwood. I do wonder, however, if it was politically very wise. He seemed almost distracted and not able to be coherent. This from a man whose movies I love, particularly the most recent ones that he’s directed. His wise and thoughtful approach in the movie-making arena was so starkly contrasted with what the nation saw last week at the convention.
Comment by Doug White — September 2, 2012 @ 9:24 am
It is smart to debate with somwone who is not present.(I am being sarcastic here)I find it intellectually lazy at best and wont mention what the worst aspect is.
I wonder if Eastwood was paid for this farce,the whole world was not amused,where global economy,peace and American prestige was at stake and pushed to the gutter.
Politics are either dirty or stupid,in the above case it was both.
Comment by Agi Gabor — September 2, 2012 @ 10:16 am
People are acting like Clint was the first and only to do this. It’s a common routine by many entertainers. I think the Libs just cant take anyone talking against the Messiah, especially if it’s an icon from Hollywood.
Comment by Sam — September 2, 2012 @ 11:22 am
Clint Eastwood did an outstanding job and served his country well with this performance. The most entertaining part of this, though, is that what he said appealed to all but the ultra-left in this country, who are going to wake up very surprised on Nov. 7.
Comment by Travis — September 2, 2012 @ 11:55 am
The empty chair theme was invented by psychologists on the clients way back in the 20th century. It works best by someone who knows how to use it!
Comment by Lilllian Belinfante Herzberg — September 2, 2012 @ 12:50 pm
I thought it was really cool, and for an 82 year old man who didn’t need a teleprompter to remember his lines was awesome indeed.
Comment by Robert — September 2, 2012 @ 1:11 pm
I wonder if Romney had been “sitting” in that empty chair if he would have been asked, “WHAT would you replace Obamacare with? WHAT is your policy on foreign affairs and what do you intend to do to solve the trouble spots in the world? WHY do you not want to promote green energy instead of using up ALL our resources so as to leave none for future generations…or would you say as George W said,’I'll be dead by then!’ AND WHAT is your plan to create more jobs?” Wonder what the answers would be!
Comment by Emma Lou Martin — September 2, 2012 @ 3:30 pm
Hmm. Is Norodin Lucman trying to use an ensample? Wait, I know – how about the “We’ve got to pass this bill to find out what’s in it” by Loosey Goosey Nancy Pelois.
Comment by Thomas Weaver — September 2, 2012 @ 4:13 pm
After Mario Cuomo refused to debate a Republican opponent, the man put a mannequin in Cuomo’s chair. When asked his opinion of the proceedings Cuomo responded: “The dummy won.”
Comment by Steve — September 2, 2012 @ 8:35 pm
Much as I always enjoy reading political history, I have to say that Eastwood’s performance varies vastly from these earlier examples in that his crude language was embarrassing and repugnant. Eastwood’s language can hardly be compared to those quotes you cite from politicians who have used the prop. Nor can his intent, for that matter.
The reactions of delegates in the hall did not mirror the general reaction expressed across party lines which was that Eastwood had further coarsened the electoral process. Let Eastwood go down in political history for that distinction; he does not belong in the more elevated context you provide.
It was not about the prop.
Comment by Jane Brandes — September 3, 2012 @ 12:46 pm
During the campaign of Pete Peterson for Govenor of Delaware (circa 1972), he went around with a prop of a small chair with a nice needlepoint seat.
It was so he “needle” the current Democratic governor over issues Pete did not like, and “point” out where Pete would do it differently
Comment by John Voris — September 5, 2012 @ 1:33 pm
May I point out that as once Mayor of Carmel, Clint was actually using Elijah’s chair.
Comment by nnyhav — September 5, 2012 @ 11:26 pm
I didn’t bother watching either convention but the biggest buzz over any speech came from Clint’s admirable performance.
Comment by Bill Wilson — September 8, 2012 @ 2:40 pm