With the media closely following the latest Trump campaign snafu, the previously reported accusation that Melania Trump had plagiarized parts of Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech, many were curious to see how the Trump would respond.
We got the first indication overnight, when in a statement released early Tuesday morning, Trump campaign senior communications adviser Jason Miller said “Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking.”
Then Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said Melania Trump “hit it out of the park” Monday night with her address to the Republican National Convention, adding that the speech was not plagiarized in any way. He explicitly denied the plagiarism accusations, saying that Melania Trump’s speech simply employed language that is frequently used.
Speaking on CNN’s “New Day,” Manafort said “there was no cribbing from Michelle Obama’s speech” adding that “these were common words and values, that she cares about her family and things like that. She was speaking in front of 35 million people last night. She knew that. To think she would be cribbing Michelle Obama’s words is crazy.”
Manafort added that the uproar over the speech is an example of how the country tries to “demean” women who criticize Hillary Clinton. “Certainly there’s no feeling on her part that she did it. What she did was use words that were common words. To think that she would do something like that, knowing how scrutinized her speech was going to be last night is just really absurd.”
Manafort also predicted that no one will be fired over the uproar. “I don’t think Donald Trump feels that there is anything to fire about,” he said on “CBS This Morning.”
Then moments ago, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus also jumped in and defended Melania Trump saying he’d “probably” fire the speechwriter if it were his decision. “I don’t blame her,” Priebus said of Melania Trump at a Bloomberg Politics breakfast with journalists in Cleveland on the second day of the Republican National Convention. “Some of these things are pretty common types of themes.”
“I thought she did a great job last night,” Priebus said. “I thought she had a great immigrant story” and “was very inspirational.”
“The distraction gets you off message a little bit this morning, but I think we’ll get back to action this afternoon,” Priebus said.
The rare public speech by presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump’s wife was intended to draw a more intimate portrait of the candidate, but instead drew charges that her remarks copied those in a 2008 Democratic convention speech by Michelle Obama, President Barack Obama’s wife. The situation created a major distraction for the Trump campaign and the Republican convention machine that Priebus oversees.
“The distraction gets you off message a little bit this morning, but I think we’ll get back to action this afternoon,” Priebus said.
* * *
Will this latest “distraction” change anything? Hardly: Trump supporters will simply ignore the “noise” and look forward to today’s official nomination; meanwhile opponents will double down on their accusations that the entire Trump campaign is just one big scam, as the echo-chamber phenomenon continues to accelerate into November.
Oh sorry, we accidentally stole some of your banal bromides. This might be one of those accidentally-on-purpose Scott Adams reverse psychology things, where for the next couple of days the stupid media shows a split screen with Michelle Obama and Melania Trump. Don’t throw me in the briar patch! I swear Trump should just show ads on ESPN showing Melania with no voice-over at all and fading out with “Trump 2016”. What kind of man could vote for Hillary so that she could hector him for the next four years? Christ, even the gays are starting to back Trump.
For my money, the most likely explanation is sabotage. Coincidences don’t exist in politics.
Walt, i think you are right. Looks like the guilty party is one of manaforts top aides. Manafort is going all out to salvage him. The aide is disloyal. He needs to be fired. You can’t embarass the dudes wife like that.
Liberals, even the ‘educated’ ones, will resort to any form of despicable tactic to destroy their opponent. You can see this in the speech/writings involved with the major agendas, like Abortion, GloBull Warming, GLBTxyz, etc. The liberals attack the good messenger and they have no shame in doing so.
Melania did a great job.
“The situation created a major distraction for the Trump campaign and the Republican convention machine that Priebus oversees.” ——– from the article
Major distraction? What a fucking crock of shit. I smell … D-E-S-P-E-R-A-T-I-O-N.
Does this plagiarism accusation even pass the ‘smell test’? Of course, not! Seriously? In this day and age of Google and all the tools available to search AND analyze the web …. someone is so GODDAMNED STUPID as to steal words from a Chimp that was said just 8 years ago? Really? Go fuck yourselves, you desperate liars and haters.
Stucky,
That was a brilliant comment. I just love you…and think you are
tops.
Too bad we can’t get you in the Trump administration to contribute.
What role would you choose if you could choose?
Suzanna
He’d want to be Melania’s butler and wardrobe manager.
“Take those tacky underthings off, here try this thong.”
Thank you, Suzanna.
I would play the same role I play here; King Shit Stirrer.
Alternatively, I would consider a position as Ambassador For Citizen/Copfuk Relations.
Its just the Democrats trying to lock up the man hating ugly women vote.
White privilage and beauty privilage, whats the difference?
I did watch it and what he hell are the Communist really talking about? Jesus could read something from the Bible and the Leftist would bitch a blue streak for a month. How about letting viewers see the speeches instead of spending 75% of the time showing Leftist jabber heads and puff Vids of the Bushes, Hillary, Kasich etc. How about fair play and have Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter, Ann Barnhardt, Michelle Malkin, and Monica Crowley be the Talking Heads for the Democrat Convention.
excellent comment!
@Walt – that was my first thought as well. The Trumps know that every fuckin worthless media hack and DNC operative in the world will be pouring through every syllable uttered at the convention. Call Trumps what you will, but they aren’t stupid. That said, it’s very good chance it’s coincidence – how many different ways can you say “do it for the children?”
“I didn’t see the speech and I don’t give a flying fuck what Melania or Moochelle think about anything. These conventions are nothing but hot air, PR, and mainstream media morons trying to create stories.” ———- Admin
Newt said yesterday that he AND HIS TEAM of writers are working on his speech for today.
Well, that just annoyed me. A “team”? What does that mean? It means that we, the people, have no idea what the fuck are the candidates thoughts/words vs. that of some professional speech writer.
Same goes for Melania. While I said she hit a home run — I meant that in terms of style, delivery, poise, and other intangibles. But, as to the WORDS? Hmmm, I have no idea if 90% came from her, or 90% came from a professional writer. As such, I agree with Admin 100% — those speeches are mostly Kabuki Theater for the masses.
Perfect opprtunity for Trump to adlib a sppech. Just talk about the ice skating rink again. And explain that he doesnt want the media to steal another election.
You think that Michelle Obama wrote her speech? Fat chance of that. She has trouble connecting two ideas together. Give me a break about plagiarism.
I didn’t watch Melania’s speech, although, she’s easy on the eyes. I had more important things to do like picking the lint out of my navel.
If Trump does win, we will have the best looking ‘first lady’ since Sarkozy.
I fully expect to see photo-shopped totally nude photos of Melania put out by the HiLlARy gang.
I have on good a tharty that Hilliary’s ratfuckers already have plenty of photoshopped nude pics of Melania….with a dick where her poonanny is sposed to be.
Trump is doomed if they release them pics.
Ed- That is gratuitous shit stirring right there buddy. 🙂
Especially the part about the poonanny.
Homer,
They already put photos out. We all saw them…leopard rug
and all. Start Page says no results. Sorry, can’t provide a link.
Everything that can be said has already been said by someone somewhere.
It is impossible to make any significant statement without there being something that can be used to accuse you of this.
ZH is a great site but be VERY VERY careful of ZH.. Agent provocateur. The most telling ?? And why doesnt the great Tyler understand this.. Peddling the Saudi did 9-11 and nothing but crickets regarding the treasure trove of info out there. Tylers blew their wad on that one. Rule of Alt media. Careful of the ones that give you 80% of the truth and leave out the most important 20 % like specifically the WHO part.
Oh my God. I wasn’t watching TV last night and missed Melania, but I did just catch a snippet from some chattering haircuts on CNN> Yes, they were talking about Melania’s supposed plagiarism. Where do these people come from? I don’t run into people this stupid in real life? Does the New World Order have some GMO project intended to breed these people for their roles on TV? I just heard a couple of brief clips juxtaposing Melania and Michelle, both offering the usual completely stereotyped platitudes, not that I’m criticizing the whole speech since I didn’t even hear it. But WTF! There was nothing original enough in the clips I heard to make plagiarism even possible. You can’t plagiarize a statement which is so commonplace that it doesn’t remotely qualify as some kind of intellectual property. There used to be a time when politicians actually wrote speeches themselves. Our founding fathers did. Many of them were schooled by Cicero and other classical orators. Cicero? I thought that was a town in Illinois.
The media is a schoolhouse snitch, little Sally tattling that Billy is drawing on his desk.
The American people are equivalent to the teacher, rolling their eyes and wishing little Sally would shut the fuck up.
When your country is being flooded by foreign hordes you really don’t care if some hack speechwriter lifted a few lines from a has-been. Zero fucks given.
“You think that Michelle Obama wrote her speech? Fat chance of that.” —- Homer
Spot on.
Mooo-chelle’s college thesis (something about smart niggers vs dumb niggers — really) is available online. I posted it once. Honestly and truthfully — and not because I despise the chimp — it is, at best, writing at the 10th grade level, if that. Horrible grammar. Spelling mistakes. Incoherent thoughts. Terrible sentence structure. And that’s just for starters.
Her speech bore ZERO RESEMBLANCE to her thesis. Even an amateur could see that two different people composed those works. Yes people change, but even an alchemist can’t change shit into gold.
Been thinking about this some more… it’s remotely possible that this whole thing was a brilliant trolling of the Dems and the media by the Trump campaign. Do you think the media would be doing so much coverage of the convention if this issue hadn’t come up?
Ding ding ding ding!!! WE have a winner!!
Sorry to piss on your parade folks, but the speech was definitely plagiarized. I watched a clip on either Fox or MSNBC last night with a comparison and Melania used some of the same exact phrases as the speech Moochelle gave. And that’s not just a coinky-dink.
Here’s a link to the comparison from CNN:
the “plagiarism” is nothing but common platitudes. I bet if they took speeches by every candidates and their wives over the last 40 years some permutation would have uttered.
Also, when Moo-shell said them it is a straight up lie.
I agree that it is only a coincidence, albeit a rather unlikely coincidence (1 in 87 billion to be precise):
But it could happen….
Seriously, either the speechwriter was grossly incompetent or deliberately trying to sabotage. Either way if I was Trump the guy would be toast.
The Demos should be happy after all intimation is the most sincere form of flattery.
Perhaps, Donald is considering firing that speech writer as he is obviously working for ‘She who shall not be named’ party.
It’s amazing how little it takes to distract the public from the most important issues facing them and their children. Public education has filled the minds of America with ‘mush’.
If this were really plagiarism on Melania’s part she would have said it the way it was originally said by Michelle. I guess Melania cannot get the slight nuance of ebonics in words like “guidet” meaning guided, I suppose. Or, another example: “hart” for hard.
I’m glad she never said “1. Axe not what your country can do for you…”
Clean out your ears and listen to the excerpts, it’s plagiarism, pure and simple. Does it matter? Not in the slightest. Anyone who takes anything said in a political convention seriously is a fool.
From 2008:
“On February 16, Barack Obama gave a speech in Wisconsin where he answered allegations from his main political rival, Hillary Clinton, that all he had to offer was “just words”.
To answer the charge, he quoted a series of well-known speeches and documents from U.S. history, including those by Martin Luther King Jr, John F. Kennedy as well as the Declaration of Independence and asked if they were “Just Words”.
With hours, a clip emerged on YouTube (embedded below) that compared Obama’s speech to a 2006 speech by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. In Patrick’s speech, he used many of the same quotes as well as very similar phrasing.
In all, the two clips are remarkably similar.
The Clinton campaign seized on this and accused Obama of plagiarism. Obama responded, saying that Patrick and himself are good friends and share ideas regularly. Even Patrick himself, the plagiarized party, has taken to national TV to defend Obama.
However, Obama has acknowledged that he should have given Patrick credit when speaking, saying that “He (Patrick) had suggested we use these lines. I thought they were good lines. I’m sure I should have. Didn’t this time.”
The story has grown to incredible proportions. Google News is reporting over 900 news references for “Obama Plagiarism”, including over 150 unique stories,
Perhaps unfortunate for the campaign, the story is not going away and Obama’s campaign has fired back, accusing Clinton of plagiarizing Obama’s speeches and catch-phrases.
It seems that the back and forth is poised to continue for some time to come.”
Who gives a flying Fuck!
Same speech?
More like politics has devolved to the point that speeches are 100% rhetoric and ideology and need not contain any policy or platform whatsoever. Cookie cutter phrases and buzzwords to invoke emotions rather than intellectual ideas to invoke critical thinking and debate. Either one could have been written and delivered by a computer for all the substance they contained.
Or as some old fucker use to put it, specious unauthenticated garbage.
Punk in Drublic – did you take your name from one of the best punk albums of all time from NOFX? Truly a classic. Here is a taste:
Punk! So glad to se you! Where you been? You ok?
Punk in Drublic sez, “Hic!”
Homer, that was lame. Punk is a veteran, he looks like Chucky with all the battle scars. You wouldn’t tease Chuck Norris like that either.
Dems are red, and partly blue!… Melania’s speech, is Michelle’s too!
—–
Trump is red, and Melania is blue!… Melania’s on Twitter, and Don wants to sue!
—–
It’s been said that this present US Election is a “one horse race”!… and that Hillary possesses the only horse! But I contend!… that Hillary doesn’t need a horse to beat the “Corporate S_trump_et (a.k.a., ‘The Duck’!… and not to be confused with ‘Daffy’!… as such confusion, would be an insult to ‘Daffy’!)”!… but, simply, a pair of running shoes, a can of mace, and a butterfly net! Oh!… and some tracing paper, a pair of scissors, and a bottle of paste, for Trump’s beloved “prez in waiting”!
—–
Donald Trump is proof that extraterrestrial life exists!… the question to be asked, though, is: Is Trump an example of “Intelligent Life”, or merely, an “organic life form”?
—–
Please!… no emails!
Melania is proof that extraterrestrial life exists!
The bitch looks like a space alien with a wig.
I’m pretty great, LLPOH. Busy with work. Sunday dinners with the folks. Life is good. I see a lot of trouble on the horizon and have so few people I can talk to in my life about such things. TBP has always been a weekly or biweekly read but its now back in my daily set of sites. I kinda missed it.
How are you? How’s the other side of the world?
Homer,
you’ll have to do better than that. Let me help.
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Punk, Homer and a few relatively new folks have not been proberly jumped into the TBP gang. Most of them require rest periods to express their milk even. Take it easy on the noobs, it’s not the same TBP you and LLPOH terrorized. It’s even got a Twitter account. Twitter! Admin might open a Facebook account next. Unfriend you later!
Work hard, treat people with dignity and respect, values, your word is your bond, blah, blah, blah.
For starters neither of those women has worked hard a day in their lives- not that I care, that’s their business- but this is political hyperbole in a PC straight jacket world where there are maybe fifteen sentences left that won’t offend someone. I just heard them on NPR today talking about how “law and order” is racist code and “all lives matter” is divisive.
My first thought is how refreshing it would be if someone said something that wasn’t read off a teleprompter written by some pajama boy fresh out of Yale. Imagine how that would resonate, how genuine it would feel even if it wasn’t perfect.
Meh.
Fifteen sentences left that would not offend someone?
Betcha there will still be some triggering words in there.
No insult to TBP, please know, but this may be the silliest
topic ever aired on TBP. This is really an issue? It was discussed
on NPR? I actually have enjoyed NPR programs in the past. Now,
the content makes me want to retch.
This discussion, apparently everywhere, that Mel plagiarized
Mooch’s speech is beyond distraction. It is absurd. Will there
ever be any reasoned intelligent dialogue again? Politicians
are a joke. They stoop to the lowest of lows.
What, a half a dozen common phrases are the same or similar out of a 15 minute speech and now the whole speech is plagiarized? Give me a break. Next thing you know someone on TBP is going to say “blow me” and get sued for plagiarism.
Punk – all good here. Have asked about you many times. You were always my, and the late, great Smokey’s, dear friend. I surely hope you hang around. Stuck and I and IS and a few others need all the help we can get helping TBP keep the old culture intact, while allowing Admin to go big market with this sucker.
Here’s a conspiracy theory:
Melania Trump DELIBERATELY plagiarized Michele Obama in order to make front-line news the day after the opening of the convention.
That is called media-savvy.
Odd that Trump supporters will believe the most ridiculous conspiracy theories, that there is a Birther conspiracy, that Climate Change is an orchestration by the Chinese, that Mexico plans their emigration policies, that the earth is flat….
But NOT that Melania Trump plagiarized Michele Obama….
You can’t fix stupid.
Just call it Trump and hope it does no harm.
Given Melania’s performance yesterday, I propose we just call them “Dumb and Dumber”.
It’s your pick as to who gets top billing.
Jeremy Bentham (English Jurist and Philosopher, the founder of modern Utilitarianism) once said:
“Who the hell forgot to pick-up milk last night? What the fuck am I supposed to put in my coffee?”
Yet nobody plagiarizes that part… I’m sure he said it?
Zygon
this isnt Facefart…
How about you try and compress that thought into one post. Might be dangerous and scary for you. Not sure if you are playing a troll or just being a dumbass but right now you are heaping shit onto shit and just making a big stinky mess.
Rob (the drunk from Nova Scotia),
The topic here is Melania and plagiarism, not Rob’s opinion of Zygon.
Glad I upset you though.
Zygon.
Zygon is about to be bygone. Nice start here dickhead.
Zygote
You’re an idiot incapable of even simple analysis.
Melania’s speech was about 2,000 words long. The so-called “plagiarism” consisted of a few lines, if that. English isn’t her first language so, she had assistance from a speech writer. (If anything, THAT person fucked up a little … not Melania).
If you loathe Trump, just say so and quit beating around the bush. Asshole.
Were you this butt hurt when Joe Biden literally plagiarized ENTIRE speeches? Or, when the HNIC did likewise (look it up)?
As a personal favor to me, would you please go back and crawl under the rock from whence you came?
Stucky,
It doesn’t matter who s the actual plagiarist nor does it matter how many words or thoughts were plagiarized, it is still plagiarism. And whether or not I was upset when Biden or anyone else does it isn’t even in question, is it? (That’s the defense of a four year old – Mommy! Zygon did it too!!!)
How you people are still defending and apologizing for the Trumps is amazing! Melania is the only immigrant you’ve ever been so accommodating to!
English doesn’t seem to be Donald’s first language either, but you don’t use the same defense?
Why?
Zygon
You indolent fuck! Why do you fucking care if she plagiarized the speech. All the important things happening in world. Siege of Aleppo, the clusterfuck in Ukraine, Turkey, cop killings…
and you want to whinge about Melania, someone you will never vote for.
The only immigrant. That’s too funny. You fucking Tard!
And like Stucky said the whole thing was only 2000 words and part in question was just a couple of lines. Just so you know, most Folks around here aren’t falling over themselves with Trump. You sound like a Butthurt Bernoid supporter with an IQ that corresponds to the temperature of the hamburger in the bottom of my deep freezer. And like the freezer burnt hamburger, you will end up long forgotten. Discovered someday and then thrown out in compost.
Rob,
Nice use of the word ‘indolent’. Do you often fuck indolently? That’s what I hear, anyway…
I love how you rush to find worse things in the world. One more example of the four-year-old’s logic. “Yes, dad. I did scratch the car… But Johnny kicked the cat!”
See, the thing about plagiarism is it is usually a nod in the direction of the original author. It is the ‘sincerest form of flattery’. Do we think that Melania admits anything good about the former administration and secretly admires the former First Lady? Guess so!
The other thing about plagiarism is it does not matter how many words are actually copied. It is chiefly demonstrated when a person impersonates the ideas of another author as if they were their own.
Every word I have written here is plagiarized from a million sources (if taken one-by-one.) That’s not what makes my thoughts original OR plagiarized.
But if I said “I have a Dream!”, then THAT would be plagiarism.
Oh, and you need to unzip first before starting to pee.
(Just offering helpful advice here, you seem to be shaky on certain basic thoughts.)
I would wager money that you had to look up the definition. And yes I do fuck indolently.
So what!
I work all day so it is never a bad thing to slow down and take my time for that. Man who cares. The first Lady just waters the plants of garden in front of oval office.
You are lecturing Stucky about immigrants. Fuck! Now that’s funny. You are a like a dog circling in the neighbour’s backyard wondering where to take a shit. Not realizing that there is a 12 gauge pointed at it’s head, trigger ready waiting for you to take a big dump. I got work to do. Maybe tonight when I get home I’ll follow up with you. In the meantime quit jerking off your boyfriend, pick up your Obamaphone, make some calls and find a fucking job.
Oh yeah
And Bite Me!
Whoa there Rob! Careful! You don’t want an aneurysm!
So you fuck lazily, just like you think?
Let’s see the chain of reasoning here: Original topic is plagiarism. Response?
– Deflection to current status of employment.
– First Lady is insignifigant.
– Comment on immigrants.
– Direct threat involving a shotgun.
– Return to deflection about status of employment.
– Allegations of homosexual behavior.
– Return to deflection about status of employment.
On second thought, have that aneurysm.
Okay
I’ll play. You are the one deflecting here Zygote. This plagiarism thing is just one huge deflection by MSM and you from issues that really matter.
For a lot of folks here the choice between the Decider and Kankles is akin to a choice between Ebola and Cancer. But you might as well keep thinking that TBP is a shrine for Trump. Much less difficult for that one firing neuron to process, I suppose
Whatta a fucking maroon! Lecturing Stucky on immigrants. You know I have to admit if you are attempting to troll you are at least trying to be funny. You are, but I suspect it is incidental to your stupidity.
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I know it might scare you but how about you push the turbo button and fire up that brain. For you, judging by what you wrote, this might be difficult as it is likely hidden in a place where the sun doesn’t shine.
How many posters here stated “I didn’t see the speech, but…”
Any criticism of Trump is verboten, and it really gets a rise out of you boners.
Then (of course) come the threats.
PS: Did you mean ‘accidental’ when you used the word ‘incidental’? The adjective accidental means unintentional or happening by chance.
The adjective incidental means secondary or nonessential.
… secondary or nonessential. Yah so! I really don’t think it is required for you to outshine your stupidity but you keep fucking trying.
What is your fucking point.
In case you haven’t figured it out I think Trump is a blow hard and thinks he is better than everyone else. It’s a wonder you don’t like him. But I suppose it is pretty hard for you to admire the man when you have Obama’s cock stuck in your ass.
It is not to me to explain or reiterate my point to someone playing dumb.
But you’re not playing.
No need to be making excuses for your ignorance. Chimps can’t help smelling bad.
“How you people are still defending and apologizing for the Trumps is amazing!”
——- Zygote, TBP’s newest single neuron creature
There you have it folks!!! Zygote really doesn’t give a flying fuck about plagiarism, despite his mighty holier-than-thou pontifications. He’s a Trump hater, pure and simple, searching far and wide to find something to criticize no matter how irrelevant.
Here’s something Melania didn’t copy from The Chimp — “For the first time in my life I’m proud of my country.” Instead, we have an immigrant who clearly loves this country, appreciates the opportunities it afforded her, and wants to give back to it. These are qualities neither The Chimp nor The Wicked Queen of Cankles have … but, you’ll be voting for one of them, won’t you.
Your stay here will be a difficult one. You have lost something you’ve never even established in the first place … credibility. How will you ever gain any at this point? And should I decide to remind folks daily about this thread and your asshole-ishness, then you are doomed. I suggest you try to cultivate a few more brain cells, if possible, before posting again.
Stucky, you must be confusing me with someone who cares about your opinion.
Zygon the shit stain is still around? Wow. That turd thinks it will not flush. How many times have I seen that before. And each time it circles the bowl a time or two then goes down the drain. No rotor rooter needed. This Zygon turd will be no different.
Maybe we leave by choice, Ilpoh?
Wouldn’t that be a hit to your collective ego!
The dogs didn’t ‘chase away the mailman’, he left to do his appointed rounds…..
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If Zygon is banned for anti-tRUMP comments, I will go with him.
Moochelle stole the lines from Elizabeth Dole, Melania’s speech writer rolled them into her speech. They repackage everything at some time or other. Who gives a shit?
If only Hillary had committed plagiarism instead of treason in the e-mail investigation.