If we are to believe the letter written by the Trump Organization in-house staff writer — Meredith McIver — who offered to resign over the damaging incident, Michelle's words came from Melania Trump, who admires Michelle Obama and read lines from the 2008 speech to McIver as a way to express what she was looking for. McIver took notes that included some of the verbatim phrases and then fashioned the speech without checking to make sure there was no overlap.
Donald Trump rejected McIver's resignation and — according to McIver — told her that "people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences." So rather than take advantage of McIver as a sacrificial lamb, Trump saw an opportunity to demonstrate his magnanimity and forgiving spirit.
I don't know how much of that is true, but to me the most interesting part is that Melania "has always liked" Michelle Obama. Isn't that nice?! Michelle really did do a nice job with that speech back in 2008! This screw-up got us all looking back on something that we ought to acknowledge as good. We should have models for our speeches. Who should we emulate? You don't start with nothing. You show something of yourself by whom you chose to copy, but of course, you don't copy verbatim without acknowledging your source.
Now, I'm imagining Melania giving a speech that begins: When they asked me to give a speech at this convention and to millions of people watching this convention on TV, I wondered how could I do it? What could I say? And then I remembered: Michelle! What a beautiful speech Michelle Obama gave back in 2008! I never dreamed that 8 years later, I would be in her position. I'd have been terrified. I am terrified! But what gave me the nerve to step up and talk to you tonight was that image of Michelle Obama that impressed me so much, because she spoke from the heart — about her values, her values that she learned from her parents, and about her love for her husband and for her country. I want to say that too. Her country is my country, and I want to say, like her, that I believe that you need to work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do, and that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
89 comments:
Yeah, that would never happen.
First, all of Trump world spent the better part of the last 24 hours telling us that it was not plagiarism at all, and that such notions were ridiculous left-wing attack garbage. That was false. Check Paul Manafort's statements on the subject.
Second, Melania's very first claim was that she wrote the speech herself with very little help.
It's not the crime, it's the cover up. As Mara Liasson recently observed, nobody plays a winning hand worse than Donald Trump.
I am beginning to have trouble with the media's interpretation of plagiarism.
If you look up the original author's language and just carefully rearrange the wording, it seems to me it is still plagiarism.
Or it would be if it was about something important or specific; just bloviating in a convention speech and going from memory, I do not know if it amounts to criminal trespass.
When I left the old country in 1953, they were still giving 17th of May speeches about "the five long and hard years when the German iron heel lay heavy over the country .... etc., and I don't think the original author, whoever he might have been, ever got credit for the lines.
You know what's even more awkward? Chelsea Clinton & Ivanka Trump are supposedly good friends. I wonder if that friendship will survive. I feel sorry for both of them to be in that position. It's like it a story out of Renaissance Italy: two great families in political struggle, screwing up their children's lives.
What part of Michele's speech was actually original work? Is "plagiarism" of a "plagiarized" work plagiarism?
Would someone please tell me why it has become obligatory for the candidate's wife to give a speech at the convention? And if she becomes First Lady why does she have to have a "cause"? Why can't we go back to the First Lady just being the First Lady, like hosting state dinners, etc. and not out in public trying to interfere in everyone's life? Hasn't Michelle Obama ruined enough school lunches?
It does not matter, of course, if this act of plagiarism is civilly actionable, or criminal(?!) or extra-legal in any other sense. Unless of course Michelle Obama, or her speechwriter(s), or Stephen Covey want to make it so. And I suspect they couldn't, and they won't try and won't give it a second thought.
What matters is how the Trumps handled all of it. Which was, in a word, shitty.
So what really happened? Nothing is clear to me. If Melania read her speechwriter, Meredith Mc Iver, portions of Michelle's former speech that she particularly admired, why didn't Melania recognize those words when Meredith produced a speech for her. I mean, she should have said, "Holy hell, Meredith, I didn't mean for you to use Michelle's exact words. It's straight plagiarism. Everyone in the White House will remember it instantly. I'll be a joke. Every station will feature this as front page news from now to November. It will ruin our entire convention. You just lost the election for us."
In short, we still haven't got the full story yet. Or did Meredith hand Melania the speech five minutes before it went up on the teleprompter and she had no chance to vet it? Or did she vet it but she's just dumb as a rock?
Whatever happened I think Melania just handed Hillary the theme for her campaign against Trump--"He cheats, he's incompetent, he thinks the voters are idiots, he's unqualified to be president."
Lucky Donald in the creative way he turns things around to his advantage. However Twitter says MO got those lines from Elizabeth Dole. If that is true who is the plagiarist? Like husband like wife.
Michelle Obama didn't invent "your word is your bond". It's a platitude, or a bromide, or whatever you want to call it. For example, Robin Williams says it in "Hook".
But I'm glad to see the plagiarism police are back at it. I thought they hung up their spurs back in 2008 when Hillary and Obama were plagiarizing, since they didn't seem to care too much about that.
But now they are such sticklers that even potential First Ladies aren't allowed to do it! So you know they're going to call Hillary on it if SHE does it.
I would be shocked if Melania "wrote" this speech herself. English is not her first language...obviously. She may have given the outline of what she would like to say, the points to make, some personal information to include in the speech, to her writer(s) and they went from there using stock phrases and common verbiage. But actually sit down and literally write the speech herself. Hardly.
DO you think that Obama writes his own speeches? IF so then why is he so terrible when he doesn't have a teleprompter to read from? Probably because he hasn't seen the speech until that moment. At least Melania didn't read the prompts to the words.... like.... /sigh lol
Most people, even IF English were their first language, would be petrified to stand up in front of so many people and make a speech.
In the big scheme of things when you consider terrorism, the economy, wars around the world, the issue of whether the candidates or President's wife can write a speech is pretty small potatoes. Focus people. Focus!!!
@pm317,
However Twitter says MO got those lines from Elizabeth Dole. If that is true who is the plagiarist? Like husband like wife.
On first appearance, this "plagiarism" business is a hit on the Trump campaign. As always the press & Democrats will overplay their hand, & folks will start looking into previous speeches by "First Ladies" & will discover more "plagiarism" & other stinkbombs like Teresa Heinz Kerry's pompous windbag speech. It will be at that point that the press will decide it's time to move on.
I mean, who gives a shit what a "First Lady/Gentleman" thinks? We ain't electing them no way no how.
Somehow the Donald turns it around on Democrats and comes up smelling like roses.
And all this without the help of the MSM.
This election is going to constantly remind me of the Wellstone Funeral, where they turned a solemn occasion into a political attack on Republicans. Anyone still remember that?
Trump is going to constantly be turning their attacks back upon them. And it's going to be yuuuuge!
"the issue of whether the candidates or President's wife can write a speech is pretty small potatoes. Focus people." That's exactly what the MSM are doing. They are trying hard to turn a tiny potato into poison. Of course, the episode goes to show Trump is an amateurish clown who doesn't run a tight ship. Not that mister manager Mitt had more of a clue.
Tom Maguire reports over at Just A Minute, "Ted Cruz on Deck. Tonight we hear from Ted Cruz, who probably has not plagiarized anything."
As for Melania's admiration for Moochelle probably centers around the fact that the First Lady takes frequent vacations at spending levels even a billionaire's wife would love.
Then again both ladies may believe that their positions put them above the rule of law. Donald certainly has has that attitude all his adult life.
This gets at the essence of the gaffe, which wasn't plagiarism but who was being copied. Melania couldn't give a speech citing Michelle Obama favorably several times in quick succession. That might go over well to viewers at home, but not in the convention hall, and there would have been hysterical punditry over that too.
Good use of "to whom it may concern" in the apology letter. It's a straight out admission of copying from Michelle, which knocks the legs out from under those touting the My Little Pony story.
The explanation sounds believable. All Melania has to do is confirm publicly that, yes, she admires Michelle Obama, which she can do safely outside the convention hall.
eadering said...
Yeah, that would never happen.
Of course it could. But you need a very high level of imagination to think of it in this context. Mrs. Trump is a rookie. She gets a pass for not thinking that way. The "professional" speechwriters do not. They fucked up a grand opportunity.
And she could just say, politely, "I am supporting my husband because I do not think that Mrs. Obama's husband and his party have lived up to those aspirations. I know she will disagree and I respect that. But I also respect the American voters and they will decide, as they should."
The End.
"I mean, who gives a shit what a "First Lady/Gentleman" thinks? We ain't electing them no way no how." Then again, one good reason to vote for Trump is to keep rapist Bill out of the White House. We'd be electing him again as well.
Help! Help! Donald Trump is on the loose! We have to stop him! He has a beautiful (third) wife. Someone might vote for him if she says nice things about him. Let's change the subject! That always works for us! We did it with that awful Sarah Palin! Who knew that Bush had a doctrine? Let's accuse her of plaigerism! You say that Biden, Obama, Doris Kerns Goodwin, Steven Ambrose, and Maureen Dowd all got caught using the words of others? Nobody cares about that! They're with us!
Help! Help! We have to stop Donald Trump!
That, folks, is everything you need to know about Melania Trump's speech.
I think AA's suggestion would be a very magnanimous way to say it, but you have to end it with, "but we intend to actually live up to those standards instead of doing the exact opposite by lying to you as was done back then."
Melania showed exquisite taste. She stole from the best.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if her plagiarism was intentional.
She is reputed (by her husband, admittedly) to be quite intelligent and very shy, is an immigrant and a woman, and knows that her husband and his associates are the worst sort of swine imaginable. She probably finds her sabotage a delicious repast of roast pork.
I wonder if the Donald might begin referring to her by one of those cute nicknames for which he is known. Something like "The Dummy" might strike just the right note to his adoring fans.
I want the Donald to win just to screw the lefties, media included.
Oh man, David beat me to it, and said it better.
I'm not buying the "English as a second language" idea. Mrs. Trump speaks fluent and grammatical English. In fact it's an insult to her. She could probably ditch the accent too, but she knows its charming and exotic.
It's her lack of experience, not her fluency in English, that caused her to use a speechwriter.
I would be more bothered by this if the media has taken Biden and Obama's "borrowing" of words seriously. The media did not.
It was meaningless minutiae, as mentioned yesterday, until the Trump presidential damage control team, if such an animal exists, prolonged the hilarity with their amateurish/inept, not ready for prime time cover-up.
Talk about fools who can't get on the same page. Compliments to team Trump for turning minutiae into something huuuuuuuge!
The gift that keeps on giving ...
If we are to believe
I don't know how much of that is true
Weasel.
Sorry, not buying it. If Melania was such a fan of the MO speech, she would have realized what she was given pretty much contained the exact phrases. So, she either is clueless about what plagiarism is or she didn't really know the exact words of MO's speech. But, she can't say she didn't know because she read them to the writer. Maybe she forgot them after she read them, but then if she loved them so much, how she forget the phrases? But, could she be stupid enough to do it on purpose, thinking no one would notice? If Melania is reading the MO speech, how could McIver not think it would be stupid to use the phrases verbatim? She really should be fired.
The whole thing is way overblown, but the Trump camp explanations don't pass the smell test. CNN made their entire website about it yesterday. Good thing there was no asteroid about to hit the earth. Real news took a backseat.
Shiloh, are you still on the moon, or have you returned to planet earth? Check the networks when you land. They just spent two days on this with no help from Trump. Personally, this just made me more likely to vote for the blustering huckster.
That would have been a bit over the top. Too gooey. It would be like getting slimed.
No, I think if people questioned her, she should just say send $5000 for the references to the speech, and we will gift wrap it for you - assholes...
Mmmm... I ate a whole jar of pimento olives imported from California. Holy shit, I need to go eat a steak now, because I'm so greased-up it will slide right down and out my ass. All flavor, no calories...
This whole thing HAD to be blown up because lying to the mother of a dead CIA agent was starting to get legs. I suppose "Bully" is a slightly better position than "Craven Liar".
Never forget the Demo MSM was aided in this by the Vichy Republicans.
lovely thought experiment about the with-credit michelle obama speech
i did watch a side by side video and thought: bias against foreign-language-speakers is huge (i.e. started meaningfully using English after adulthood). so anything melania gets out of this is above expectations, almost.
also thought: michelle obama is quite a competent speaker (as is her husband, but we all knew that). if not for the "never been proud" attitude she could have had, if she wanted it, a future in politics.
yes, the obama's accomplishments as academics weren't looking to be anything special. but michelle might be the more intelligent of the two. honestly not sure.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Oops!
Just reinforces the existing reality/truth ie team Trump is totally inept.
Michelle was the first human to say that we should pass on our life lessons to our children? And that they were only limited by what they could dream and how hard they worked to achieve their dreams?
I think that I said something like that back in the 80s, but it was when I was stoned so I'm not 100% sure.
Trump Luck again. His Slavic wife turns out to admire the words of a descendent of slaves from Rex, Georgia. Nice lemonade made from lemons.
I have always thought Michelle has gotten a raw deal. She clearly knows that Barry is full of baloney--I know a golf widow when I see one. It keeps the marriage together--and she appears to have done a great job with those daughters. I bet she is fed up with Sportscenter nonstop in the private residence. People don't have to pick on politicians' spouses--unless they are Republicans--then it is required.
If the FBI would go after Clinton, like the media is going after the Slovenian immigrant, the election would be over now. The Democrats would have to draft Pocahontas.
"Talk about fools who can't get on the same page. Compliments to team Trump for turning minutiae into something huuuuuuuge"
Indeed. The left have spent two two days spazzing about an attractive and personable woman's speech. I could be wrong but I don't think this is what winning looks like.
How would you express those sentiments without using some of the same language?
And looking up the exact language Michelle used is no fair.
(OT, but I am also getting to think that Michelle is a fairly normal woman. Her missteps in the White House - and there is quite a few - seem to me to be such as staff may have led her into and/or should have been prevented by her husband or his chief of staff.)
And Biden's plagiarism is not just about words. He stole Kinnock's family history and pasted it over his own. Obama I think is accused by some of having a ghostwriter (Bill Ayers?) write up a largely fictional autobiography and presenting it as his own work. Both of these things go far beyond mere plagiarism.
Eric Trump says he wrote his own speech tonight. If it starts out "Friends Romans and Ohio men, lend me your ears..." then we will know something is rotten in Denmark,
shiloh said...
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Oops!
Just reinforces the existing reality/truth ie team Trump is totally inept.
7/20/16, 4:30 PM "
It's a shame you are so irony impaired as to miss the irony of your words coming from a Hillary! supporter.
Chuck wrote:
"It's not the crime, it's the cover up."
1. The Clinton email scandal
2. Watergate
3. A speech given by a non-candidate at a political convention
One of these things is not like the other.
"How Michelle Obama's words got into Melania Trump's speech."
Give Melania some credit. Of course she knew she was plagiarizing. She also knew that if she did it would generate lots of side-by-side comparisons of her and Michelle. And words-schmerds, she knew she would win that one.
@coupe:The Democrats would have to draft Pocahontas.
Do you mean Warren? No, they would never support a plagiarist for President. Even your spouse's plagiarism is disqualifying, that's the standard now.
Ms. Warren’s 1984 recipe for Crab with Tomato Mayonnaise Dressing is a word-for-word copy of Mr. Franey’s [of The New York Times News Service] 1979 recipe.
Mrs. Warren’s 1984 recipe for Cold Omelets with Crab Meat contains all four of the ingredients listed in Mr. Franey’s 1979 recipe in the exact same portion but lists five additional ingredients. More significantly, her instructions are virtually a word for word copy of Mr. Franey’s instructions from this 1979 article. Both instructions specify the use of a ‘seven inch Teflon pan.’
Exiled:
Why do you think I'd care about your little list? Why do you think I might not be critical of the Watergate criminals, or the Clintons? Why don't you try to stick to the point?
We're talking about the cause of, and response to, this controversy.
How did those lies to Congress come out of Hillary's mouth?
"michelle obama is quite a competent speaker (as is her husband, but we all knew that)"
Barack Obama: "If if if if if if..... uhh uh ahh ahhh ...... okey doke"
Yeah, that Barry fella is quite a competent speaker.
When you acknowledge her, or her ghost-writer's, "rick-roll" in the analysis, its hard to think any of this was unplanned. Its classic Trump playing the media for free publicity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KtzdP7mR-4
No parents of anybody in this situation really said "your word is your bond".
Michelle's parents didn't really say it to Michelle.
Melania's parents didn't really say it to Melania.
Not even the ghost-writers' parents said it to the ghost-writers.
The only plausible case is that Donald Trump's father might have really said it to Donald Trump.
I wonder what Chuck thinks of the latest controversy, where Charles Johnson, on video, was assaulted by Michelle Fields boyfriend?
@Chuckles.
No, it is probably not actionable. Plagiarism is not a legal crime in this country, just an academic one. Which leaves copyright infringement. The problem there is that these are fairly standard speech elements - scenes a faire. There is only infringement after applying filtration to Michelle's speech, eliminating everything that she got elsewhere before comparing the remainder to Melonia's speech to find substantial simularity in the remaining original expression. My guess is that much of Michelle's speech came from others, which isn't going to leave much to compare. And then there is the question of whether federal funds were used in writing Michelle's speech. If so, that work is probably in the public domain, ab ignitio. And, then there is the problem of who is the owner of that speech - Michelle or the speech writer. If they file suit for copyright infringement, I would expect a counter suit for defamation, since Trump seems somewhat protective of his wife. Maybe (there could be some litigation immunity there). Keep in mind that they are unlikely to get statutory damages, since it is unlikely that the speech was registered on a timely basis. Which means actual damages (de minimus here) and no attorneys' fees, unless they lose, in which case they may be liable to the Trumps for theirs. So, I would think that filing suit against Melani Trump and her speech writer would be ill advised (I was thinking "contraindicated", but couldn't stretch it that far).
It doesn't explain the rickroll though, does it?
"It's not the crime, it's the cover up."
No. It's a speech. By a non-candidate. At a convention. You'd have to be a panicked leftist or a crackhead or a life-long Republican to think this is a big deal.
it doesn't really bother me that melania trump plagiarized michelle obama's speech.
This whole thing is just an amusement to pass the time. Firstly, who cares what any FIrst Lady thinks, let alone someone who isn't even there yet? I will never understand why the press covers what they say and why we provide them a staff. When I hire someone for a job I don't interview the spouse.
And secondly, nobody, but nobody, in national politics writes his or her own speeches (or books). It's sort of expected for them to lie about it, and it seems to have become a bit rude to call them on it.
Trump comes out of this at worst even. At best, he gains a point or two because of his flipping the narrative saying Melania admires Michelle, a smart move. Further, he now has good reason to pound the media for their lying and bias. It isn't Trump dumb luck nor is it 3D chess that Scott Adams thinks (or at least used to) Trump is playing.
What he does is STUFF. Whether the stuff ends up a win or a loss doesn't matter because, if a win, great; if a loss, you then double down on it till you crack its code and then succeed. It's a little like freewriting: you write until you get something -- good or bad -- and now you're getting someplace.
Planning, strategizing, writing business plans and mission statements before beginning an endeavor all have their place, but so does JUST DOING STUFF. It's the A.D.D. method of life and it has merit.
Mike S:
Yeah, even my father (born in the 20s) didn't use that phrase.
With my own kids I always talked about reputation. How easy it is to damage it, and how hard to repair damage.
I phrase it to entrepreneurs as "the most important thing you bring to the table is your personal credibility".
"Your word is your bond"? I can't say I recall ever hearing that in the real world, just in crafted & edited writings.
I kind of wonder were Michelle got the words. Sounded like a high school Valedictorian speech.
Wouldn't it be kind of funny if Michelle plagiarized it?
Can language that was or is in popular or common use be technically plagiarized?
Choose abortion, not life.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle carbon-based human babies.
Also, progressive wars, what are they good for? Refugee crises and democratic leverage.
I'll have to think at least twice before voting for the candidate's spouse.
without plagiarism there can be no culture -- just ask Shakespeare
When Donald Trump gives his acceptance speech, maybe he'll include some lines from Bill Clinton.
Until Trump decided to run for President, he and his wife were on good speaking terms with the Clintons.
I know! Trump should promise to "build a bridge to the 22nd century."
Left Bank of the Charles said: "All Melania has to do is confirm publicly that, yes, she admires Michelle Obama, which she can do safely outside the convention hall."
Now that this has become public, the media is going to pummel Melania until she says publicly how much she admires Michelle Obama.
And then they're going to demand to know what she thinks of Barack Obama.
I phrase it to entrepreneurs as "the most important thing you bring to the table is your personal credibility".
"Your word is your bond"? I can't say I recall ever hearing that in the real world, just in crafted & edited writings.
In a scripted address it's fine, but in ordinary speech it's pretentious.
Let's keep our fingers crossed!
This is the best the democrats got? The first ladies speech pilfered from a speech written for Michelle Obama 8 years ago? That's it? Believe me, no one gives two shits about this and it will be forgotten next week when we discover Trump never sent his door man a birthday card after moving from his apartment 8 years ago. You would think the dems would use a bigger calibre when hunting for Trump.
Trump h8ers gotta run with something...better keep pumping the plagiarism story!
shilho said...You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
That's exactly why Michelle loses the comparison.
Chuck, Chuck!
Stand up Chuck, let 'em see ya.
OH!
(Rimshot)
God love ya Chuck.
God love ya.
Jeez, why is everybody dancing because some MSM nitwits said "dance!"? Show some self-respect, people. McIver's statement was a hilarious "fuck you" to the nonsense-extruders. Let the trolled bury the trolled.
Chuck: It's not the crime, it's the cover up. As Mara Liasson recently observed, nobody plays a winning hand worse than Donald Trump.
Mara Liasson. Lol. Chuck, you darlin' clueless po-faced natural-born toad-eater, don't ever change.
As Mara Liasson recently observed, nobody plays a winning hand worse than Donald Trump.
Hahahaha. Remind me who the presumptive nominee was in 2008...
I'm surprised that Chuck is here tonight. I thought he'd be in Rio preparing to win the gold medal in the Pole Vaulting Over Mouse Turds event. He's the favorite!
"The left have spent two two days spazzing about an attractive and personable woman's speech. I could be wrong but I don't think this is what winning looks like."
I agree. I had no intention of listening to Melania's speech. A candidate's wife!! a former model!! Sorry, I need to fold the laundry and then I'm going to squeeze the toothpaste down in the tube.
But the speech was controversial so it got millions more listening including me and the speech benefits Trump. The campaign boys can't see that it benefits him but they've missed a lot already. And the argument that Melania looked at previous First Ladies to see how to do the job - that's a good argument. And that she admired certain of Michelle's words and said "put something like that in my speech, that's how I feel" - that puts the whole thing to bed.
"lifelong republican" chuck: "We're talking about the cause of, and response to, this controversy."
LOL
Once again, Chuck is just itching to get to his passionate criticism of Hillary but golly gee whiz he just can't because of that Trump guy.
Darn it. And today was the day he was really going to let Hillary have it too. You know, just like any republican would.
But first he simply has to address the latest "controversy" so that criticism of Hillary just can't be squeezed in.
But "lifelong republican" chuck was able to squeeze in a dig at those "teabaggers" the other day.
You know, just like every "lifelong republican" is compelled to do.
@Mike Sylvester, whatever Melania's parents said to her was spoken in Slovenian. Probably something along the lines of "Tvoja beseda naj bo vaša vez."
Meanwhile could someone explain to me how Donald Trump came to hire a Democrat speechwriter for his wife? Hey Donald, ain't ya in it to win it?
Wow! So you want Melania to lie?
The personal attacks on me always increase in proportion to the lack of substantive answers to any of my questions.
Why does anybody need me to criticize Hillary? You've got a whole national convention of people doing it. On four broadcast networks and three cable networks. What is it about my criticism of Hillary that is so needed by some of you?
Bob Loblaw; in 2008, John McCain had the impossible task of running against a (bipartisan) financial disaster and the 112% African American voter turnout produced by the Obama machine.
Anglelyne; I like Mara Liasson. Over at NPR, they hate her for deigning to appear on the Fox News Channel and conversing with Brit Hume, George Will and Brett Baier. They regard Mara as a tool of the Right. She's not, of course. I just like how she calmly makes all of the least-intelligent partisans cringe, on all sides.
chickelit; Get this -- there would be no "plagiarism story" to pump, if the Trump Team had been basically honest from the beginning. The only aftermath of the story that remains usable against Trump is the Trump-originated stupidity and the crudely confrontational attitude toward the non-Trump world at large. It's only about the Trump lies at this point. The speechwriter confessed the plagiarism. Which is a lit different, from Paul Manafort's claim that the Hillary campaign was making the whole story up out of nothing.
And then last, and least:
eric said...
I wonder what Chuck thinks of the latest controversy, where Charles Johnson, on video, was assaulted by Michelle Fields boyfriend?
I happen to know what Chuck thinks about that. So I am happy to be of some assistance here. Chuck doesn't care. Chuck never had any notable opinions about Michelle Fields boyfriend, apart from a bit of jealousy. Chuck barely knows anything about Charles Johnson other than a few well publicized putzy episodes in Charles Johnson's life.
Thanks for writing. Stay in touch, and have a nice day.
Much ado about nothing. Michelle's words were the kind of generic boilerplate that every American politician puts in a speech at some point. Nothing Michelle has ever said has been memorable. Obama lifts a whole speech from Deval Patrick and everyone shrugs. This will just serve to remind conservatives why they justly despise the media.
a few people in the comments are suggesting that michelle obama plagiarized her speech before melania trump plagiarized it from her. is that true? whose speech did michelle obama copy? does anyone have a source for this?
Chuck: The personal attacks on me always increase in proportion to the lack of substantive answers to any of my questions.
You mean, the mockery directed at you increases in proportion to your clueless attribution of import and substance to media and party trivia.
Over at NPR, they hate her for deigning to appear on the Fox News Channel and conversing with Brit Hume, George Will and Brett Baier.
"Fox News". "Brit Hume". "George Will". "Brett Baier".
Chuck, you are God's own straight man.
Chuck said...
The personal attacks on me always increase in proportion to the lack of substantive answers to any of my questions.
Why does anybody need me to criticize Hillary?
Why does anyone need you at all? As Shiloh would say, rhetorical.
In the words of Bob Grant, Chuck, you are a fake phony fraud, a gavone, and you should get off of this blog, you jerk. I used to take you seriously and believe that you were more or less what you said. Boy is my face red.
Oh and don't think I missed your confession that you offered violence to Dr. Kennedy. I call him Dr. Kennedy because he has a known identity, does not hide it, and is known to be a doctor. I could call you Lawyer Chuck except no one knows who or what you are.
I repeat my invitation to New York. If you got mad at Dr. Kennedy because of things that he said, please assume that I am saying much worse about you. I would say the words here and now, but they might upset the hostess; but just know it inside.
Just assume that I am saying the truth about you, which is of course the worst insult possible. And know that you're a chickenshit for taking it. Go on Chuck be a man. Threaten me with violence. Please. I'm begging you. You can have the first swing.
whose speech did michelle obama copy?
It wasn't a speech. it was an article/Book by a man named Covey about the habits of successful people.
Assuming this McIver is a real person and not another "John Miller" invented to take the fall, the whole thing reveals basic campaign incompetence. If I were Trump I'd be pretty pissed that the team screwed up the speech and his wife's big moment. But then, not only was the speech plagiarized, but the speechwriter waited until Team Trump spent a full day (when convention coverage should be favoring Trump, not talking about this thing) denying it was plagiarism at all and looking foolish. It's a sign the group has no communication with each other, and no coordination, and steps all over their own message. If this is how they operate, that's going to be one hell of a White House operation.
Chuck: The personal attacks on me always increase in proportion to the lack of substantive answers to any of my questions.
Come up with some substantive questions.
You burned your bridges, Chuck, when you feigned knowing the gun culture when you obviously didn't. Mobys go on the ignore list until such time as I get bored an want to mess with you.
You brought all this on yourself.
Bob Loblaw; in 2008, John McCain had the impossible task of running against a (bipartisan) financial disaster and the 112% African American voter turnout produced by the Obama machine.
I should have specified the other side of the aisle. Hillary Clinton had the skids greased, the coronation on her calendar, and her acceptance speech written.
Gahrie said...
whose speech did michelle obama copy?
It wasn't a speech. it was an article/Book by a man named Covey about the habits of successful people.
7/21/16, 12:28 AM
does anyone know the name of the book, or page number of the specific passage?
There were only two phrases that were copied. My guess is that the speechwriter put them in with the intention of rewriting them and forgot.
Interestingly, Trump just shrugged, said people make mistakes, and moved on. But I thought he was a sociopath and devil incarnate!
The Vice President of the US is a known plagiarist, one whose political campaign for president decades ago was derailed in part by his plagiarism (an in part by his policies, and in part by his personal history). But he is VP today.
Therefore plagiarism don't matter none now.
Post a Comment