Just after Trump played God on the GOP convention stage to a Queen soundtrack, his wife turned out to be his feet of clay, delivering a speech she claimed to have mostly written herself, but which turned out to be partly stolen, and serving to divert media coverage of the gathering’s first night.
The Hill: Melania Trump speech appears to plagiarize Michelle Obama
Melania to NBC before the speech: “I wrote it, with as little help as possible.”
Before that dustup even protesters seemed bored by the GOP Convention’s first night (see Barry below), despite Trump the showman appearing on stage silhouetted by a flood of bright white lights aimed from below. There was some gall in Trump walking to the podium with gay icon Freddie Mercury’s “We Are The Champions” ringing out, considering his party’s anti-LGBT platform and how his wife Melania’s headliner speech left out gays in a litany of all the different types of Americans he would represent.
The Weekly Standard — RNC Speakers: Trump is ‘Sent From God’ and Compared With ‘Messiah’
Dave Barry on lackluster protests: “They were mostly young people carrying signs expressing their opposition to racism, sexism, fascism and of course capitalism, and they were shouting slogans that only they were listening to. They were far outnumbered by the news media and the police, who were busy closing streets so the protesters could pass through, to the annoyance of the actual public.”
Hillary counter-programs on Charlie Rose: “Trump is ‘Most Dangerous Man Ever To Run For President'”
I have been watching the re-cap coverage of the convention…Trump is in big trouble if they think it is essential to shore up the base with a collection of misfits!
And the lord said, let there be light, and there was light, although somewhat occluded by the donald.
Romeo : What light through yonder window breaks ? It is the East, and the sun is a cheeto-like deadbeat.
Fr. Laurence : ‘Tis a cheesy morning in America.
G’night Dog’s Eye.
The creation, plagiarism and Queen. Sheesh. The Cavs should have entered to “We are the Champions” – the crowd would have loved that.
Heileman had a great line, “There’s plagiarism and then there’s moronic plagiarism.”
Scott Baio Isn’t Sorry He Tweeted That Meme Calling Hillary Clinton A C**t
Kristin Salaxy
Sure, Baio the D lister wouldn’t want to be called Politically Correct..
melania “quotes” Michelle.
perfect.
Xrep – You forgot one: A shining Cheeto on a hill.
wapo: Melania Trump’s speech appears to have cribbed from Michelle Obama’s in 2008
SNL should be airing live specials over the summer. Cecily Strong & Darrell Hammond have it made. Their cups runneth over.
One of the ways to avoid being beaten by the system is to laugh at it. (Once again, thank you Peter Cook for that timeless line.)
The use of Queen music was offensive, considering the Candidate, the Party, the Platform. OK, what music would you select that really reflects the GOP 2016?
sjwny, goper theme song? in one word
https://youtu.be/O1cJ8QUZZPE
I’d nominate either Dance of the Swans (which was the default theme for every Universal Horror film made in the 1930s) or Dance of the Cuckoos ( aka The Laurel & Hardy theme.) Cabaret’s “Tomorrow Belongs To Me” would be a natural to close the
RallyConvention.regarding my 6:15 post:
Hillary Clinton Remakes 1964 ‘Confessions of a Republican’ Ad With Same Actor
‘This man scares me,’ William Bogert said of both Barry Goldwater in 1964 and Donald Trump in 2016.
Bogert told Rachel Maddow in May that the views he expressed in the ’64 advertisement were his own.
“When they hired me to begin with, they were going to use my name. … And I said, ‘If you hire me as an actor, I’ll say whatever the hell you want me to say, but if you’re using my name, then it’s got to be stuff that I believe,'” Bogert told Maddow. “There was one thing that I wanted changed, and I don’t remember what it was, but they did make the change.”
Can there be such a thing as plagiarism in politics?
That is such a writers sin of interest only to those in the media who make a living at it.
The rest of us mehh, not so much.
It is a good opportunity to make fun of last night spectacle
It should be Obama taking the lead as it is his wife they stole from.
Just a simple “If you’re gonna steal, steal from the best.” Make it a joke and it will do more damage.
Jack
nbc news:
According to New York Magazine’s Daily Intelligencer, two sources claim 21st Century Fox co-chairmen Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch and CEO James Murdoch will remove Ailes from his current post of chairman and CEO of Fox News.
James, in particular, believes that Ailes should be asked to resign or be fired this week, the sources added. The elder Murdoch and Lachlan are leaning towards making the decision after the GOP convention.
Fox News did not respond to requests for comment. Parent company 21st Century Fox issued a statement, saying: “This matter is not yet resolved and the review is not concluded.”
patd,
As long as Willie Nelson is on board, go for it 😉 And RIP Patsy Cline.
jack, it wasn’t just the stolen words. when you watch the side-by-side replays, it looks like they might have made mel practice with the michelle vid.
did you catch the manaford mumbling this morning trying to answer charlie rose et al’s questions about it?
Trumps entrance to Queen,
talk about stealing, You got to admit they stole from the best last night. nobody does crazy nutball white trash spectacle better than pro wrestling. From a look around the internet tubes it seemed to get the media types approval , must be a lot of closet wrestling fans out there.
Jack
cleveland plain dealer Terrible start for Paul Ryan and Trump at RNC: Darcy cartoon
Alexandra Petri is on the beat. This is a must read.
Melania Trump reminds me of a replicant from Blade Runner. Implanted memories.
loved the lines at 4:06 minutes in on Colbert’s screed re trumpiness… “truthiness has to feel true. trumpiness doesn’t even have to do that. in fact many trump supporters don’t believe his wildest promises and they don’ t care…”
pogo, thanks for that. really really liked her Few phrases sum up contemporary politics quite so well as the compact oxymoron “plagiarized statement of values.”
Ahhhhh…. I think I’ve finally recovered from my nausea from last night. I know it wasn’t the popcorn.
Seriously… of course Trump made his appearance as a big staged production. What’s really struck me is the blue smoke, the blue Trump signs and his blue tie… is he trying to give us a subliminal message to vote the blue party?
renee, yep, saw the blue smoke, but missed the mirrors… [see the dave barry story that craig linked]
I didn’t watch last night; yesterday afternoon was enough.
Plagiarism doesn’t matter in politics? Ask Joe Biden if that’s true. Poor woman.
What a great gooper start crazy Rudy, the nutcase Benghazi Mom –who by the way her son wasn’t speaking to, and Melania the copycat
I wonder what Joni Earnst is thinking and everyone else who has agreed to speak at this freak show
wapo‘s Meet the artist who gathered 100 naked women outside the Republican National Convention has more about what’s behind those mirrors
Larry Sabato, Unversity of Virginia, on CNN just now:
I wonder what Joni Earnst is thinking ….
Katherine Graham Cracker,
There’s an empty thought bubble if ever I saw one.
Not so funny though that these people have a chance to win. The way this year has gone … who knows. Wonder how we’ll look back at this time in Cleveland next year – with humor or with horror.
There were so many things wrong with last night
total amature hour , I mean really. it was foreign policy night, what is a washed up actor who’s best parts in the last 10 years have been playing the dead guy on CSI doing there? . Is this audition time for the new trump reality show, Donald Trump, Save my Career ?
What is Trump’s wife doing there anyway? being born in another country doesn’t mean you are a foreign policy expert.
And poor Jonie, They tell you you are their rising star and they stick you in like an afterthought.
It was really a cluster f**k last night, these things do have an order of presentation and a nightly message. But when you are clueless you don’t even bother to double check your speeches to see if someone started channeling an important speech somewhere. It does happen.
Jack
checking my facebook feed –hard to tell which thing people disliked the most — the plagiarism the use of We are the Champions
I stole this
Melanoma was born in Plagiaristan
hey, guys, from drumpf’s point of view as has been the case this whole campaign it (plagiarism story) is getting him plenty of free publicity and media coverage of him rather than Hillary. his supporters will just love him the more for it. they’ll think he’s being unfairly picked on by picky intelligentsia types.
Mr. Crawford,
Any insider guesses on who will be the patsy for this?
patd,
Yep. Let the Democrats burn through their $. The Art of the Campaign Deal?
lol
I forgot college professors, they hate plagiarism too. That’s it the other 95% of the world doesn’t care unless they just bought the piece of crap kirkland brand at cosco cause the packaging looks just like really good stuff they had come to enjoy.
In the real world people steal ideas right and left.
The problem is that it is so sloppy and incompetent on the part of the Trump campaign.
If you want to hurt trump start talking about “If he can’t even run a campaign how in the hell can he run this country.
When Trump gets out of his core expertise he makes a total cluster, look at Atlantic city when he thought he could run a casino or Trump U.
Jack
jack, time for toto to pull the curtain on the great! the magnificent! the trumpster of smoke and mirrors!
omg Trump claims Clinton made Melanoma do it
I am beginning to think she did this herself. No professional speech writer would risk such a thing unless it was malice on purpose.
Ms Dallas, I loved your 7:54 post. The Shining Cheeto On A Hill should echo through all the megaphones of history until the last snake oil salesman is hanged. I intend to plagiarize your bon mot vigorously.
This perrenial jokester ain’t laughing. Even if he loses, we will still live in a country that nominated a dangerous fool to be one of two choices for President, and that’s no choice at all. None of this bodes well for democracy or the future, in general.
the evil clintons they even turned Melanoma
she should have stuck with the Whitehouse collection of QVC jewelry
GOP convention staffers are literally throwing up.
Trump kids Tiffany & Donald speak tonight, now feverishly dumping stolen Sasha and Malia passages from their text.
norovirus? hah
New York Magazine: Megyn Kelly Told Murdoch Investigators That Roger Ailes Sexually Harassed Her — Monday afternoon lawyers for 21st Century Fox gave Ailes a deadline of August 1 to resign or face being fired for cause.
Her sneaky word theft sneaked right past me. The trump crime family should be styled Bunny and Clod.
Looks like the end for Ailes. Rupert will no longer cover for him. It has always been a given that the moment rupert dies Ailes was out of a job. I guess the rest of the Murdock family detest him.
I think Tiffany got her speech from Miley Cyrus
Wanna bet that the speech was written by one of the family. So I see where Republicans are calling for the firing of the speech writer.
How do you fire family?
It is one of the main reasons I’ve nevered hired family
Jack
They can’t fire anyone because they aren’t willing to admit anything is wrong
the defense is sad and pathetic
trying to blame Clinton…because she is jealous now that is ridiclous
The use of the Benghazi mother disqualifies the Republicans from any civil discourse. Her son lived n Europe –mostly to get away from her and her interference in his marriage. The man’s wife was his immediate family and the point of contact not the estranged mother. She is crazy and the goops have been trotting her out for years knowing that her grief would protect her from exposure of her web of crap. They encourage her and she is already off the rails
Will Michele Obama, Esq. sue the word thief, and if so, for how much ? A lawsuit for theft could be the antidote for Comey’s embarrassing remarks about Ms Clinton, especially if there are daily motions to keep the suit in the news.
SJ – Ozzy’s “Crazy Train,” of course.
“All aboard! (maniacal, cackling laughter).”
Or, change the words to the theme song of Baio’s show, “Charles In Charge.”
Trump in charge of our days and our nights. Trump in charge of our wrongs and our rights. Can’t you see? I want Trump in charge of me.
blueINdallas,
Good choice 😉
There’s something so bizarrely off about this whole GOP situation – totally of their own making, of course. Still I would not be surprised if Tony Clifton walked out with Trump one of these nights & revealed himself to be Andy Kaufman. Wishful thinking, alas ….
Trump in charge….fabulous
Andy playing a really long con. 🙂
Then he could lip synch to the Mighty Mouse theme song like he did on SNL.
“Here I come to save the day…”
Trump is looking more Nixonian everyday
law and order, the big lie technique, blaming the media and other conspiracies
They should just shut-up everyone else believes it is a copy
I nominate ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’ as the deadbeat theme song.
Had to listen to terrestrial radio today – El Rushbo (read douchebag here) thinks last night’s festivities went swimmingly. No problem with the plagiarism from the RW nutjob corner (and Poobah, I think some staffer put that language in the speech and they are throwing Melanoma under the bus). One thing to remember, Melanoma isn’t running for office like Biden was when he fessed up to plagiarism. And Brietbart claims Michelle plagiarized “…the world as it should be” from Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals. Certainly there are a lot of phrases that get repeated in politics – when there are so many in one place in a speech it begs credulity to suggest it wasn’t plagiarism. All that said, while it’s noteworthy, it doesn’t reflect badly on Melanoma – it reflects badly on the team who wrote her speech and vetted it.
Don jr…..speech by crocodile dundee
Well hush my mouth, I agree with Michael Gerson on Melania’s speech. This is scaring me on a couple of levels. First – I did not plagiarize Gerson’s ideas – I saw Cillizza’s article after I posted the comment at 1:58. Second, I’m agreeing with Shrub’s chief speech writer. I may need to take my brain out and wash it.
Pogo. Relax, it’s okay ‘cuz gerson is a member of the bush crime family, and don george wants don don’s head on a platter and his feet in concrete booties.
drumpf’s ghostwriter tells all to new Yorker.
an absolutely devastating must read, please, if nothing else… good alternative to the goper grope tv
“I put lipstick on a pig,” he said. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.” He went on, “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.”
If he were writing “The Art of the Deal” today, Schwartz said, it would be a very different book with a very different title. Asked what he would call it, he answered, “The Sociopath.”
Holy sisters of a different Mother. Duck night at the RNC, too. Willie Robertson aiming for his fav lame duck, Obama. Melania…Aflac duck commercial 2005. The build-up to M Duck’s speech? She spent 6 -8 weeks on this…painstakingly translating from peasant language to Kenyan back to English. Plus, the white rabbit outfit???? From a Serbian designer who resides in London. Make American great again, but never wear the US of AA designs.
BW
very funny
pogo, we’ll know if the drumpf is looking to trade in for a newer model if he insists mel and only mel “wrote” her speech.
bet his campaign starts rumors that michelle’s speech was plagiarized to begin with and therefore it’s a wash (a white wash of course).
omg, just saw where breitbart said same thing…ick.
If it quacks like a duck? RNC phony-baloney convergence continues.
sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoR3qnpyu38
Atlanta journal
While Clinton’s campaign may not have began the the plagiarism allegations, the Democratic presumptive presidential nominee does have a connection to Melania Trump’s speech.
Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, claimed Sarah Hurwitz, Michelle Obama’s head speechwriter, used to be Hillary Clinton’s chief speechwriter.
favreau’s tweet: Sarah Hurwitz, Michelle’s head speechwriter, used to be Hillary’s. So the Trump campaign plagiarized from a Hillary speechwriter.
Having had a couple of run ins with Ailes and hearing even more stories for decades, it only makes me wonder: “What Took So long?”
The theme of the rippercon today is
Getting Americans To Work – For Trump
I think it is telling that the murdoch crime family met away from their HQ when discussing dumping the bad roger ailes, ‘cuz they figured the building (the entire building, apparently) was bugged.
Paranoia, spying, hacking, and bugging, all add charm to the republican lifestyle.
Not to mention plagiarism.
two words Bill Cosby
I think Clinton just called Rudy a flying monkey
good morning america’s coverage on ghostwriter of art of the deal
https://youtu.be/-CzyoLk1_ck
Art of the Deal Ghostwriter Says Book is Full of Falsehoods Trump is a Sociopath – Tony Schwartz
I love that delete button.
Roger is out, $40 million buyout
Ailes separation agreement
craig, does this mean bill, sean and greta will play their contract option and follow him out the door?
now where have I heard this before? oh yeah on trail mix today…. hmmm…. they must be reading us.
wsjournal Washington wire: Hillary Clinton Calls GOP Convention ‘Surreal’
“Last night in Cleveland was surreal,” she said at the annual convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “I kept thinking: What’s this like? And then I thought, you know when I was a little girl, I went to see — when they reissued it — the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” she said, to laughter.
“And there were similarities that appeared to me: Lots of sound and fury, even a fog machine,” she said, referring to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump‘s dramatic stage entrance on Monday night.
“But when you pulled back the curtain, it was just Donald Trump, with nothing to offer the American people.”
Ailes drama gets more weird, this just out:
Fox initially confirmed Drudge’s report to The Daily Beast, and subsequently walked back that confirmation. Additionally, Drudge replaced a headline touting the buyout with a new one on “Fox News Drama,” including a statement from the network: “Roger Ailes has never sexually harassed Megyn Kelly. In fact, he has spent much of the last decade promoting and helping her to achieve the stardom she earned, for which she has repeatedly and publicly thanked him.”
And according to a statement from 21st Century Fox: “Roger is at work. The review is ongoing. The only agreement that is in place is his existing employment agreement.”
— Daily Beast
As someone who does not care about what the R’s are doing in their bedroom, as opposed to what they want to know what you are doing in yours, I have not bothered with the R’s white elephant production in the disaster by the lake. Imagine my surprise that the DT’s wife really and fully plagiarized the First Lady. Eh. What’s a common
wordparagraph or so amongst friends.It is not hard to understand what happened. The lady is not a bimbo. She is married and has a degree from Yugoslavia University. Except maybe not. She seems to have left as a freshwoman and never bothered with the all important BS degree. At least everybody is told she is married to the guy with a strange orange dyed squirrel as a head piece.
For what it is worth, anyone who cops a quote from the First Lady is doing good. She could have copped one from Barry’s 2008 speech in Denver.
BB.
“…She could have copped one from Barry’s 2008 speech in Denver.” Just wait, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. But, he won’t be so transparent–he’ll go back to 2004.
Who knew that harassing female employees could be so lucrative ?
O, faux new World that has such Features in it !
Cue the SNL cheerleaders: Roll call! We’re Colorado. We don’t like Donald. We don’t like Donald. Now, check us out!
Apparently the man who actually wrote Melania’s speech says that he delivered it without the two suspect paragraphs. So the question is “who inserted what when”. Of course that question could raise the other question, “How did Melania get shafted?”
What did Melania know and when did she know it ?
Melania says she wrote the speech. Now some trump campaign guy says he wrote the speech. Are they both the same person – a case of multiple personality disorder ?
The republican lifestyle is pretty weird.
Looking at the Convention floor, I wonder if Guiness is on hand to see if they break the record for the most middle aged white men in a single room.
Does that mean there’s a mole in Donald’s campaign? It seems like a weird thing for anyone to add.
Good grief, Ms Dallas ! You mean, there could be a mole among all those rats, shrews, squirrels, and lemmings ?
Not where I can search it but I hear the latest is melanoma lied on her college application
If trump has no problem throwing his family to the wolves, imagine his regard for the rest of America.
For some reason seeing Judy Woodruff (looking lovely in marigold yellow) brings back memories of the late Cassie Mackin.
The next President of the USA is now the official nominee.
A key indicator is the noise from the left. It is amazing the bias of the media. Come on… Such BS coming from the MSM.
thank you to all of you on my friends blog to help reinforce the fact the Donald is doing great.
My sympathies to any of you who watched NY “throw” Donald J Trump over the top & caught a glimpse of Carl Paladino in front of the Trump kids.
Any update on the FBI Clinton Foundation CRIMINAL investigation?
Craig – Even you supported a NON Hillary Candidate. How could you support her?
I better be careful or the site might be hacked again and my house attacked!!!!
Melania is a drop-out from Slovenia U. I understand she is being fast tracked at Trump University to fill-in some core courses.
here’s what that was about: Melania Trump didn’t graduate from college as bio claims, reports say
Ping, Donald drove me to it
Wow the conventioneers redefine bored.
All Conventions need Crab Hats.
I’ve got mine
Katherine Graham Cracker,
I like your style.
No crab hat, best I can do
Lovely, KGC
Hmmmm
http://ilovemyfreedom.org/everyones-criticizing-melania-speech-look-obama-twice/
McConnell really does look like Myrtle doesn’t he? Oh, and what an ASSHOLE.!!! Oh, and what a LIAR!!!
Mitch McConnell, your actions these past 8 years border on treason. You have deliberately obstructed the government of the United States of America. Go. To. Hell.
Craig
Close enough
Besides the norovirus, the convention is filled with the white backlash disease which induces rewriting history and bullshit frothing from the mouth of most.
What future scandal will bring down Paul Ryan? (Just thinking proactively here.)
Sex? Money? Sex & Money?
Suddenly nostalgic for Wilbur Mills.
Want confirmation Roger Ailes is out? He’s on the NY Post cover tomorrow.
crackers & Craig – You simply must tell me who you’re wearing! ?
Ping – The Repugz have set down a good foundation for some sort of a floor fight at the Dem convention. They’ve given no reason to vote for Trump, but they’ve hammered home the point about Hillary’s problematic history. I think this helps Bernie and/or Stein and Johnson.
Watching on PBS when the video from Trump interrupted the interview with Hayley Barbour up in the booth. Trump was good for something.
The place is looking a little empty. Folks sick sick or just sick?
trumpovirus has afflicted the convention
Alrighty, Chris Christie leading the lynch mob against Hillary. Rodham. Clinton. / Saying all three names mandatory.
Grab a pitchfork & light the torches.
Chris Christie’s backdrop is marigold like Woodruff’s outfit.
Appropriate Commentary:
“Paul Ryan: Everyone is equal *
* Exceptions and conditions apply. See party platform for details.”
If half or even only a few parts of Christie’s statements are true. I can only hope the Dems have the floor fight and get us an option.
Maybe the FBI will release the Clinton Foundation CRIMINAL investigation in time to save the country.
Who is keynote tonite? Christie?
“If half or even only a few parts of Christie’s statements are true”
…quite a standard.
Thanks all for keeping me up to date on what appears to be a circular firing squad that is ripper convention. Caught some of Mr. noun, verb, 9/11 on the way to work this morning. Convinced me that I didn’t need to be spending any time listening to the convention. What a dick!
If republicans get a bounce out of this circle jerk. I am going to become supremely worried.
“If half or even only a few parts of Christie’s statements are true”
…quite a standard.
Compared to Hillary who creates the lowest bar.
Can the Dem super delegates change their votes? Hope so
“If half or even only a few parts of Christie’s statements are true”
…quite a standard.
Actually that would be high for Republicans who have been known to say they didn’t know their statements had o be factual
Hey KCG ! Good to debate with you …. Hope all is well
Donald Jr is hitting a home run. Will grab the young vote!
“If half or a few parts of … ” then half or more are lies. “I knew nothing about the GW Bridge closing.” btw, floor fight my ass.
Trump needs to channel some of son’s class.
Jr. was stronger than most of the old pro pols who spoke before him.
Christie. Idiot. Clinton won’t be comparing or compared to you. You are NOT on the ticket. You won’t be AG.
Good speech, but Little Don ignores that Big Don bought politicians. Who sez? Big Don. Looks like he has a bit better spray tan consultant than his dad. I’m sure coal miners can relate.
p
Wiki is actually pretty comprehensive on the Clinton thesis on Alinsky
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_senior_thesis
Not quite an invitation for a Satanic invasion.
Jr. speaks quite well for someone who gets his kicks slaughtering endangered species.
In addition to the Buffalo he bumped off an elephant and a leopard
Ping
You need to get on the Gary Johnson Train…a better place for you
We miss your alternative voice – come by more often
Another victim
It would be so coooool if during the deadbeat’s acceptance speech 3 or 4 guys in different hallways around the convention floor would simultaneously ignite some fire crackers. The effect on the open carry delegates would be particularly interesting. It would also make for great tv, and the ratings would be fabulous ! And, I’m sure ping would agree that what’s good for Corporations is GREAT for the country.
ben carson has no more sense than God gave chickens. No wonder he is no longer a surgeon.
I know it’s wrong but I really really really hope someone does set off fire crackers while Trump is on stage
Any word yet on how deadbeat donald is going to get Americans back to work for peanuts ? I didn’t think there would be. False advertising.
xrepublican,
There was precious little about Making America Work Again tonight on the official Making America Work Again night. Clicking the heels of your ruby slippers three times is as good a solution as any offered so far.
Except for the kids (I mean, who cares ?) it was just more republican hate erupting from guys who never worked, yet still make big money as professional politicians. They just hate, hate, hate.
Dr. carson, if God loves what you trumpbots do, why does he let your lucifer afflict you with the norovirus ?
Ben Carson and Chris Christie. Trump Chumps both.
carson seems unable to conjure a lucid thought. No wonder they hid his scalpels.
christ christie seems to be groveling like a dog – prolly misses hugging a president.