“I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be”
After Mr. Trump’s closing speech denouncing the pundits who like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states –red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats — we’ll all forget about this plagiarism scandal.
It’s hilarious watching the Trump shills flop all over themselves trying to defend the plagiarism. There’s the “common words” laugher. Then comes the Christie 7% doesn’t make plagiarism argument. (He has certainly lost whatever integrity he had left after the bridge.)
The certainly highlights that Trump is not and never has been capable of leading this great country.
Favorite tweet on this topic is from Neil Steinberg: “In fact, the Obamas stole those words. The Republicans are merely reuniting them with their rightful owners.”
The overall coverage last night was awful. Unless you went to C-SPAN, which I eventually had to, you heard very little of actual speakers and mostly just talking heads rambling over speakers instead of the substance of the overall theme and each speakers story - some of them pretty moving. What has happened to journalism? Is no one driving anymore? I saw better journalism as a college student at the campus paper than whatever that was last night. Geez.
A lot of Melanias’ speech covers common ideas and subjects. A lot of the words and phrases are common - ‘your word is your bond’ for example. First Ladies always care about such topics, it’s their safe zone. They didn’t need to rush to cover it up. They should have said what I just said, then noted that Melania didn’t watch Michelle’s speech- or just apologized for not differentiating more. What they are worried about is the fact that Melania seems to have ideas in common with Democrats.
Both the speeches in question are like most political speeches at these conventions. Sounds like somebody reading the middle of a bunch of Hallmark cards. Obama and Biden were accused of the same thing eight years ago and it was just a silly back then as it is now
Why this is a big deal is the incompetent and petulant response to the problem. Old hands and competent people would have quickly dealt with it by firing or at least publically pillorying the staffer who wrote the speech.
As we’ve seen so many times before, Trump never acknowledges mistakes or problems. He attacks - lying and casting aspersions about all those who won’t accept his version of an incident.
For the sake of the country, we have to keep this man out of the White House.
Somewhat related to Les’ 9:59 post, with which I don’t disagree, is the frustrating, intermittent “can you hear me now” problem CBS, CNN, and on occasion ABC are having with sound during their coverage. Don’t know if it’s the auditorium plus crowd sounds, equipment, booth design (CNN in particular has a setup that is terrible) or a combination, but these guys seem to spend a good amount of time in essentially dead air before someone’s voice can be heard. I did check and it’s not my equipment or my hearing going farther down the drain.
The only lasting harm from this kerfuffle over copieded passages, will be lost opportunity.
Melania’s speech was supposed to establish in the public mind the softer, kinder side of Trump. That is a big need in his campaign. And that message was overshadowed.
Now it will be up to his two kids to take a shot at shoring it up, which was not the original plan for their speeches.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 11:31 am:
I tried to watch some of the convention last night and noticed a bunch of empty seats. Is that normal for day 1, or will the arena be filled later? Or is that partly from many Reublicans refusing to attend?
Generic platitudes espoused on your significant other if lifted and espoused to another is not plagiarism…it’s merely platitudes echoed. Besides, if we’re now counting words spoken as some sort of trademark infringement, then I’m owed a lot of money!
Walker - exactly right. The plagerism issue is minor. It’s a bigger problem for them that they lost another media cycle of messaging due to massive total incopmetence.
How can anyone take him at his word that he is going to make everything great when he is running the most disorganized and least coherent presidential campaign in 50 years ?
I can’t decide whether Rudy Giuliani or Retired General Buck Turgidson, oops, I mean Michael Flynn, was the biggest beneficiary of Melania’s misfortune.
Frankly, the crazy ravings of those two gasbags is what America should be talking about today, not the unfortunate position Trump put his wife in last night.
I practically had to wipe Giuliani’s spittle off my television after that speech. Yikes.
I just saw the picture of the guy at the RNC with the open carry caption. Now there aren’t many around who support the right to carry more than old Blue, but what a jerk.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 9:29 am:
The Mrs. Trump speech was edited… for time.
Here’s what was edited for time…
“I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be”
Powerful.
But, we’ll never hear these powerful words…
- @MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 9:40 am:
After Mr. Trump’s closing speech denouncing the pundits who like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states –red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats — we’ll all forget about this plagiarism scandal.
– MrJM
- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 9:54 am:
OW - I believe that was lifted from Mister Randy Watson.
Seriously, they need to jettison a speechwriter over this. Most don’t believe Mrs. Trump wrote it anyway.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 9:56 am:
It’s hilarious watching the Trump shills flop all over themselves trying to defend the plagiarism. There’s the “common words” laugher. Then comes the Christie 7% doesn’t make plagiarism argument. (He has certainly lost whatever integrity he had left after the bridge.)
The certainly highlights that Trump is not and never has been capable of leading this great country.
- AlfondoGonz - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 9:56 am:
It was truly inspiring to hear how Melania rose from being a poor black girl on the south side of Chicago to where she is today.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 9:59 am:
Favorite tweet on this topic is from Neil Steinberg: “In fact, the Obamas stole those words. The Republicans are merely reuniting them with their rightful owners.”
https://twitter.com/NeilSteinberg/status/755379356126547968
Yep.
- LessAnon? - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 9:59 am:
The overall coverage last night was awful. Unless you went to C-SPAN, which I eventually had to, you heard very little of actual speakers and mostly just talking heads rambling over speakers instead of the substance of the overall theme and each speakers story - some of them pretty moving. What has happened to journalism? Is no one driving anymore? I saw better journalism as a college student at the campus paper than whatever that was last night. Geez.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 10:02 am:
What no one seems to want to discuss is the weird fact that the Obama’s knew as far back as 2008 that Melania Trump would be speaking last night.
- Thoughts Matter - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 10:07 am:
A lot of Melanias’ speech covers common ideas and subjects. A lot of the words and phrases are common - ‘your word is your bond’ for example. First Ladies always care about such topics, it’s their safe zone. They didn’t need to rush to cover it up. They should have said what I just said, then noted that Melania didn’t watch Michelle’s speech- or just apologized for not differentiating more. What they are worried about is the fact that Melania seems to have ideas in common with Democrats.
- Chungas revenge - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 10:17 am:
Both the speeches in question are like most political speeches at these conventions. Sounds like somebody reading the middle of a bunch of Hallmark cards. Obama and Biden were accused of the same thing eight years ago and it was just a silly back then as it is now
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 10:28 am:
Why this is a big deal is the incompetent and petulant response to the problem. Old hands and competent people would have quickly dealt with it by firing or at least publically pillorying the staffer who wrote the speech.
As we’ve seen so many times before, Trump never acknowledges mistakes or problems. He attacks - lying and casting aspersions about all those who won’t accept his version of an incident.
For the sake of the country, we have to keep this man out of the White House.
- G'Kar - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 10:59 am:
I really think the Trump campaign needs to get Joe Biden’s advice on how to deal with the fall out from Mrs. Trump’s speech.
- Wensicia - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 11:02 am:
I doubt a credible speechwriter came up with this mess. Probably put together by the Trump family themselves.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 11:08 am:
- G’Kar -,
It took a very long time for Biden to recover and some argue Biden being chosen by Obama finally erased the Kinnock stain that lingered.
It took that long.
Rich, well played by Steinberg.
- Norseman - @ 10:28
+1
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 11:23 am:
Somewhat related to Les’ 9:59 post, with which I don’t disagree, is the frustrating, intermittent “can you hear me now” problem CBS, CNN, and on occasion ABC are having with sound during their coverage. Don’t know if it’s the auditorium plus crowd sounds, equipment, booth design (CNN in particular has a setup that is terrible) or a combination, but these guys seem to spend a good amount of time in essentially dead air before someone’s voice can be heard. I did check and it’s not my equipment or my hearing going farther down the drain.
- walker - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 11:28 am:
The only lasting harm from this kerfuffle over copieded passages, will be lost opportunity.
Melania’s speech was supposed to establish in the public mind the softer, kinder side of Trump. That is a big need in his campaign. And that message was overshadowed.
Now it will be up to his two kids to take a shot at shoring it up, which was not the original plan for their speeches.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 11:31 am:
I tried to watch some of the convention last night and noticed a bunch of empty seats. Is that normal for day 1, or will the arena be filled later? Or is that partly from many Reublicans refusing to attend?
- Captain Illini - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 12:50 pm:
Generic platitudes espoused on your significant other if lifted and espoused to another is not plagiarism…it’s merely platitudes echoed. Besides, if we’re now counting words spoken as some sort of trademark infringement, then I’m owed a lot of money!
- siriusly - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 1:06 pm:
Walker - exactly right. The plagerism issue is minor. It’s a bigger problem for them that they lost another media cycle of messaging due to massive total incopmetence.
How can anyone take him at his word that he is going to make everything great when he is running the most disorganized and least coherent presidential campaign in 50 years ?
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 1:19 pm:
I can’t decide whether Rudy Giuliani or Retired General Buck Turgidson, oops, I mean Michael Flynn, was the biggest beneficiary of Melania’s misfortune.
Frankly, the crazy ravings of those two gasbags is what America should be talking about today, not the unfortunate position Trump put his wife in last night.
I practically had to wipe Giuliani’s spittle off my television after that speech. Yikes.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 3:17 pm:
Please no Hurricane McQueary tweets
She doesn’t deserve any publicity, only shame
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 3:29 pm:
I just saw the picture of the guy at the RNC with the open carry caption. Now there aren’t many around who support the right to carry more than old Blue, but what a jerk.
- A guy - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 4:18 pm:
Rich, thanks for posting this link to the feed. It’s helpful on a busy day. Appreciate it.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 7:23 pm:
I’m watching the convention now and am again seeing many empty seats. This is the night of Trump’s nomination.
- Rabid - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 8:20 pm:
Why was Bruce Rauner’s name spewed out from Illinois?
- Rabid - Tuesday, Jul 19, 16 @ 10:09 pm:
Now Illinois regurgitates Reagan and Lincoln, I need an Epsom salts bath…