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Melania Plagiarizes Michelle

I appreciate that but compared to the rest of the stuff going on it doesn't warrant this much time and outrage.

It was a hack political speech. I'm not really surprised it lifted lines from another political speech. It's what hacks do and is hardly noteworthy.

You've got one of the two major political parties having a convention theme of basically "Make America White Again" right now. Compared to that I don't really care that Melania Trump lifted less than a hundred words from a Michelle Obama speech.
 
I can't believe that in the trainwreck that is the 2016 RNC Convention this is what we're focusing on.

It's stupid.

Trevor Noah brilliantly made exactly that point last night:

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/8Qxbfjtj1II[/YOUTUBE]

One of my favorite bits:

We should be encouraging her because if she feels comfortable stealing Michelle’s speeches and we make it normal, maybe Donald Trump will feel okay stealing Obama’s policies and then the country won’t be such a dangerous place.

http://www.vox.com/2016/7/20/12235064/trevor-noah-make-america-fear-again-daily-show
 
I appreciate that but compared to the rest of the stuff going on it doesn't warrant this much time and outrage.

It was a hack political speech. I'm not really surprised it lifted lines from another political speech. It's what hacks do and is hardly noteworthy.

You've got one of the two major political parties having a convention theme of basically "Make America White Again" right now. Compared to that I don't really care that Melania Trump lifted less than a hundred words from a Michelle Obama speech.

The reason that it's important is that it's a clear demonstration of the incompetence and lack of preparation and ability in the Trump campaign. That sort of thing is working out as a more effective attack strategy against Trump than the racism thing, especially amongst white voters. Clinton has all the minority votes locked up and that's not going to change. Peeling away the support of the white voters who may not think that reestablishing the waning dominance of their uber-race is necessarily a negative blocks Trump's only potential path to victory. Pointing out that Trump is a racist starts getting diminishing returns but pointing out that Trump is an incompetent moron has legs amongst Trump's only real voting bloc.
 
This shit is calculated and Manafort is pulling people's strings. I'm starting to get worried about November, Manafort is developing a "Cry Wolf" fallacy right now. Create tiny little BS things, and create a narrative that all of the criticism is just the same sort of political BS.

Manafort REALLY counted on HRC commenting about it, too. He lambasted HRC before she said anything at all about it. I think that was part of the strategy.

Likewise, having Trump Jr repeating Faulkner's words lifted from the magazine article, then they played "gotcha" by revealing that Faulkner was one of Jr's speechwriters and just recycled his own material... like that is really any better :p

I do think this is a whole lot of slight of hand... focus everyone on this while the very much scarier shit goes (mostly) unremarked on
 
This shit is calculated and Manafort is pulling people's strings. I'm starting to get worried about November, Manafort is developing a "Cry Wolf" fallacy right now. Create tiny little BS things, and create a narrative that all of the criticism is just the same sort of political BS.

Manafort REALLY counted on HRC commenting about it, too. He lambasted HRC before she said anything at all about it.

Premature lambasting affects one out of five political operatives.
 
You've got one of the two major political parties having a convention theme of basically "Make America White Again" right now. Compared to that I don't really care that Melania Trump lifted less than a hundred words from a Michelle Obama speech.

Yeah but you simply have to laugh at the fact they were all cheering to the words of a powerful black woman at their "Make America White Again" convention.
 
A note: Just because someone is laughing at the Trump shit show does not mean they have magically forgotten more serious issues. Even this group it seems is not immune to the popular belief that everyone else is asleep because you saw them talking about something you don't think is important. Why not just grow a neck beard and call everyone sheeple and be done with it.
 
This shit is calculated and Manafort is pulling people's strings. I'm starting to get worried about November, Manafort is developing a "Cry Wolf" fallacy right now. Create tiny little BS things, and create a narrative that all of the criticism is just the same sort of political BS.

Manafort REALLY counted on HRC commenting about it, too. He lambasted HRC before she said anything at all about it. I think that was part of the strategy.
It is two prong, because their operatives are online as well, lambasting the media for even mentioning it. Which is why I call this the "Cry Wolf" Fallacy. He is trying to make Clinton and the media look like they are over-criticizing Trump, so when he is called on anything big, they'll just shrug their shoulders and say "There you go again..." Even when Clinton didn't make a remark, Manafort has created the illusion Clinton is behind the criticism of Trump's wife.

Likewise, having Trump Jr repeating Faulkner's words lifted from the magazine article, then they played "gotcha" by revealing that Faulkner was one of Jr's speechwriters and just recycled his own material... like that is really any better :p
Yeah. It appears to be a deliberate rope-a-dope.

I do think this is a whole lot of slight of hand... focus everyone on this while the very much scarier shit goes (mostly) unremarked on
Yes, Manafort has worked with some very shitty people. People that make Trump look like a saint. So he is an expert on how to send messages.

- - - Updated - - -

You've got one of the two major political parties having a convention theme of basically "Make America White Again" right now. Compared to that I don't really care that Melania Trump lifted less than a hundred words from a Michelle Obama speech.

Yeah but you simply have to laugh at the fact they were all cheering to the words of a powerful black woman at their "Make America White Again" convention.
And that may have been the better play, had the Clinton camp saw it coming. Michelle Obama saying she was flattered her speech was used by another potential First Lady.
 
I can't believe that in the trainwreck that is the 2016 RNC Convention this is what we're focusing on.

It's stupid.

Well, if you want to focus on the brazen hatred, fear, and bigotry, then go ahead. Personally, that's exactly what I thought the convention would be about, because that's what they've spent the past decade being about. I'm bored with the "blacks are thugs, muslims are terrorists, Mexicans are rapists" stuff.

Having Donald Trump's wife steal her speech from the single most undeserving target of their hatred over the past decade (with the possible exception of Trayvon Martin), though, is something I was not expecting, and that's why I'm discussing it.
 
I appreciate that but compared to the rest of the stuff going on it doesn't warrant this much time and outrage.

It was a hack political speech. I'm not really surprised it lifted lines from another political speech. It's what hacks do and is hardly noteworthy.

You've got one of the two major political parties having a convention theme of basically "Make America White Again" right now. Compared to that I don't really care that Melania Trump lifted less than a hundred words from a Michelle Obama speech.
Here is the funny thing... well not funny, but more frightening. There really isn't anything else to talk about. It isn't like Trump has a platform or a plan. Last night was supposed to be about how Trump was going to bring back jobs to America. It just ended up being a Clinton Hate Fuck Fest.
 
I appreciate that but compared to the rest of the stuff going on it doesn't warrant this much time and outrage.

It was a hack political speech. I'm not really surprised it lifted lines from another political speech. It's what hacks do and is hardly noteworthy.

You've got one of the two major political parties having a convention theme of basically "Make America White Again" right now. Compared to that I don't really care that Melania Trump lifted less than a hundred words from a Michelle Obama speech.
Here is the funny thing... well not funny, but more frightening. There really isn't anything else to talk about. It isn't like Trump has a platform or a plan. Last night was supposed to be about how Trump was going to bring back jobs to America. It just ended up being a Clinton Hate Fuck Fest.
Did you expect anything else? I didn't.

From my perspective watching the GOP is like expecting something intellectual to emerge from all the emotional frothing, like digging through dung to find that diamond that must be there. It just ain't gonna ever happen.
 
Here is the funny thing... well not funny, but more frightening. There really isn't anything else to talk about. It isn't like Trump has a platform or a plan. Last night was supposed to be about how Trump was going to bring back jobs to America. It just ended up being a Clinton Hate Fuck Fest.
Did you expect anything else? I didn't.

From my perspective watching the GOP is like expecting something intellectual to emerge from all the emotional frothing, like digging through dung to find that diamond that must be there. It just ain't gonna ever happen.
Well, the RNC only has one avenue for election. Convince conservatives, the ones that are left, that Hillary Clinton is the devil and musn't become President. If they can get the turnout of the right-wing by convincing people that Clinton is evil, it may become possible to elect Trump.

One thing is certain. There are going to be two incredibly important speeches, Trump's at the Convention and Sanders' at the DNC where he needs to hit it home to everyone of his supporters that a Trump victory is unacceptable.
 
I appreciate that but compared to the rest of the stuff going on it doesn't warrant this much time and outrage.

It was a hack political speech. I'm not really surprised it lifted lines from another political speech. It's what hacks do and is hardly noteworthy.

You've got one of the two major political parties having a convention theme of basically "Make America White Again" right now. Compared to that I don't really care that Melania Trump lifted less than a hundred words from a Michelle Obama speech.
Here is the funny thing... well not funny, but more frightening. There really isn't anything else to talk about. It isn't like Trump has a platform or a plan. Last night was supposed to be about how Trump was going to bring back jobs to America. It just ended up being a Clinton Hate Fuck Fest.

tbf though Clinton hating is a cottage industry that provides lots of jobs for conservatives.
 
Clinton's attack commercials are starting to take my advice (too bad I'm not paid for this) in that they're using his own words against him. This is key. It's hard to claim media bias against your own utterances. Trump hands us gold in this regard every. single. day. I would hammer all that home constantly. Not the racist stuff, not the hate, or the silly crap. The sheer, dangerous level of incompetence and ignorance on display by this man regarding economics, foreign policy, current events and even his ignorance of basic civics. Wrap it up for the viewers, taking them into a world where the consequences of Trump's policies and stupidity are clear for all to see. Show them those results.

The GOP loves to sow fear. By God give the American people that fear. Not the bullshit the GOP peddles, but the very real, very legitimate fear a Trump presidency would bring. Show them what things would look like with a wall on our southern border. A police state raiding homes and splitting up families. Widespread unemployment and economic meltdown from Trump having the US default on it's debt. Food and service prices soaring for lack of people to work those jobs. A world without NATO, but one where every other country has nuclear weapons. Global warming causing widespread damage across the US with drought, flood, and super strong hurricanes. A supreme court with three Trump appointees on it that rubber stamps any policy Trump wants to push through. Show people that this isn't a fucking reality TV game, but the real world where consequences matter more than getting voted off some god forsaken island in the middle of Buttfuck, Egypt.

Then hit his dumb ass HARD in the debates. Trump will have crammed in order to look somewhat knowledgeable about the presidency. That's all he's got. He will try to change the subject, and naturally browbeat Hillary. Do not let him do this. Go into detail, make a deep dive into policy and do not let him play touch and go. Expose his ignorance, and bruise his ego. Never let up on that ego and he will lose his temper. The more angry he gets, the more dumb shit will come out of his mouth. Bring up lots of basic details about government and civics that I guarantee Trump doesn't know, but that any President should absolutely have a thorough knowledge about. Do the same with world events. Every time you expose more ignorance, play that shit with just the right amount of condescension and feigned unbelief about Trump's qualifications. Hillary shouldn't come off as haughty. She would have to play it just right, but Trump will be devastated. He will probably blame the media, the debate format, and everything and anything else he can, and he will probably try to skip the next debate, which will look really, really bad.

The debates are the game changer. Hillary should be prepared for Trump's obvious avenues of attack (her husband's infidelity, her email and Benghazi) but that's all Trump has. His hand is so weak for the debates, if I were him I'd be scared to death. But I guarantee you he is NOT scared. He is classic Dunning-Krueger to the extreme, and doesn't know how fucked he is.
 
Did you expect anything else? I didn't.

From my perspective watching the GOP is like expecting something intellectual to emerge from all the emotional frothing, like digging through dung to find that diamond that must be there. It just ain't gonna ever happen.
Well, the RNC only has one avenue for election. Convince conservatives, the ones that are left, that Hillary Clinton is the devil and musn't become President. If they can get the turnout of the right-wing by convincing people that Clinton is evil, it may become possible to elect Trump.

One thing is certain. There are going to be two incredibly important speeches, Trump's at the Convention and Sanders' at the DNC where he needs to hit it home to everyone of his supporters that a Trump victory is unacceptable.
Trump making an important speech? How is that even possible? Have I missed something over the campaign? His VP says women should stay home and raise kids or the kids are handicapped. But do it on less than poverty wages and no health care. Got it. I mean, what's to expect?
 
Well, the RNC only has one avenue for election. Convince conservatives, the ones that are left, that Hillary Clinton is the devil and musn't become President. If they can get the turnout of the right-wing by convincing people that Clinton is evil, it may become possible to elect Trump.

One thing is certain. There are going to be two incredibly important speeches, Trump's at the Convention and Sanders' at the DNC where he needs to hit it home to everyone of his supporters that a Trump victory is unacceptable.
Trump making an important speech? How is that even possible? Have I missed something over the campaign? His VP says women should stay home and raise kids or the kids are handicapped. But do it on less than poverty wages and no health care. Got it. I mean, what's to expect?
Trump has to come across well enough. The bar is low, but it was low for Ben Carson and he still didn't make the jump. Trump can lose the election with the speech. It would need a certain quality that shows him as being unsympathetic, isolated, and out of touch. I don't expect him to lose it with this speech, but it will matter. It will decide whether he gets a bump, no bump, or his polling drops.

I'm no longer convinced he can't win.
 
So Melania's friend Meredith McIver is falling on her sword for Melania... sort of.

McIver takes full responsibility for her "mistake" and says she is sorry for the "hysteria" and "chaos" her "mistake" caused. Say she offered to resign, and the resignation was rejected.

https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/755803665768783872/photo/1

I don't believe for a second that McIver did not look up Michelle Obama's speech because the alternative is that Melania recited the speech word-for-word over the phone and that McIver recorded the recitation word-for-word in her notes.

I wonder how the Republican base is going to react to McIver's comment that Melania admires Michelle Obama.

Frankly, though, I think McIver's statement will do more positive for Trump than everything else at the convention combined.
 
So, after 10 pages it seems like the net net net net of all this is we all got a reminder we could be looking at a hot Slovenian model the next 4 years instead of Hillary.
 
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