Trump

[Vrede too]

We (the citizens) get pretty much the candidates we deserve....

Agreed, though it's sad. I've never been profoundly shocked by an election result and if Trump is elected, though depressing it won't surprise me that much nor tell me anything about US voters that I don't already know.

[rstrong]

It's not just that they plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech; they plagiarized the section on honesty, character, and integrity.

Trevor Noah had a good point on the Daily Show last night:

He showed a bunch of excerpts from the day's speeches at the GOP convention. It was all fear and panic mongering based on their usual horror fantasies about crime, immigrants, etc.

Melania's speech was vastly different. Even without Michelle Obama's parts it was all about hope and overcoming hardship, and positive from start to finish.

If this is what plagiarism looks like, it should probably be encouraged. Maybe in office Trump would skip some of the GOP panic-based policy and steal some of Obama's policies.

[Vrede too]

I don't know that I'd read much into it. It's the job of a spousal address to be warm, positive, hopeful and humanizing. I think a better barometer is how much or little of that can be found in the other speeches.

[Vrede too]

Trump ‘staff writer’ behind Melania speech apologizes for plagiarism scandal

"inadvertently lifted passages"? They were almost word for word from MO's speech, despite supposedly having been shared over the phone. Then, if it was Melania that did the sharing, why didn't she recognize the plagiarism? This is better, but it doesn't yet pass the sniff test.

Anyhow, Trump campaign chief Pail Manafort, calling it plagiarism wasn't “absurd” or "crazy" and it definitely "was cribbing Michelle Obama’s words". You lied and even were so low as to blame Hillary. Grow a pair and apologize to Hillary, Trumpettes, the RNC and America.

[O Really]

I wonder if Melania has a bit of empathy for Michelle and Hillary now, seeing how easily you can be hung out to dry and pilloried through (not much) fault of your own.

Nah. She is, after all, at least a temporary Trump.

[Vrede too]

Found:

My fellow americans i stand before you as a strong black woman married to the first black president

donald: not that part melania!!!!!

[Vrede too]

#DumpTrump: Major corporations stay away from the Republican Party’s fascist nominee

[JTA]

Trump ‘staff writer’ behind Melania speech apologizes for plagiarism scandal

"inadvertently lifted passages"? They were almost word for word from MO's speech, despite supposedly having been shared over the phone. Then, if it was Melania that did the sharing, why didn't she recognize the plagiarism? This is better, but it doesn't yet pass the sniff test.

Anyhow, Trump campaign chief Pail Manafort, calling it plagiarism wasn't “absurd” or "crazy" and it definitely "was cribbing Michelle Obama’s words". You lied and even were so low as to blame Hillary. Grow a pair and apologize to Hillary, Trumpettes, the RNC and America.

I get that this is standard practice, but I've always found it amusing that these fools don't even write their own speeches.

[O Really]

Ideally, the speaker will provide the ideas and general message of the speech. The writers will craft a good, cleanly edited presentation. But I'm pretty sure often the speaker will have little if anything to do with the content.

[Vrede too]

The plagiarizing speechwriter is named McIver. Whatever tools are available . . .

[O Really]

Well, they came up with a better story than their original "not the same at all" stance, but I don't think we know what really happened yet, and possibly won't since they've slaughtered (or at least shorn) the sacrificial sheep. Melania said she wrote it, which obviously she didn't, but maybe she didn't know how much of a mess it was going to be and just didn't want to cast blame on whoever. It seems to be undisputed that the two guys originally contracted to write Melania's speech produced a draft (that was apparently approved by Trump-in-law) but was not used and did not contain any Michelleisms. So they're off the hook legitimately. Before she "came clean" nobody had mentioned any help by any other writer, but obviously nobody would have ever just told Melania "yeah, you've never written a speech before and you've never spoken to several thousand people (plus 10 or 12 people on tv), but go ahead and do it - you're on your own." Didn't happen. But the passages are too close to have just been paraphrased. It was as if they were just edited slightly. It is impossible to believe a professional writer would do that for such a speech. So it leaves at least one possibility that follows their story and is plausible. Say Melania gets the speech draft from the guys - says, "this really isn't me." Somebody gets McIver to work with her. Melania says, on the phone, "I've read other First Lady speeches, and some of them were really good. I liked Michelle's (and maybe others). So I was thinking something like, "(quotes Michelle without attribution). McIver takes that without knowing it came directly from Michelle's speech. Then all we have to believe is that nobody who reviewed the speech thereafter had any idea what Michelle said in her 2008 address - and that is believable. So maybe they've put it to rest, but it'll zombie itself back many times during the campaign, I'll bet.

[Vrede too]

... the two guys originally contracted to write Melania's speech produced a draft ...

Michelle's must have been better.

You don't get that close a match from a phone call and Melania should have recognized the plagiarism if that's how it went down. I still think a lazy, unethical speechwriter, a Trump team hire, is most plausible.

Whatever, it's a hoot that this is the big convention story. Dang, Trumpettes are incompetent.

[O Really]

Whatever, it's a hoot that this is the big convention story. Dang, Trumpettes are incompetent.

That and Cruz being Cruz. And Hillary being referenced more than The Donald. And chants to shoot or lock her up. Yeppers, that'll certainly convince everybody that Republicans aren't really batshit-moon-howling-drooling crazy.

[Vrede too]

Not that I have much faith in US voters, but it'll be hilarious if this is the first ever negative convention "bump".

Did someone count, was Hillary really referenced by speakers more than The Donald? It sure did feel that way. The GOP has no program besides whining about things they don't like.

[Vrede too]

... Michelle Obama’s Twitter Page: ...

15,000 journalists are at the GOP convention. All got scooped by a laid-off TV journalist watching from Starbucks.

I wonder how many job offers he's already gotten?

[O Really]

Not that I have much faith in US voters, but it'll be hilarious if this is the first ever negative convention "bump".

Did someone count, was Hillary really referenced by speakers more than The Donald? It sure did feel that way. The GOP has no program besides whining about things they don't like.

I didn't watch, but I did read that somebody counted and yes, Hillary was referenced more. So imagine yourself a speaker at the Republican convention. What could/would you say about The Donald? But everybody in the room hates Hillary, so if you can't get "unity" any other way, get it by passing out torches and pitchforks to the village idiots.

[Vrede too]

I didn't watch much, either, surfed there during commercial breaks in other shows. Going to a Tourists game tonight, will miss The Donald, awwww.

... yes, Hillary was referenced more....

[O Really]

We did get a free glimpse of what things would have been like if the #NeverTrump people had managed to tie up the votes or somebody had nominated Cruz or Kasich or any of the midgets. Gotta keep it in perspective, though. Everybody at that convention is a hard-core Republican or they wouldn't have gotten to attend. And a lot of them are Trumpettes, and they Trumpettes are the loudest. I don't think leading a crowd in a round of "lock her up" is likely to fly in the real world. Even among those who aren't that positive about Hillary.

But part of the problem with this Republican primary that differs from most is the degree to which people said really awful things that can't be just brushed off with "politics as usual." You can't say "electing Trump would be the end of civilization as we know it" and then say "but I'll get out and campaign for him" without being a fool. I hate to say nice things about any Republican, but I gotta say I admire Cruz, Kasich, and the Bushes for not rolling over. Even if everything Republicans say about her and accuse her of were true, Hillary would still be a better choice than Trump.

[Vrede too]

... You can't say "electing Trump would be the end of civilization as we know it" and then say "but I'll get out and campaign for him" without being a fool. I hate to say nice things about any Republican, but I gotta say I admire Cruz, Kasich, and the Bushes for not rolling over....

I was just thinking the same thing while reading this:

Ted Cruz 'Not in the Habit' of Endorsing People Who Attack His Family

No one should be so blindly partisan as to endorse all, be compelled to endorse all or to place party before family (even if the latter whining is hypocritical).

[rstrong]

I hate to say nice things about any Republican, but I gotta say I admire Cruz, Kasich, and the Bushes for not rolling over.

Keep in mind that the Bushes - and Cheney and pretty much everyone else in the Bush II presidency - were no-shows at the Republican convention in 2012. They were completely written out of history, the highlight of the entire convention being a guy ranting at an empty chair, criticizing imaginary Obama for the occupation of Afghanistan.