Melania Trump plagiarism/rickroll megathread

[Dr. Arch]

The conspiracy theory being sent to me is that they did this on purpose so there would be lots of media coverage showing Melania and Michelle next to each other in order to subliminally put the idea in our heads about her being First Lady. Thoughts?

No. That's horrible. lol

[Holmes]

Some RNC guy just quoted My Little Pony to prove that Melania didn't plagiarize but the quote wasn't even similar.

[Likely Voter]

I don't understand why they dont just bring out some no name low level staffer and fire him. While Trump doesn't like to admit mistakes they fired Roger Stone and Cory Lewendowsky. In fact Trump could make it part of his brand ("you're fired") to show he can be quick and decisive when there is a problem. They can get Melania out to Jimmy Fallon and turn it into a joke like have her read the gettysburg address or something. There are ways to fix this.  What they are doing isn't helping.

[Holmes]

I don't understand why they dont just bring out some no name low level staffer and fire him. While Trump doesn't like to admit mistakes they fired Roger Stone and Cory Lewendowsky. In fact Trump could make it part of his brand ("you're fired") to show he can be quick and decisive when there is a problem. They can get Melania out to Jimmy Fallon and turn it into a joke like have her read the gettysburg address or something. There are ways to fix this.  What they are doing isn't helping.

Maybe there really is something there and they don't want it getting out. Perhaps intentional? Who knows.

Also, didn't Palin go on late night in 2008 and joke around about her gaffes at some point? I think I remember her on Conan (which I think was the Tonight Show back then)?

[7,052,770]

The conspiracy theory being sent to me is that they did this on purpose so there would be lots of media coverage showing Melania and Michelle next to each other in order to subliminally put the idea in our heads about her being First Lady. Thoughts?

Could be. I have little doubt that this was intentional,  but I think it was to overshadow the multitude of awful things said at the convention with something relatively benign.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

I don't understand why they dont just bring out some no name low level staffer and fire him. While Trump doesn't like to admit mistakes they fired Roger Stone and Cory Lewendowsky. In fact Trump could make it part of his brand ("you're fired") to show he can be quick and decisive when there is a problem. They can get Melania out to Jimmy Fallon and turn it into a joke like have her read the gettysburg address or something. There are ways to fix this.  What they are doing isn't helping.

Any campaign with common sense would do something like that.  But this is Trump we are talking about.  Personally if my wife was some poor girl from a little Slovenian village who took her clothes off for money I wouldn't push her into a situation like this.  If my wife was an Ivy League trained litigation attorney I would be iffy about putting her on a political stage like that.  I'm just far more protective of the people around me.  Trump really is a terrible husband.  Trump should never have exposed his wife like this and even if he was dumb/selfish enough to do that he should at least publicly sacrifice someone to defend her honor.  If he will allow his vulnerable wife to be savaged like this with zero accountability what will he do to the hundreds of millions of complete strangers he would be charged with protecting as president?

[HillOfANight]

http://www.vox.com/2016/7/19/12221654/melania-trump-rickroll
https://twitter.com/michaelcohen/status/755466718173093889
http://steveschale.com/blog/2016/7/19/sabotage-in-cleveland-the-melania-trump-speech.html



Or maybe she just likes the song...

[DINGO Joe]

I do find it amusing that people who apparently lack the mental and/or moral capacity to identify and acknowledge plagiarism when it occurs, then think they can "explain" Benghazi to us.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

I don't understand why they dont just bring out some no name low level staffer and fire him. While Trump doesn't like to admit mistakes they fired Roger Stone and Cory Lewendowsky. In fact Trump could make it part of his brand ("you're fired") to show he can be quick and decisive when there is a problem. They can get Melania out to Jimmy Fallon and turn it into a joke like have her read the gettysburg address or something. There are ways to fix this.  What they are doing isn't helping.

I don't know what employment law is like in America, but couldn't a patsy staffer sue for unfair dismissal? I wouldn't want my career publicly ruined to defend Manafort

[Nhoj]

Objectively, even if you think this criticism is unfair, this is going to be perhaps the single thing people remember from this convention, unless, as someone else pointed out, someone does something even more blatant and stupid. This has the potential to put a major dent in the post-convention bounce that Trump was counting on and sets up the Democrats well going into August.

We have three more days of insanity I have my doubts this will be it.

[Xing]

I'm still a bit concerned that Trump will run around and hurt me, though.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

I don't understand why they dont just bring out some no name low level staffer and fire him. While Trump doesn't like to admit mistakes they fired Roger Stone and Cory Lewendowsky. In fact Trump could make it part of his brand ("you're fired") to show he can be quick and decisive when there is a problem. They can get Melania out to Jimmy Fallon and turn it into a joke like have her read the gettysburg address or something. There are ways to fix this.  What they are doing isn't helping.

I don't know what employment law is like in America, but couldn't a patsy staffer sue for unfair dismissal? I wouldn't want my career publicly ruined to defend Manafort

You just pay the guy some hush money and get him a job somewhere in the Republican apparatus.  I here there is an opening at Fox News.  Frankly this could be the biggest break some complete nobody ever gets.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

Objectively, even if you think this criticism is unfair, this is going to be perhaps the single thing people remember from this convention, unless, as someone else pointed out, someone does something even more blatant and stupid. This has the potential to put a major dent in the post-convention bounce that Trump was counting on and sets up the Democrats well going into August.

We have three more days of insanity I have my doubts this will be it.

Yeah, Crumpet is being very optimistic.

[HillOfANight]

Steve Schale, Obama's Florida guy says

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[heatcharger]

Here's the part of this I expected, but still am annoyed about: The media won't call a spade a f***ing spade. From what I've seen this morning to now, CNN and MSNBC have been framing this as "Did Melania take from Michelle Obama's speech?" YES. Why are you even asking? Facts have now become a left and right issue in this country.

I'm not asking for a Melania witch hunt, but I'm sick of this whole "let the viewers decide" crap when it comes to facts. She plagiarized, stop going out of your way to make it seem not that way.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

Here's the part of this I expected, but still am annoyed about: The media won't call a spade a f***ing spade. From what I've seen this morning to now, CNN and MSNBC have been framing this as "Did Melania take from Michelle Obama's speech?" YES. Why are you even asking? Facts have now become a left and right issue in this country.

I'm not asking for a Melania witch hunt, but I'm sick of this whole "let the viewers decide" crap when it comes to facts. She plagiarized, stop going out of your way to make it seem not that way.

I don't know how true this is but I heard an MSNBC host say that for "legal reasons" they can't call it plagiarism.  She wasn't making a big deal out of it.  It was an off hand remark.  It was like she was about to say plagiarism and stopped and made the remark and continued on.  I thought it was odd.  But Trump is known for claiming he will sue people and it is pretty obvious what Melania did so why even mess with it.  Just play the tape and move on to the discussion part.  We all know what we are looking at.

[Illiniwek]

Here's the part of this I expected, but still am annoyed about: The media won't call a spade a f***ing spade. From what I've seen this morning to now, CNN and MSNBC have been framing this as "Did Melania take from Michelle Obama's speech?" YES. Why are you even asking? Facts have now become a left and right issue in this country.

I'm not asking for a Melania witch hunt, but I'm sick of this whole "let the viewers decide" crap when it comes to facts. She plagiarized, stop going out of your way to make it seem not that way.

This really is the biggest sin of the media these days, and it really has to do with the media trying to avoid being labeled as liberally biased. If something happens that looks like it will help the Democrats or hurt the Republicans, the media will avoid taking a stance and say everything is 50/50. "Maybe she did plagiarize, maybe she didn't." CNN always does this. We don't have a Murrow or Cronkite who is going to tell it like it is, just loud talking heads and moderators who go out of their way to stay neutral.

[Mallow]

Here's the part of this I expected, but still am annoyed about: The media won't call a spade a f***ing spade. From what I've seen this morning to now, CNN and MSNBC have been framing this as "Did Melania take from Michelle Obama's speech?" YES. Why are you even asking? Facts have now become a left and right issue in this country.

I'm not asking for a Melania witch hunt, but I'm sick of this whole "let the viewers decide" crap when it comes to facts. She plagiarized, stop going out of your way to make it seem not that way.

I don't know how true this is but I heard an MSNBC host say that for "legal reasons" they can't call it plagiarism.  She wasn't making a big deal out of it.  It was an off hand remark.  It was like she was about to say plagiarism and stopped and made the remark and continued on.  I thought it was odd.  But Trump is known for claiming he will sue people and it is pretty obvious what Melania did so why even mess with it.  Just play the tape and move on to the discussion part.  We all know what we are looking at.

If only that were true... I've encountered several people who say it's just a coincidence that there are "similarities", and that there is no evidence of copying. I don't know how these people even function.

[Joe Republic]

I'm still a bit concerned that Trump will run around and hurt me, though.

He's already indicated that, during his term, he may say goodbye and desert us.

[Crumpets]

[Dr. Arch]

Poor thing. Many people have lost their careers and their futures for much less. No pity.

[cinyc]

Any campaign with common sense would do something like that.  But this is Trump we are talking about.  Personally if my wife was some poor girl from a little Slovenian village who took her clothes off for money I wouldn't push her into a situation like this.  If my wife was an Ivy League trained litigation attorney I would be iffy about putting her on a political stage like that.  I'm just far more protective of the people around me.  Trump really is a terrible husband.  Trump should never have exposed his wife like this and even if he was dumb/selfish enough to do that he should at least publicly sacrifice someone to defend her honor.  If he will allow his vulnerable wife to be savaged like this with zero accountability what will he do to the hundreds of millions of complete strangers he would be charged with protecting as president?

When was the last time the spouse of a major party candidate didn't speak at the party convention?  After a quick internet search, I'm pretty sure every spouse has spoken at the conventions this century.  A candidate's spouse not speaking would be what's out of the norm and unusual.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

Here's the part of this I expected, but still am annoyed about: The media won't call a spade a f***ing spade. From what I've seen this morning to now, CNN and MSNBC have been framing this as "Did Melania take from Michelle Obama's speech?" YES. Why are you even asking? Facts have now become a left and right issue in this country.

I'm not asking for a Melania witch hunt, but I'm sick of this whole "let the viewers decide" crap when it comes to facts. She plagiarized, stop going out of your way to make it seem not that way.

I don't know how true this is but I heard an MSNBC host say that for "legal reasons" they can't call it plagiarism.  She wasn't making a big deal out of it.  It was an off hand remark.  It was like she was about to say plagiarism and stopped and made the remark and continued on.  I thought it was odd.  But Trump is known for claiming he will sue people and it is pretty obvious what Melania did so why even mess with it.  Just play the tape and move on to the discussion part.  We all know what we are looking at.

If only that were true... I've encountered several people who say it's just a coincidence that there are "similarities", and that there is no evidence of copying. I don't know how these people even function.

Yeah, but the first post was asking why they don't call it "plagiarism".  I just don't see the point.  All the open minded honest people look at the tape and they know what it is.  Everyone else isn't going to care if God himself came down and told them it was plagiarism.

I agree that the press often looks ridiculous trying to be impartial.  But as the Republican debates showed the Republican base loves them some liberal media conspiracy theories.  If you are constantly being accused of being a "liberal" just because you state the facts I suppose you get into this warped mindset where you just cease making factual reports and frame everything as a "two sides" issue.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

Any campaign with common sense would do something like that.  But this is Trump we are talking about.  Personally if my wife was some poor girl from a little Slovenian village who took her clothes off for money I wouldn't push her into a situation like this.  If my wife was an Ivy League trained litigation attorney I would be iffy about putting her on a political stage like that.  I'm just far more protective of the people around me.  Trump really is a terrible husband.  Trump should never have exposed his wife like this and even if he was dumb/selfish enough to do that he should at least publicly sacrifice someone to defend her honor.  If he will allow his vulnerable wife to be savaged like this with zero accountability what will he do to the hundreds of millions of complete strangers he would be charged with protecting as president?

When was the last time the spouse of a major party candidate didn't speak at the party convention?  After a quick internet search, I'm pretty sure every spouse has spoken at the conventions this century.  A candidate's spouse not speaking would be what's out of the norm and unusual.

When was the last time a major party's nominee's wife paid the bills by taking her clothes off?  A lot of firsts this time round.  Would you not agree?

[Chief Justice Keef]

https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/755455836240089088

I can't believe this happened. First Trump's campaign goes to Elsa coloring books and now they cite Twilight Sparkle. This is hilarious.

The actual line from the show for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKt_rZV9KzA#t=56s