# The Republican national Convention **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 18, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729 "2016-06-18T21:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/321 "2016-07-19T09:35:35Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Oh, yeah? Was it covered [like this](http://www.cnn.com)? > > And who cares if it was from a friend and ally? Obama presented it as his own. Trust me: if it had been borrowed from a Bush speech, it would have been far more embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/322 "2016-07-19T09:37:35Z")
Perhaps, but certainly no more dishonest. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/323 "2016-07-19T09:42:40Z")
It’s funny that Melania plagiarized Michelle Obama’s speech on the very same day the Rep. King said that whites are responsible for Western Civilization and all the other sub-groups have contributed nothing. Well, not funny. Not funny at all. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/324 "2016-07-19T09:56:47Z")
Is this a hoax, or did [Trump tweet the exact same words about Melania as Barack did about Michelle’s convention speech?](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cnt0Cq6WcAAfIJC.jpg) If that is true, then I know someone on Team Trump is sabotaging the operation. And that says a lot about the loyalty the Donald inspires. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/325 "2016-07-19T10:01:20Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > So we’ve heard a lot from what I’m sure conservatives here would call the Usual Liberal Doper Peanut Gallery. Any sense of what the rank and file Republican thinks (not just the well known anti-Trumpers at RedState)? Or even undecideds/independents/Bernie bros? I have the same question. We know what well educated people think about Trump; we know what professional journalists feel about Trump. What we don’t know, is what the 50 % of voters think with an IQ under the average of 100. They are the silent majority in this election. My fear, and I hope I’m wrong, is taht they will be easy victims to Donalds simple, emotional language and self-assured body language. Has any research been done into this? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/326 "2016-07-19T10:07:58Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > But classy is not a word I’d use to describe her. Nor successful, nor a symbol of hard work and upward mobility. But you’d use these words for a plagiarist trophy wife… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/327 "2016-07-19T10:12:04Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Is this a hoax, or did [Trump tweet the exact same words about Melania as Barack did about Michelle’s convention speech?](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cnt0Cq6WcAAfIJC.jpg) If that is true, then I know someone on Team Trump is sabotaging the operation. And that says a lot about the loyalty the Donald inspires. It’s a hoax - does that really read like an Obama tweet to you? Also, the 2012 Dem Convention was in September… ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/328 "2016-07-19T10:14:21Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Is this a hoax, or did [Trump tweet the exact same words about Melania as Barack did about Michelle’s convention speech?](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cnt0Cq6WcAAfIJC.jpg) If that is true, then I know someone on Team Trump is sabotaging the operation. And that says a lot about the loyalty the Donald inspires. Definitely a hoax. The 2012 DNC was in September. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/329 "2016-07-19T10:31:16Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > And why is no one talking about how well she _delivered_ the speech, huh? 😃 > > Seriously though, it’s so nice to see a pretty, elegant, classy woman on the podium serving as a symbol of hard work, glamor, upward mobility and success after all these years of privilege-whinging, excuse-making and downwardly mobile lifestyles portrayed as noble and good coming from the left. This might be a bit of a low blow, and I really mean Melania no ill will (can’t be easy to be married to a racist shit-flinging howler monkey) but “symbol of hard work”? She’s a model who married a rich guy, and that rich guy in turn is mostly rich because of massive loans from his rich father and the uncanny ability to get away with being a colossal douchebag. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/330 "2016-07-19T10:33:12Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > And why is no one talking about how well she _delivered_ the speech, huh? 😃 A stiffer reading off a teleprompter there never has been. > [@](#): > > Seriously though, it’s so nice to see a pretty, elegant, classy woman on the podium serving as a symbol of hard work, glamor, upward mobility and success after all these years of privilege-whinging, excuse-making and downwardly mobile lifestyles portrayed as noble and good coming from the left. It’s a pity those Sixties hippy liberals invented plagiarism. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/331 "2016-07-19T10:35:54Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > The Democratic men and women you served with in the Navy were Democratic politicians? > > They’re the ones who set policy, you know. > > But be that as it may, let me isolate what I said in the hope it gets through this time: > > [bolding, of course, is mine] One is, actually (at the local level). Thank you for clarifying, and I’ll tell him what you think of him. Have you even considered that maybe some Democrats are hard working and intelligent people who just see things very differently from you? Is it possible for hard working and classy people to disagree with you? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/332 "2016-07-19T10:44:04Z")
Paul Manafort’s explanation: “There is no cribbing of Michelle Obama’s speech. These are common words.” So they’re going to double down. And this is the most boring day of the convention, so nothing is going to wow people into forgetting this. And Manafort is the _professional_, who was brought in to make this a normal campaign. Although, Trump being Trump, there’s always the possibility that he’ll say something grievously offensive and get people talking about _that_ instead. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/333 "2016-07-19T10:44:24Z")
Some are even hard-working intelligent enough to write their own speeches. I have to add, this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone named Trump called _classy_. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/334 "2016-07-19T10:48:09Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I have to add, this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone named Trump called _classy_. One theory I’ve read is that Trump’s _base_ is people who think he’s classy. Trump is a lot of people’s idea of what they’d be like if they became rich. Look at all the lottery winners who go broke after spending all their money on tacky ostentation. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/335 "2016-07-19T10:59:24Z")
Assuming Melania really did write her speech, I’m willing to cut her some slack (not a lot). My scenario: English is not her first language nor is America her native land, so she went to the internet to find examples of previous speeches by candidate wives. Michelle did give one hell of a speech, so she cribbed some of it. (It would be interesting to look and see if chunks of anyone else’s speeches ended up in there also). Then she turned it over to the speech writers (who unlike college profs didn’t run it through a plagiarism checker) who polished it up a bit, and she went out and read it. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/336 "2016-07-19T10:59:27Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Perhaps, but certainly no more dishonest. But Patrick gave Obama [permission](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/us/politics/18video.html) to use those words. From that cite: > [@NYT](#): > > In a telephone interview on Sunday, Mr. Patrick said that he and Mr. Obama first talked about the attacks from their respective rivals last summer, when Mrs. Clinton was raising questions about Mr. Obama’s experience, and that they discussed them again last week. > > Both men had anticipated that Mr. Obama’s rhetorical strength would provide a point of criticism. Mr. Patrick said he told Mr. Obama that he should respond to the criticism, and he shared language from his campaign with Mr. Obama’s speechwriters. > > Mr. Patrick said he did not believe Mr. Obama should give him credit. > > “Who knows who I am? The point is more important than whose argument it is,” said Mr. Patrick, who telephoned The New York Times at the request of the Obama campaign. “It’s a transcendent argument.” ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/337 "2016-07-19T11:12:11Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > But Patrick gave Obama [permission](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/us/politics/18video.html) to use those words. I’m aware of that, **Superdude**. The point is though that the public didn’t know it. Whether Patrick gave Obama permission to use his speech, or whether he felt that for Obama to give him credit was ill-advised, is beside the point. The real point is that Obama’s audience thought the speech was his and took it to heart accordingly, as both men intended. It was a deliberate and orchestrated deception. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/338 "2016-07-19T11:12:55Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > One theory I’ve read is that Trump’s _base_ is people who think he’s classy. He has chandeleeahs. [http://www.hulu.com/watch/10329](http://www.hulu.com/watch/10329) ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/339 "2016-07-19T11:20:00Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’m aware of that, **Superdude**. The point is though that the public didn’t know it. Whether Patrick gave Obama permission to use his speech, or whether he felt that for Obama to give him credit was ill-advised, is beside the point. The real point is that Obama’s audience thought the speech was his and took it to heart accordingly, as both men intended. It was a deliberate and orchestrated deception. FFS, Obama’s audience knows he has speechwriters. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2016, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/340 "2016-07-19T11:22:31Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’m aware of that, **Superdude**. The point is though that the public didn’t know it. Whether Patrick gave Obama permission to use his speech, or whether he felt that for Obama to give him credit was ill-advised, is beside the point. The real point is that Obama’s audience thought the speech was his and took it to heart accordingly, as both men intended. It was a deliberate and orchestrated deception. Maybe you should have explicitly stated that as your objection, rather than insinuate that he had plagiarized it without Parker’s knowledge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=18)