# 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:** 36
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/702 "2016-07-20T17:18:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Stolen speech update:](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-staff-writer-takes-responsibility-for-melania-speech-controversy/ar-BBuz7Q9?ocid=ansmsnnews11) Speechwriter takes the fall, says Melania read her the words over the phone but it was her responsibility to check to make sure they were original. WTF? > I’m sorry, but if the Trumpette is the one giving the quotes, then it’s the Trumpette’s responsibility, isn’t it? Depends on what she said. Did she say she wanted to use the quotes verbatim or did she intend the quotes as an example of what she wanted to speak about? At any rate, the speechwriter is also a professional writer. She absolutely knows what plagiarism is and should have explained to Melania why it’s a problem. I would not be surprised if Melania is unfamiliar (like a large portion of the U.S. population) with what constitutes plagiarism. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/703 "2016-07-20T17:19:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Stolen speech update:](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-staff-writer-takes-responsibility-for-melania-speech-controversy/ar-BBuz7Q9?ocid=ansmsnnews11) Speechwriter takes the fall, says Melania read her the words over the phone but it was her responsibility to check to make sure they were original. WTF? > I’m sorry, but if the Trumpette is the one giving the quotes, then it’s the Trumpette’s responsibility, isn’t it? So Melania plagiarized, but the staffer is the one to blame for not catching the plagiarism? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/704 "2016-07-20T17:22:46Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > So Melania plagiarized, but the staffer is the one to blame for not catching the plagiarism? Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/705 "2016-07-20T17:23:24Z")
As long as Twilight Sparkle is off the hook. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/706 "2016-07-20T17:25:17Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > So Melania plagiarized, but the staffer is the one to blame for not catching the plagiarism? It’s the party of personal responsibility, you know. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/707 "2016-07-20T17:25:47Z")
Hey, doesn’t Marco Rubio speak tonight? And didn’t he get derided not too long ago for robotically parroting the same lines over and over? So imagine him saying that Donald Trump – who will never, ever give up; and will never, ever let you down – knows you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond, and you do what you say; that you treat people with respect; and that we want children, in this nation, to know the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them. Okay, now imagine him saying that again. And again. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/708 "2016-07-20T17:25:54Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Depends on what she said. Did she say she wanted to use the quotes verbatim or did she intend the quotes as an example of what she wanted to speak about? > At any rate, the speechwriter is also a professional writer. She absolutely knows what plagiarism is and should have explained to Melania why it’s a problem. > I would not be surprised if Melania is unfamiliar (like a large portion of the U.S. population) with what constitutes plagiarism. That only works if Melania told her she got the lines from Michelle’s previous speech, so no. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/709 "2016-07-20T17:26:06Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Trump is a master at marketing himself to low information voters. Well he’s no Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, but he’s getting closer. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/710 "2016-07-20T17:35:35Z")
Oh wow Melania under the bus! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/711 "2016-07-20T17:38:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That only works if Melania told her she got the lines from Michelle’s previous speech, so no. I understand she did. (Discussed on CNN) It still should have been caught. There’s even software( some even FREE!!!) made to catch such things. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/712 "2016-07-20T17:39:02Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > It occurs to me that if we elect Trump into office, we are basically electing in Biff from Back to the Future. A craven, egotistical maniacal narcissist. So it _was_ a documentary! ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/713 "2016-07-20T17:40:27Z")
This explanation would have sufficed to quash this story had it been the first explanation given rather than trying to deny their way out of the issue for a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/714 "2016-07-20T17:40:49Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Hey, doesn’t Marco Rubio speak tonight? And didn’t he get derided not too long ago for robotically parroting the same lines over and over? Look, let’s dispense with this notion that Marco Rubio doesn’t know what he’s doing. Marco Rubio knows _exactly_ what he’s doing. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/715 "2016-07-20T17:57:09Z")
This is great. Melania was reading Michelle Obama’s speech to the speechwriter over the phone. In case you haven’t heard, Michelle Obama is the wife of the antichrist who is trying to destroy America. The Trump “organization” is so disorganized they couldn’t run a high school bake sale without it being a disaster. At least Hillary and My Little Pony are cleared. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-trump-captures-gop-nomination-former-rivals-prepare-to-take-the-stage/2016/07/20/13e5c4c0-4e23-11e6-a422-83ab49ed5e6a\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-trump-captures-gop-nomination-former-rivals-prepare-to-take-the-stage/2016/07/20/13e5c4c0-4e23-11e6-a422-83ab49ed5e6a_story.html) > [@](#): > > In a statement, Meredith McIver said she was an “in-house staff writer” who had worked with Melania Trump on the speech. McIver took responsibility for including the passages from Michelle Obama’s speech — though she said she had not revisited the earlier speech herself, only listened as Trump read parts of it that she liked to McIver over the phone. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/716 "2016-07-20T17:57:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That only works if Melania told her she got the lines from Michelle’s previous speech, so no. [Here.](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/20/melania-trump-speechwriter-admits-mistake-in-lifting-michelle-obama-lines.html) > [@](#): > > [In a written apology](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/20/statement-by-meredith-mciver.html) put out by the Donald Trump campaign responding to the furor, a self-described “in house staff writer” at the Trump Organization named Meredith McIver said she worked with Melania Trump on her opening-night convention speech. > > She said that she wrote down passages from the first lady’s speech during planning discussions, after Melania Trump mentioned them as the kind of message she wanted to share. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/717 "2016-07-20T17:59:29Z")
I thought this was an interesting article over at VICE: [This Is What Republicans at the RNC Think About Black People and Cops](http://www.vice.com/read/this-is-what-republicans-at-the-rnc-think-about-black-people-and-cops) My favorite parts are all from the same person:[ > [@Kira Inis](#): > > When any human life is taken, such as these police shootings, it is sad. But you can’t let that stop you from recognizing the decisions these people made that led to them getting shot by the police. Look at Eric Garner, a man who was selling loosies and had a rap sheet a mile-long. When he was approached by the police, all the man had to do was comply. A lawful headlock was used on him; it only went wrong because Garner kept flailing around. > [@Kira Inis](#): > > So obviously, I expect when I hear of these incidences that the person who was shot did something ill-advised to get themselves killed. > [@Kira Inis](#): > > I think that there was racism back in the day. But today, I think that racism is made up. It’s in people’s heads. It’s manufactured by the white leftist elites whose mastermind agenda is to pit races, classes, and sexes against one another to keep the narratives of victimization of brown people going. ]([http://www.vice.com/read/this-is-what-republicans-at-the-rnc-think-about-black-people-and-cops](http://www.vice.com/read/this-is-what-republicans-at-the-rnc-think-about-black-people-and-cops)) These folks are helping to decide the direction and fate of our nation by directly participating in our political process. The know what they know and believe what they believe so strongly that they are willing to give time and money to a man who they believe will help the real world look more like what they think it ought to look like. And they’re gonna win this election in November. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/718 "2016-07-20T18:00:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That only works if Melania told her she got the lines from Michelle’s previous speech, so no. I wonder how manafort and all the others who said it wasn’t plagiarized are reacting to the explicit admission that it was TOTALLY plagiarized but someone else screwed up by not checking it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/719 "2016-07-20T18:02:02Z")
If they’re smart they’ll just shut up about it. For the record, I don’t think they’ll just shut up about it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/720 "2016-07-20T18:05:35Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Here.](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/20/melania-trump-speechwriter-admits-mistake-in-lifting-michelle-obama-lines.html) The end result makes the whole story suspect: Low level speech writer takes the blame, saying she offered to resign but the Great And Powerful Trump wouldn’t let her. We are to forget all claims that Melania wrote the speech herself, and remember only that Trumpy is a great boss. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729/721 "2016-07-20T18:08:35Z")
According to the speechwriter, Melania admires and was inspired by Michelle Obama. This is too perfect! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-republican-national-convention/757729.md?page=37)