Plagiarism may be the least horrible thing that happened on that stage

[Saviolo]

Egregious as it is, Melania's speech-stealing is not the most newsworthy thing that happened on that stage last night.

Let's look at the big picture, here.

Melania stole a couple of platitudes from Michelle Obama's speech from years back, yes. But also last night a congressman (Steven King R-IA) said on TV that whites have done more for civilization than non-whites. A soap opera actor called the president a muslim. Two different speakers railed against "illegals." The opening prayer referred to Clinton and and Democrats as "the enemy."

The coverage of the speech is sensational, watch-the-birdie kind of stuff for the news cycle, and what we really need to call out is the amazingly overt racism, sexism, homophobia on display last night. That needs to be the real call to arms. Forget the fluff, forget the distractions. The -real things- the people are saying up on that stage are disastrous. They are emboldening racists and fascists throughout the USA, and it's unconscionable that the media is letting them get away with it.

A tweet from someone on my twitter feed today:

https://twitter.com/supership79/status/755384971150430209

I agree she should be called on the carpet for copying so blatantly, but this is a sensational story that the media can plug into the headlines to keep from having an uncomfortable conversation and losing access to the RNC by making their headline "RNC is an openly racist, sexist, and homophobic organization, now." I'll bet when the fact checkers discovered the plagiarism, they all breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't have to report on any of the disgusting things the other speakers spewed constantly all night.

This post has been shamelessly cribbed from some of my other posts on the subject.

[kcr]

1. True, but

The GOP is just frothing at the mouth right now because they wanted the story to be Benghazi!!!!! And it isn't. I can't help but laugh at this debacle and feel joy at their pain over this.

[SunSeeker]

34. Me too. Karma is slapping the GOP upside the head!

[PJMcK]

2. Excellent post

You're exactly right, Saviolo. The real issues that need to be addressed are once again over-shadowed by the shiny object over there. Who really cares about the candidate's wife's speech? It's fluff although I am wonderfully amused that Mrs. Trump quoted Mrs. Obama, wife of the hated Muslim/Kenyan.

You wrote a great line: "RNC is an openly racist, sexist, and homophobic organization, now." The Republican Party's platform and almost all of its members are horrific, regressive and un-American. That's what the country needs to be talking about. Add to that the fact that Donald Trump is an idiot.

[Saviolo]

4. They've slowly been doing away with dog whistles

Over the past 8 years, gradually weaning the media off the need for them, and now they've just got it all laid out on the table. The RNC is officially the party of "I've got mine" and to hell with anyone else who feels like they need a chance or help or a better life.

The platform they revealed is horrific. Doing away with LGBTQ rights. Doing away with women's rights. Doing away with national parks. It's a complete disaster.

[PJMcK]

5. It's un-American (n/t)

[kairos12]

14. Dog whistles out. Foghorn in.

[LonePirate]

3. Melania's speech certainly allows the media to forget all of the bigotry and craziness yesterday.

Pat Buchanan's notorious convention from the 90s almost seems like something you would hear from hippies at a commune when compared to the bile spewed yesterday from the GOP convention.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Actually no, Pat railed against 'militant homosexuals and the radical femist agenda'

just to clear his throat. It was extremely comparable to that which they are now spouting. It was nothing like anything any hippie would say.

Pat:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/patrickbuchanan1992rnc.htm

[auntpurl]

6. Good post.

I have shamelessly enjoyed the plagiarism story, but you are absolutely right; the larger story is how regressive, bigoted, and hateful the entire Republican party has become. Trump is just the frothing id, but the rest of the party agrees with most of what he says, they just don't want him to say it out loud.

[Saviolo]

8. I can't lie

I've enjoyed a bit of schadenfreude about it, too. It's pretty funny, I just wish it had been a side bar instead of the headline.

[PatSeg]

7. When you are immersed in so much

hate, bigotry, and faux patriotism in one place, it is easy to overlook the very obvious. As you pointed out in a comment, they don't even bother with dog whistles anymore.

Excellent post.

[Cosmocat]

9. This is in fact a process we see very often

in politics specifically, but in the public spectrum generally.

We see this all the time with politicians who are real scumbags but keep getting away with it, and then one seemingly benign thing happens and everyone goes apeshit, well beyond what would seemingly be attached to it, but it really everything folding in at once.

Roger Goodell is an example. He did a LOT of dirt for the NFL, literally burning the spygate videos, and repeatedly acted in favor or certain owners and teams, and the media just kept breathlessly saying how great he was.

Then, because he had gotten away with so much shit, he did the dirt for Baltimore with Ray Rice, and it just completely blew up on him. Nothing he did there was different than what he had done countless other times. It just was one times too many, there ended up being the video and everyone went apeshit.

[Saviolo]

10. Yeah, it's massively disheartening

You see it over and over and over again, and I'm just so frustrated with it. I do feel the need to call it out when I see it now.

The plagiarism has so much attention because it's funny, yes, but we can't keep watching the birdie while the RNC is over there setting the world on fire.

[Cosmocat]

16. The problem is

the whole day was on abhorrent hatefest, just totally despicable.

But, had some dolt not ripped those pargraphs, the media would note some of the delegate stuff, but outside of that saying how WONDERFUL her speech was all the vile ass shit that was said and done would have gone completely unreported, and it would have been made out to be a successful day.

Sadly, we have to be happy this shit fest hit.

[Her Sister]

11. The only thing missing was everyone dressed in Uniforms. Seems most were ready to go POSTAL!

[vegetarian x]

12. Steve King's comment was a Say what?????

Thank you for cutting to the chase. I think they threw Melania in there to bat clean-up so we'd forget all the poison that preceded it.

[Saviolo]

13. 100% agree

It's too uncomfortable for the media to have that conversation about how they've been enabling these people for years now.

[3catwoman3]

15. Steve King is a total moron.

I think a cantaloupe has a higher IQ.

[Dustlawyer]

17. Another uncovered issue is the Republicans focus on Veterans when

they were the ones who voted to cut VA funding DURING A WAR!!!

How do they have any support from Veterans?

[NCTraveler]

18. Very true but the media runs with the most simplistic....

And least nefarious story. They aren't going to call out their racism and bigotry. That would damage their party as a whole and the media is desperate for a horse race. Trumps wife is more about media sensationalism.

[skepticscott]

19. This was only Day 1, with the D-listers

There'll be plenty more ugly and hateful shit to come. Trump alone is a shit fountain.

Let's milk this while we can.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. When your rival is ludicrous and outlandish it might be a mistake to insist upon countering

that rival only with reason and straight faced priorities.
"Forget about rhetoric because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric but if we can bring these people down with comedy they stand no chance." Mel Brooks.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. "Never stop your enemy while they are busy making a mistake" . . . nt

[maddiemom]

33. But let's not let the "swiftboat" and purple band-aid type stuff be ignored again.

Taking the high road doesn't mean you shouldn't defend yourself and just let the lies go unchallenged. Already only the first night and the Benghazi stuff was already flying with no sign the debunking ( "given the order to stand down"...full stop right there)had ever occurred, just as if Hillary's exhausting bout before congress never happened. I couldn't believe the exploitation of Ms. Smith, who obviously has not even reached much beyond the second stage of grieving. I don't believe Rudy had the nerve to "go there" and so viciously. We all KNOW the Democrats won't stoop anywhere near those depths. Instant Rebuttal is another thing.

[BobTheSubgenius]

22. And the Rickroll even allowed them a moment of levity.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. I made a similar thread but I think I was wrong.

I agree with the main thesis to keep focus on the racism, bigotry, and lunatic ideas.

But I was wrong to suggest not trying to make the speech story go viral. It went viral and then some. Then it developed legs when the Trump campaign threw Melania under the bus by saying she lied about writing it herself and the speech was actually written by a team of writers. Also Preibus said "the writer" should be fired. So by calling it a "team" no one person has to take the fall.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512263132

[Ineeda]

28. A benefit might be that

tRump might be so outraged by the "attack" on his most--amazingly-beautiful-and-smart-really-really-smart wife, he'll go ballistic - in public. I don't think he'll be able to resist.
Regarding all the other outrageous stuff from yesterday -- I saw Chachi being interviewed by Tamron Hall a little while ago, and my dawg is he a piece of filth. Claimed to have written his speech in church. Tamron showed a tweet from him showing Clinton blocking a letter of a sign above her, leaving the word C*UNT, and asked him if he sent that from church. Of course he launched into deflective and anti-Obama mode. And so on. If I can find the clip, I'll post it.
Article and clip as follows:
http://theweek.com/speedreads/636982/watch-tamron-hall-hold-scott-baio-accountable-sexist-memes-epic-interview

[nolabear]

25. Totally agree but happily their message is getting lost in the fray.

If they play it right the DNC will look like America, and this will look like...well, Trump.

[AllyCat]

26. Yup. If the media can't pay proper attention to the blatant racism, homophobia,

misogyny, and hatred that was spewed from this event, we are in for a world of trouble if this is the only thing they will go after.

[Enoki33]

27. Agreed. What occurred on that stage was scary. The carnival barkers

were peddling fear, hate and outright lies. Seemed like a page from Goebbel's playbook. On the matter of plagiarism - They are accustomed to ripping off millions of dollars from unsuspecting people, do you think the 'royal' Trump family is going to care one hell of a lot for a few stolen words?
Interesting that David Frum would say the words had to be plagiarized as they are all the opposite of what Trump himself really is!

[Ilsa]

29. A bigger picture mentioned by caller on T. Hartmann: the big lie

about her credentials. She's lied about having a university degree in Design & Architecture, when she attended U for only one year. Lying about higher education and now plagiarism, even a tiny bit of plagiarism, shows what we are dealing with here: a pair of liars and at least one, maybe two, narcissists.

But I'm sure the rnc is so proud.

[HepKitty416]

30. Leslie Moonves on Donald Trump: "It May Not Be Good for America, but It's Damn Good for CBS"

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/leslie-moonves-donald-trump-may-871464

We don't matter. Our government is capitalism, not democracy.

[Saviolo]

36. “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” – William Randolph Hearst, January 25, 1898

Yellow journalism at its worst.

It's all about moving units, and getting eyeballs for advertisers.

Reminds me of my favourite of Brosnan's Bond films, Tomorrow Never Dies, Jonathan Pryce as a media mogul starting a war for ratings.

[HepKitty416]

37. Great (awful) quote. Chilling. n/t

[Chakab]

31. It was basically non-stop hate, fear and exploitation of people who'd lost family members.

The most telling part of the evening for me that Sherriff Clarke, who's only notable for viciously attacking the rest of black America and blaming the entire black population of the US from coast to coast for the historic poor relationship with the police, got a massive standing ovation when he the podium before he even said a word.

[Rose Siding]

35. Personally, I couldn't get past Baio being a speaker after he shared his favorite meme (nsfw)

Then he fell into that certified repub brand of "personal responsibility"

https://twitter.com/ScottBaio/status/754552913842679808

[bucolic_frolic]

32. Republicans always do this

they throw out this obvious lightning rod to attract energy, we
get all hot and bothered and rant and rave

Democrat's energy is spent at that point.

Then the rest of the issues go under the radar

They've been doing this since the "Barney fag" flap by Dick Armey

It's hard to keep up a level of outrage

unless you fake it like they did last night

[L. Coyote]

38. It was the best thing, a resounding endorsement of Obama values!

Resounding over and over an over again on Twitter, that's for sure