I looked at the relevant blocks, and there were parts of about 8 lines that were copied word for word. Are those common thoughts and platitudes? Absolutely. The structure was basically identical. Could speech writers follow a template on something like this? I don't know. I tried to run it through a plagiary checker last night and struggled because it was bringing up news articles related to the comparison of these two speeches.
Here's the thing, I don't blame Melania. The campaign said in a statement she worked with a team of writers. They said they took fragments that reflected her thinking. A speech writer could have lifted this part of the speech because it conveyed similar thoughts to Melania (and most Americans), changed some words, and thought it would be okay.
There are others who thought, even right here on FR, that possibly it was sabotage. It was extremely odd how quickly this Jarrett Hill fellow was able to recall Michelle Obama's 2008 speech. It appears he remembered it before even Googling based on his Twitter.
This was discussed on CNN and MSNBC last night, and the consensus seemed to be to just admit it and move forward. Melania wasn't getting the heat really. Many seemed to think it was a speech writer who did this, and a person who is a Clinton supporter on CNN said that letting the speech writer go would alleviate the problem.
Manafort makes it clear that Melania herself didn't plagiarize which I don't believe she did. I would blame the speech writer. Manfort makes it clear that Trump isn't firing anyone and adds to CBS,
"They're a couple of phrases. It's basically three places in the speech and its fragments of words," he said. "She knew what she was doing. And she never cribbed from another speech without acknowledging that she was quoting somebody else."
"We're talking about words like compassion, love of family, respect," Manafort added. "These are not words that are unique words, that belong to the Obamas."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paul-manafort-defends-melania-trumps-convention-speech/
Who gives a good f@#$?
The left, and all their disgusting media minions, are TERRIFIED of DJT and that he is going to win. They will do anything to stop that from happening. There will be a lot more of this crap. Don’t let the noise distract you from the real issues.
I am not Cinna the Conspirator. I am Cinna the Poet.
Has Michelle Obama responded at all? If I were her, I would make a statement publicly that I was “flattered” that a gracious, and beautiful lady such as Melania Trump echoed my words and that more people need to live by their shared values/sentiments.