In an earlier post, I argued that this will be tougher for Trump to wiggle out than most things for the simple reason that: the media doesn't know much but they know plagiarism is about the worst thing you can accuse someone of.
Remember this sunk Joe Biden in 1988. His campaign was over for doing basically the same thing Melania Trump did last night. Ok, so she's 'just the spouse.' What matters is the candidate. In that vein, this story is not about Melania but Trump. He's supposed to be a great manager.
"Trump's racism and viciousness are disqualifying of course. But so is the incompetence and stupidity of his operation. He can't do the job."
https://twitter.com/jonlovett/status/755287540836466688
"The repeated lesson of the general election has been that Donald Trump is an utterly incompetent manager."
https://twitter.com/dbernstein/status/755285424734633984
So how do you trust him to manage the White House if he can't manage a campaign?
Trump's problem is he doesn't get that with plagiarism the media won't be diverted so easily.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-media-doesnt-get-much-but-they-get.html
Someone has to be fired. For journalists, writers, and editors, to accuse someone of plagiarism is the equivalent of calling a regular person a child molester.
Last night the media talked about firing the writer. Trump's team vaguely claimed that it was the product of a team of writers.
This is typical Trump. Usually this would work: if everyone is to blame, then no one's to blame as you can't fire everyone.
But the media needs someone to be fired here. Otherwise, there's no closure in its eyes. Again, last night the media wanted to see the writer fired. But the Trump campaign has stonewalled.
So now it's up the the next level. After Paul Manafort seemed to blame Melania this morning, Joe Scarborough called on Manafort himself to take the hit. Now the campaign manager has to be fired, not just a no name writer.
This is what comes by not nipping it in the bud.
ROBERT COSTA: The statement last night and Paul Manafort this morning, it’s really not that surprising to see because there is a culture of defiance within the Trump campaign. There’s a sense --
JOE SCARBOROUGH (CO-HOST): And within Trump.
COSTA: Enabled by Trump, driven by Trump, shaped by the candidate. And it comes from the candidate down. Based on my reporting last night, Jason Miller, the communications adviser, Paul Manafort, they took about an hour or so to come up with this statement, huddling together. And there’s a sense within the Trump campaign a few blocks away, as they were thinking this through, that the press is the problem here. That the press is stepping overboard.
[…]
SCARBOROUGH: This is an internal problem they've got to fix. And I've got to say, Paul Manafort is not helping things at all by coming up with statements last night that didn't make sense and then making them inoperative this morning, four hours later.
WILLIE GEIST: I was going to say, I don't know how you get out of a corner that's now been painted for the Trump campaign by the statement Manafort put out, where he said in no uncertain terms, this is not plagiarism.
[...]
SCARBOROUGH: Manafort has just put a target on his back.
[CROSSTALK]
SCARBOROUGH: Because now the way you fix it is by firing Paul Manafort.
CHUCK TODD: Two days in a row, you could argue that Manafort himself, a Manafort statement --
MIKA BRZEZINSKI (CO-HOST): Has messed up everything.
TODD: Has caused a bad half of a news cycle.
https://mediamatters.org/video/2016/07/19/msnbcs-scarborough-trump-s-campaign-chairman-put-target-his-back-denying-melania-trumps-speech-was/211689
Now, the old Trump campaign manager is demanding that the new Trump campaign manager prove he didn't see this speech before Melania used it.
Corey Lewandowski on CNN basically saying if Manafort saw the speech ahead of time he should resign
https://twitter.com/RosieGray/status/755420147205169152
Things have moved since then, however. The new line: 'If Sparkle Pony did it , why can't we?'
No longer just Trump campaign defending plagiarism: RNC's Sean Spicer is doubling down, saying "Sparkle Pony" used same phrase as Melania."
https://twitter.com/JoshuaGreen/status/755453630984122368
Who know we'd ever have a My Little Pony defense in a Presidential race?
http://www.dailynewsbin.com/news/donald-trump-surrogate-invokes-my-little-pony-dolls-in-defending-melanias-plagiarism/25271/
Remember this sunk Joe Biden in 1988. His campaign was over for doing basically the same thing Melania Trump did last night. Ok, so she's 'just the spouse.' What matters is the candidate. In that vein, this story is not about Melania but Trump. He's supposed to be a great manager.
"Trump's racism and viciousness are disqualifying of course. But so is the incompetence and stupidity of his operation. He can't do the job."
https://twitter.com/jonlovett/status/755287540836466688
"The repeated lesson of the general election has been that Donald Trump is an utterly incompetent manager."
https://twitter.com/dbernstein/status/755285424734633984
So how do you trust him to manage the White House if he can't manage a campaign?
Trump's problem is he doesn't get that with plagiarism the media won't be diverted so easily.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-media-doesnt-get-much-but-they-get.html
Someone has to be fired. For journalists, writers, and editors, to accuse someone of plagiarism is the equivalent of calling a regular person a child molester.
Last night the media talked about firing the writer. Trump's team vaguely claimed that it was the product of a team of writers.
This is typical Trump. Usually this would work: if everyone is to blame, then no one's to blame as you can't fire everyone.
But the media needs someone to be fired here. Otherwise, there's no closure in its eyes. Again, last night the media wanted to see the writer fired. But the Trump campaign has stonewalled.
So now it's up the the next level. After Paul Manafort seemed to blame Melania this morning, Joe Scarborough called on Manafort himself to take the hit. Now the campaign manager has to be fired, not just a no name writer.
This is what comes by not nipping it in the bud.
ROBERT COSTA: The statement last night and Paul Manafort this morning, it’s really not that surprising to see because there is a culture of defiance within the Trump campaign. There’s a sense --
JOE SCARBOROUGH (CO-HOST): And within Trump.
COSTA: Enabled by Trump, driven by Trump, shaped by the candidate. And it comes from the candidate down. Based on my reporting last night, Jason Miller, the communications adviser, Paul Manafort, they took about an hour or so to come up with this statement, huddling together. And there’s a sense within the Trump campaign a few blocks away, as they were thinking this through, that the press is the problem here. That the press is stepping overboard.
[…]
SCARBOROUGH: This is an internal problem they've got to fix. And I've got to say, Paul Manafort is not helping things at all by coming up with statements last night that didn't make sense and then making them inoperative this morning, four hours later.
WILLIE GEIST: I was going to say, I don't know how you get out of a corner that's now been painted for the Trump campaign by the statement Manafort put out, where he said in no uncertain terms, this is not plagiarism.
[...]
SCARBOROUGH: Manafort has just put a target on his back.
[CROSSTALK]
SCARBOROUGH: Because now the way you fix it is by firing Paul Manafort.
CHUCK TODD: Two days in a row, you could argue that Manafort himself, a Manafort statement --
MIKA BRZEZINSKI (CO-HOST): Has messed up everything.
TODD: Has caused a bad half of a news cycle.
https://mediamatters.org/video/2016/07/19/msnbcs-scarborough-trump-s-campaign-chairman-put-target-his-back-denying-melania-trumps-speech-was/211689
Now, the old Trump campaign manager is demanding that the new Trump campaign manager prove he didn't see this speech before Melania used it.
Corey Lewandowski on CNN basically saying if Manafort saw the speech ahead of time he should resign
https://twitter.com/RosieGray/status/755420147205169152
Things have moved since then, however. The new line: 'If Sparkle Pony did it , why can't we?'
No longer just Trump campaign defending plagiarism: RNC's Sean Spicer is doubling down, saying "Sparkle Pony" used same phrase as Melania."
https://twitter.com/JoshuaGreen/status/755453630984122368
Who know we'd ever have a My Little Pony defense in a Presidential race?
http://www.dailynewsbin.com/news/donald-trump-surrogate-invokes-my-little-pony-dolls-in-defending-melanias-plagiarism/25271/
Yet Trump team still says there was no plagiarism and no one will be fired. This will only intensify things.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/melania-trump-speech-michelle-obama-225794
Mike, the plagiarism scandal takes another dark turn, and her name is "Twilight Sparkle":
ReplyDeletehttp://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/07/19/wont-believe-rnc-blaming-melania-speech-kerfuffle-video/
Maybe divorce is the only answer Mike: she stabbed Trump in the back here with her dishonesty and that means she has to go one way (divorce) or another (Russian mob? Paul Manafort knows a guy):
ReplyDeleteNew Melania scandal: lies about having a degree?:
http://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2016/07/19/melania-trumps-claims-got-degree-honest-speech/
It's not at all hard to believe that Trump blames her. I could believe it
ReplyDeleteMaybe she got that degree from Trump U?
ReplyDeleteIt makes me shiver to imagine the "price" she paid for that!
DeleteDid you see that clip I posted the other day of "Immortan Joe" (from the "Fury Road" mad max movie)?... he's the perfect Trump character: an old tyranical white dude with curious vanity presiding over a cult of destitute people and zealots with a stable of beautiful women.
DeleteI hope Manafort gets canned ("and publicly humiliated" as Chris Matthews recommended for the perpetrator, whoever they decide that should be). And then what would be perfect? Hiring Corey Lewandowski back again! Hahahahahaha!!... what a clown show that would be. Wouldn't that be awesome?
ReplyDelete